Andrew Gardanier = AG

McKay Hunter = MH

Sun Journal:

What was the hardest and easiest parts of Cross Country this year?

McKay Hunter:

Probably dealing with all the smoke. I’ve never really had to deal with air quality that bad. It definitely affected how we ran. We would have a lot of indoor days, so that was a bummer not getting more quality practices in.

Sun Journal:

How nervous do you get before races?

MH:

I always get a little nervous but not super nervous. I enjoy running quite a bit if you didn’t know that already!

Sun Journal:

What kind of pressure do you feel to do well in races?

MH:

Well, I mean I guess I try to zone out the pressure. However I would say that the person who puts the most pressure on me is myself. I feel it’s mostly positive pressure though.

Sun Journal:

So being Big Sky’s leading runner at state this year must have been awesome right? What was that like?

MH:

It was good! I mean there is still a  lot of room for improvement as far as my time goes, but I’ll admit it was a pretty awesome way to finish out the season. I enjoyed the course at state though. There were plenty of rolling hills which I like hills. I think they’re fun!

Sun Journal:

So the question on everybody’s mind is what kind of shoes to you sport for races?

MH:

Nikes for sure!

Sun Journal:

What have you been trying to improve the most this previous running season?

MH:

Times. Different courses require different attributes. So I think just increasing my all-around running ability will overall contribute to my success. So just keep training hard and continue to grind it out!

Sun Journal:

What does your workout look like?

MH:

Well during the season of cross country we do a lot of footwork drills and other mini drills to get us to have better form for running. So as a result the drills help us get better times. I really think that just flat-out running itself is the biggest help. The more you run the better you get at it I guess.

Sun Journal:

Who are some of your biggest role models, as far as cross country goes?

MH:

I would say my cousin Jeremy is probably my biggest role model. He raced for Twin Falls and was Times-News Boys cross country runner of the year in 2012. He has really helped my times.

Sun Journal:

What is the ceiling for cross country next year? What are you guys shooting for as far as results?

MH:

We want to really improve as a team. Simply do better than last year and also get an improved placement in state next year as a group. Personally I want to get faster and just keep working at improving. I guess we’ll just see how we do next year. Numbers and placement are really just an object so it’s just a matter of if I feel I’ve improved.

Sun Journal:

What are you most proud of this past year?

MH:

I think that I’m most proud of my ending position at state and making that top 25 as a sophomore. Once again it was a fun way to end close out the season.

Sun Journal:

Why do you do cross country? And don’t say “because it’s fun” because running isn’t fun!

MH:

Haha well i guess that I’m not a sprinter so I guess it just works out better that I do long distance instead of shorter distance. It’s a good sport just because you get individual credit for your success as an athlete, but there is also a strong team aspect of the sport which is good. You get to have that feeling of togetherness and bond over running with your teammates and all that good stuff.

Sun Journal:

What importance does nutrition play in your success?

MH:

Well on race days I usually just have a pretty basic breakfast. I have toast or some cereal. I guess it’s different for everybody though. Whatever you want to eat, go for it!

Sun Journal:

Where do you go from here as far as sports for the remainder of the year go?

MH:

Well I’ll do Track in the spring, but it’s really still kind of up in the air at this point. I’m interested in swimming for the teak here. A few of my sisters did swim team so I guess I know what it entails. It’ll be interesting though to see where it goes from here. I’m excited for what the future has to bring.

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Sun Journal:

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?

MH:

(no hesitation) Strawberries!

Sun Journal:

Really?

MH:

Heck yeah!