by Tom Borish
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Ross was an All-American in the 100 meter
hurdles (Dyestat.com) |
1. Winning the 4x400m relay with an NCAA meet
and
collegiate record, you
helped South Carolina to their first ever women's
outdoor title. Describe
the feeling of walking away being part of a
national
championship team.
It was a great honor to be apart of USC's first
national championship track team. The championship was so special
because it was the first ever national
title in any sport here at USC. I'm thankful to God
that I was apart of this victory. Winning the
championship was exciting and is a memory that will
never be forgotten.
2. You placed right behind teammate Lashinda Demus in the
400 meter hurdle final with a time of 55.22. Your other teammate, Shevon Stoddart,
also took 6th in the same race. It's also amazing
considering
that you all were
freshman at the time and now have 3 more years to
compete for the title.
How do your teammates help you in accomplishing
your
goals?
Well being that we are all very close we help
each other emotionally and physically. We train hard
together and after practice we sit around and can joke
with each other. It's fun and we all workout hard
together to accomplish a common goal, winning!
3. Taking 8th in the 100 meter hurdle final last
season, you also earned
All-American in that event. What will you try to
work on this season in
order to improve more in that event?
Well I did
make All-American in the 100 hurdles at nationals but
I'm still not satisfied. I had great post nationals
meets including Jr. Nationals and Worlds (even though
I ran into a couple of injuries at Worlds). In getting
better I've been working hard this year and my plans
are to do much better in the 60 and 100 hurdles this
year.
4. Head coach Curtis Frye has developed the
South
Carolina program into a
national power in a short period of time. How much has he
helped you to where you are
today and the program overall?
I credit a lot of my success to Coach Frye and
his style of training. He's a great coach and
definitely one of the greatest technical coaches that
I've ever been associated with.
5. Is there anything that do you specifically to
do
prepare before for each
track meet?
Well before each meet I talk to my
family and tell them my goals for each meet. I pray
and ask God to be with me. Then, I always warm up with
my CD player. Being from Miami Dade County, I listen to
Trick and Trina, Lil Jon and the Eastside boyz and a
whole lot of 'Down South' music. Lastly, I
pray again and go out on the track with a mission
which is to win.
6. Considering you would have been an NCAA
qualifier with your time in high
school, did you expect to do this well your
freshman
year?
I can say yes and I can say no to his
question. I have a lot of confidence in myself and I
knew my capabilities. Coming out of high school I knew
I was an NCAA qualifier but I didn't know that my time
would drop as fast as it did. Once I ran a couple of
collegiate outdoor meets I knew that I was capable run
55 or better in the 400 hurdles. Now the 100 hurdles
was a shocker. When I ran 13.01 at Jr. Nationals I was
excited and definitely excited about my sophomore
collegiate season.
7. Now that the indoor season is right around
the
corner, how has your fall
conditioning and specific preparation been for
you?
I've run into a couple of slight injuries
this fall but it's nothing I can't over come in a
couple of weeks. We've all been training hard here at
USC and this indoor should be great.
8. What was the toughest adjustment you had to
make
when you finally landed
in Columbia, South Carolina from Miami, Florida?
My biggest adjustment was the tempo of things. In
Miami there is always something to do and somewhere to
go. We have great malls in Miami and that's wheat I
really like about it. I love to shop! Here in South
Carolina things are much slower but it's not that bad.
I've adapted to South Carolina and it's environment. I
don't regret leaving Miami to move here for a while.
9. How do you like to spend your free time when
you
are off the track and
not involved in the sport?
My role model athlete would have to be Gail
Devers and Melissa Morrison. I train along side
Mellisa for the 100 hurdles so I can depend on her to
help me with my mistakes which make me a better
hurdler.
11. The South Carolina program has developed a
number of great sprinters
and hurdlers over the past several years. Where
do
you see yourself 4 years
from now and what would you like to accomplish?
Four years from now my plan is to run professional
track and train here at USC. Of course the Olympic
Games and World Championships are also goals for me. I
want to run both hurdle races.
12. What kind of music do you listen to and what
are some of your favorite
forms of entertainment?
I like to listen to Trick Daddy and Trina; I also
listen to Tweet, Musiq, Nelly, Eve, Missy and most down
south artists.
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