When did you first start running? What was your first race, time and place? What were your times in high school?
I started running when I was seven
years old. My Dad enjoyed putting me in
ten sports a year so we tried summer track.
My first race was the hundred meter dash and I think I got second to
last maybe last. At first I didn’t think
this running stuff was for me. Then my
Dad entered me in the 800 for the first time and I got second place.
In high school my claim to fame was
running
How is school going? Easy classes ? What’s your schedule like?
School is going pretty good so
far. I’m a little worried about ZOOL
319, but Ben’s in my class so maybe he will help me out (hint hint).
What did you do to train for this upcoming season?
Over the summer I just tried to
build up my mileage slowly. By July I
was running around 90 to 100 miles a week in singles. Some people thought I did
too much over the summer, but I wanted to take a chance. I want to be more then a mediocre runner.
How was working on the trails, who did the work, who got people to go out, is Oubre a good boss or lame because he didn’t go work the one time he was in town?
Working on the trails was a lot of
fun this summer. Sovinsky
was the main guy who got people to come out to the trails. Besides playing Mario Golf that’s all he did
all summer. And I don’t blame Oubre for not coming to work on the trails. He’s graduated and it’s up to the current Aggies to do the work now.
Being the coursemaster, do you know all the routes yet? Do you pick the routes and let someone else show the way? What is your favorite run?
Coursemaster is a new thing for me.
Most the time I just talk to Sovinsky and Dagnolo and we decide were to go. My favorite run would have to be
Rosemary. I don’t know why I just like
it.
Has badminton taken over disc golf as the team’s hobby sport? Are is the team too dysfunctional and doesn’t hang out to have a defined hobby? What is your favorite disc and course?
I believe badminton has become more
popular, but disc golf is still the teams sport. We have not been playing much lately because
of all the running stuff.
My favorite course would have to be
L.L. Woods in
Are you pumped about the new season of curb your enthusiasm on hbo?
Yes I’m sure Larry David will find a
way to get in more trouble with his wife and little girls with look alike dolls.
What has been your best workout of this short season?
Probably the continuous run at
Dogwood. I just felt relaxed and was
able to get into a good rhythm going up those hills. I think it helps when you’re a wimp and you
don’t have to carry as much weight up those hills.
What person on the team do you feel pushes you the most to run hard during workouts?
Or is it just yourself?
Lately Sovinsky
has pushed me the hardest. He’s an
animal when it comes to those interval type workouts. He’s a good friend and we have been running
against each other for a long time now.
He pushes me and I try and push him.
What has been your career best workout?
During the track season I was able
to do 5X mile in
Will you ever graduate and if so, what do you plan on doing after?
Hopefully when I graduate I’ll be able to find a school were I can teach History and coach Cross Country and Track. I would also like to try and run a serious marathon sometime. By the way my team is going to kill JPD’s and Menze’s.
How are things going living with wes and weidig? I hear you’re not there much at night so you might not know?
Things have been going well with Wes
and Weidig.
Nothing big has happened since Weidig beat Wes
in foosball and they started yelling at each other. If you want to get Wes mad beat him in
something and then never play him again.
What’s been your favorite cross country course?
My favorite course is Van Cortland
Park in
What’s your top three places to eat in the BCS area?
Cheddars, Free Birds, and that
smoothie place in the mall
Is Lance Armstrong a role model for you, in terms of hard work and dedication?
Yes Lance is definitely a role model
for me. Any guy who can come back from
death and win the Tour De France four times has got to be tough.
What do you do before a race that is unique from others on the team?
Most the time
before a race I just try and relax and tell my self to have fun. I’m not the type of
guy who gets all hyped up. When I get
all hyped up I don’t concentrate on running intelligently as much.
Are you and Melissa engaged?
Ask me again in three or four years.
Does Gulli give you advice on how to run fast or do yall just talk about other stuff?
Actually Melissa never really gives
me much advice about running. She just
leads by example and shows me what it takes to be the best. I think some people on the team (mainly the
ladies) don’t exactly understand why she works so hard. For example over the summer some people would
say to Melissa “take it easy” or “why are you running so far”. Melissa even had someone come up to coach and
tell him “I think Melissa is running to far.” I don’t think some people understand that
you can’t be an All American by doing what everyone else is doing. Being talented helps, but you also have to work very hard.
Sorry for ranting
How do you manage to stay out of trouble? Do you think you can be team captain next
year? Oubre
and
Well I hope I can continue to be
captain next year. I think the most
important thing in staying out of trouble is showing up on time for meetings,
practice, buses, planes, etc. The only time I have gotten in trouble was when
Beasley, NOT, and I climbed the mountain in
Are you looking forward to getting your aggie ring? What does being an aggie mean to you or do you just think it’s a bunch of hooplah?
I think some things like the yells
at football games are a bunch of hooplah. It’s fun to yell for a quarter, but after
that I just get tired of it. I think the
aggie ring is very important because it shows the hard work that we have
accomplished at this university. My
first semester here I thought my chances of graduating were slim (1.8 GPA), so
I’ll be very happy when I get my aggie ring.
What do you think about Coach Hartman? Does he train you the way you like it?
I like the way Coach trains us
because his program is geared more towards meeting individual needs. For example on Monday and Wednesdays we are
allowed to run as far or as fast as our bodies want to take us. He understands that every person on this team
is different and that not everyone needs to train the same. Some people are high mileage and some people
are low mileage.
What’s your favorite bar in town? Favorite beer? Mixed drink ? Fruit ?
My favorite bar in town is the Fox
and the Hound because of the two-dollar pints. My favorite beer is Guinness
without a doubt. Mixed drink uh I don’t
know. My favorite fruits are strawberry
and bananas.
What are your goals for the 2002 cross country season?
My main goal this year is for our
team to make it to nationals. I’m really
getting tired of feeling disappointed after regionals. I feel like I let our team down last year at
regionals and I am looking forward to making it up this year.
Individually I would like to place
in the top fifteen at conference and in the top fifteen or twenty at
regionals. And for Wes I would like to
beat Ben Dawson.
What do you think about the weight program that the team participates in?
I’m not exactly a big fan of lifting
weights. Most the time I get in there
and do arm swings, dips, and seated rows.
If there’s anything to do with legs I just skip over it. I have always been a wimp and I have no
aspirations of changing that. I’m really
happy that Jason is not around anymore.
If you could go anywhere for a week’s vacation where would you go?
Most definitely Disney World. When I have kids we’re going there every
summer.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to say thanks to my Dad
who got me started in this sport. When I
was little I would go running and my Dad would always be by my side riding his
bike. When I would run in road races he
would be there at the finish line waiting for me with water or Gatorade. Even now he still travels hundreds of miles
to see me run for twenty or thirty minutes.
He’s a good guy and he’s always been supportive of my running.
What are your words of wisdom for future aggie runners?
Probably to enjoy the time that you
have here at A&M, but make sure you take running seriously. Don’t half ass it. And most importantly when in doubt increase
your mileage.
Andrew Cook has 2 indoors, 2 outdoors, and 1 cross left after this season.