This week’s Farmer Focus is on sophomore Alan Salinas who aspires to continue with his passion to run.

SNAPSHOTS

Favorite color: Blue

iPhone or Android: Android

Skittles or M&Ms: Skittles

If you were stranded on an island, what would you take with you and why? A machete because I could cut things from trees and I could build something out of that.

Best quality about yourself: Personality

ZOOMING IN

Q: Who and what influenced you to pursue track?

A: “My sister. She ran track and cross country. I wanted to try it out. So, I ran my first meet and I liked it a lot so I took it for seventh, eighth, [and] ninth [grades] and now.”

Q: How do you feel when you run?

A: “Every time I run, out in the streets or on the track, it inspires me to do more. The seniors who run give me inspiration. Every time I run I feel free from everything…and I’m just running.”

Q: When is running difficult for you?

A: “As the [school] year ends, I have to work over the summer. I don’t have time to practice, and when we start training it’s really hard because I wasn’t able to practice as much as I would’ve liked. So I’m fast one season but then I’m slower another. This year I did run over the summer, but I got injured [by pulling a tendon in my thigh] so I couldn’t run for about three weeks.”

Q: Did your injury affect your running?

A: “Yeah, it was actually the first time I got injured in a long time.”

Q: Are you planning to apply for any scholarships?

A: “Yes, there’s a scholarship for cross country [where you get discovered by scouts and you might get a full ride].”  

Q: Who is the one person that you admire and why?

A: “The person I admire is Matt Shadows. He’s the lead singer for Avenged Sevenfold. He stayed strong when his friend died, but [I] also [admire him] because he writes a lot of songs. Even though his songs didn’t sell, he didn’t give up and he does what he loves.”  

Q: What do you want to be when you’re older? Does it involve running?

A: “It doesn’t involve running. I want to be a video game designer but even then I would like to keep running as a hobby.”