Recently, I had the opportunity to interview varsity athlete, Gavyn Hansotte. He is a 10th grader at New Castle Senior High School. Gavyn is a varsity star for the New Castle Cross Country team. I met up with Gavyn after practice and he answered some questions on how he feels about the team.

Question: How long have you been running cross country?

Gavyn: I’ve been running cross country since 7th grade. That is the first year that there is a team to run with for New Castle.

Question: What do you do train for cross country?

Gavyn: I run long distance, up to 10 miles.

Question: What sports other than cross country are you interested in?

Gavyn: I mainly watch hockey. My favorite hockey team is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Question: How many days a week do you have cross country?

Gavyn: We usually have practice every day except for Sunday.

Question: What is your highest placement in a race?

Gavyn: My highest placement is 1st in a JV race in Westmiddlesex’s “Big Red” invitational.

Question: What time of year is your favorite time to run?

Gavyn: The best time of year to run is October because the temperature is just right.

Question: When you first running cross country who did you look for to help you get better?

Gavyn: The people that have the biggest role in helping me improve are my coaches and my parents.

Question: What are your high school goals for cross country?

Gavyn: The main goals for me is for the team to win the state and WPIAL championships.

Question: How do you prepare for cross country meets?

Gavyn: I like to listen to music to hype me up. The main artist I listen to is Eminem.

Question: Why do you like to run?

Gavyn: I use it as a way to clear my head. It is good way to take out anger, aggression, or sadness in a non-violent way. It is also good to stay in shape. I most enjoy it because of the team.