North Carolina State University Athletics
Catching Up With Laila Thomas
8/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Track
Aug. 24, 2005
Laila Thomas, a junior on the NC State women's track & field teams, sat down with GoPack.com recently for a quick chat. Thomas, a jumper from Jacksonville, N.C., took ninth place in the high jump last season at both the ACC Indoor Championships and the ACC Outdoor Championships.
GoPack: How was your summer?
LT: Good ... hard
GoPack: Why was it hard?
LT: I did a lot of training. I hired a personal trainer from O2 Fitness here in Raleigh and he really pushed me.
GoPack: So you stayed in town over the summer?
LT: Yes, I took a class each summer session.
GoPack: What classes did you take?
LT: Organic Chemistry and then Physics.
GoPack: How did you do in those?
LT: Good, but it was actually kind of frustrating because I got an 89, which is almost an A, but not quite. Then the second one I just didn't do so good on the final. That second one was at 8 o'clock in the morning every day, so that was pretty hard.
GoPack: So you've been training in the afternoons?
LT: Yeah, it was pretty hot out there.
GoPack: What all were you doing in your training?
LT: He (trainer) had me doing all kinds of stuff. Things I had never done in my entire life. It was hard though ... a good challenge that pushed me.
GoPack: How was this summer different than the summer before?
LT: The summer before, coming off my freshman year, I only worked out every other day with a group of people that worked out with a strength and conditioning coach here. It wasn't easy, but it was a lot more laid back. This summer, working one-on-one with my trainer was just a lot more intense.
GoPack: Did you keep in touch with many of your teammates over the summer?
LT: Yeah, a couple of the people on the jump crew. Michael Hill was actually supposed to work out with the same trainer I had, but I only saw him there the first time. I don't know what happened to him. I don't know if he couldn't handle it, all I know for sure is that he was gone. Tabitha Woodard was here working out with the strength coaches this summer and Dexter Adams was here working out for the first part of the summer too.
GoPack: When does track practice begin?
LT: After Labor Day. It's just a lot of running for that first two months ... like we're on the cross country team. Then we'll start working on technique.
GoPack: What are you doing until then?
LT: Lifting weights, doing a lot of ab work and trying to increase my core strength.
GoPack: Are you taking a different approach to preparing for your events this year?
LT: Last year we were kind of thrown in to the pentathlon and heptathlon. This year we're going to really prepare for it and concentrate a little more on the throwing events.
GoPack: What are your goals for this year, both team and individual?
LT: The jump crew should be pretty good this year. Everybody is back from last year, plus we've got some really talented freshmen coming in. Individually, I'm looking to have a breakout year. I want to hit six feet in the high jump and 19-plus in the long jump.
GoPack: What classes are you taking this semester?
LT: The second part of biology, English literature, a sociology class and environmental ethics.
GoPack: Can't imagine that leaves you a whole lot free time, but what do you do when you have a few moments?
LT: Chill, watch TV.
GoPack: What are your favorite shows?
LT: Right now I like watching Celebrity Fit Club. I like to see who will lose weight. I'm looking forward to new episodes of The Family Guy. Other than that, I just watch old shows like Sex and The City reruns.
GoPack: What are your future plans ... after college?
LT: Medical school.
