An Interview with Emily Godwin
By Mike
McMillion on Apr 25, 2012
The All-Around Athlete:
One of the
most successful and all-around female prep track & field athletes in West
Virginia of all time, Buckhannon-Upshur’s Emily Godwin continues to build upon her
success. This season Godwin has already competed in eleven meets; winning gold
39 out of 44 events. Godwin is a very special talent and would be considered by
many to be the best overall female athlete in all West Virginia Track &
Field. Godwin is currently ranked US#8 for indoors and US#7 for outdoors in the
high jump. Godwin is currently ranked in the top 3 in the state in seven
events: 100m dash (2nd), 800m run (3rd), 100m high hurdles (1st), 300m low
hurdles (1st), high jump (1st), long jump (1st), and the 4x102.5m shuttle
hurdles (1st). Track season is heating up; Godwin talks with us about her
training, her goals for the rest of the season, her accomplishments, and much
more.
Interview:
M: Where were you born?
Godwin: I
was born in Radford, Virginia.
M: At what age did you start running?
Godwin: I
started running competitively in 6th grade in Middle School.
M: What sparked your interest in
running?
Godwin:
Being the youngest in my family I was influenced by my older siblings in many
ways, but one was participating in track. In the spring of my 6th grade year I
decided to try track because my brother and sister both participated in this
sport. My sister was the one who really influenced me because she took up
running and training as a hobby, so I just followed her lead as I got older. It
became a passion for me and as I saw runners excel such as my sister and
Chelsea Carrier, it made me want to push myself and be the best I could be.
M: What do you love most about track
& field?
Godwin: I
like a lot of things about track, but what I love most is beating your personal
record. It is a reminder that all your
hard work and training is for something and being able to watch all the tough
workouts pay off in the end is a great feeling. It also pertains to everyone.
Every runner, thrower, and jumper has a time, mark, or height that they are
striving to beat. It gives an individual the drive to become better and to
watch how you progress throughout your career. I go into every meet I
participate in wanting to beat my PR and improve my performance.
M: Did you ever play any other
sports? If so, what sports?
Godwin: I
play soccer for our high school. My freshman year, I played basketball but I
decided to take the winter off and play indoor soccer and train for track.
M: At what age did you start to have
success at track & field?
Godwin: As I
have stated before, I did participate in track during my middle school years. I
would say that my 8th grade year is when I started to have success.
M: What event did you excel most at?
Godwin: In
8th grade, the events I excelled most at were high jump, the 400, and 200 meter
hurdles.
M: How many meets do you run during a
high school track season?
Godwin: At
the end of this season we will have competed in 15 meets including Conference,
Regionals, and States.
M: You've already had quite a few
races this season? What is the reason behind setting up this kind of schedule?
Godwin: This
question may be better answered by my Coach.
M: What does a typical week in training
look like? How do you train since you run so many meets?
Godwin: Our
training schedule really depends on what days we have meets that week. Again,
this might be better answered by my Coach as well.
M: What are your goals heading into
the rest of the track season?
Godwin: For
the weeks we have left, I keep striving to beat my personal record. As a team,
our goal is to win States.
M: What is your favorite track &
field event?
Godwin: I
don't know if I have one favorite event. I really like the variety and aspects
that each event has. For field events, I would have to say high jump because I
am the most comfortable and knowledgeable with that event. As for running, it
would probably be a tie between the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles.
M: Is there an athlete who inspires
you?
Godwin:
There is an athlete that grew up in the same town as me and is now running for
WVU. She has accomplished many high
level achievements and always stays very humble. Watching her compete in high
school, seeing her name all over the record board, and hearing all of her
success at the collegiate level is truly inspiring for any athlete. For me, she
is a role model. She is someone that I strive to be like. Her attitude and
athletic ability have carried her very far and I hope someday I can say I was
half as good as she was. This athlete is Chelsea Carrier.
I'm also
inspired and thankful for the blessings God has given to me. Every day I want
to strive to be the best I can be in all things to give him the glory.
M: What has been your greatest
accomplishment up to this point in your high school career?
Godwin: My
greatest accomplishment is contributing to the 2010 and 2011 AAA Girl's Track
and Field State Titles.
M: With one more year left in high
school, what expectations or goals do you have for yourself going into your
senior season and beyond?
Godwin:
Every year I want to be better than the last. I want to come in and perform
better than I did at that point in the season last year. Hopefully by next
year, I will already have decided on what college I will be attending in the
fall of 2013, and as of right now I am hoping to compete at the collegiate
level.
M: Do you see yourself ever
participating in the Olympics?
Godwin: I
think almost every athlete at one point in time sees herself or himself
competing at the Olympics. I think that would be an amazing experience and
opportunity to compete, but getting there is very difficult. It takes a lot of
training and dedication to compete with such elite athletes. It is a far-fetched
goal, but hopefully in the future it will be more obtainable.
M: What is your favorite quote?
Godwin:
"Good players practice till they get it right, great players practice till
they never get it wrong."
M: Emily, I want to thank you for the
great interview. On behalf of WV Runners, we would like to wish you continued
success. You are a true example of how much one individual can do if she
dedicates herself to a task. You are truly inspiring, and your achievements
have been incredible. I hope you achieve your dreams and goals. Thanks again!
If there is
something to be learned from Emily Godwin, it is that her success is dependent
upon her faith, discipline, effort, skill, teamwork, and humbleness. I’m
willing to bet that Emily Godwin is on many College Recruiters radar!!!
Emily Godwin
is coached by Jackie Zuliani who has received coach of the year honors.