Q&A With Kate Gorry
11/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 3, 2005
Houston -
Rice senior Kate Gorry helped the Owls to a team championship at the Conference USA cross country championships Oct. 29 in Orlando, Fla., finishing second as an individual. The 2004 WAC champion, Gorry has been Rice's top cross country runner for the past two seasons.
Here's a closer look at one of the Owls' top athletes:
Q: What got you started in running?
I decided to run cross-country my junior year of high school instead of play volleyball for a change and also as a way to stay fit for club soccer which was very competitive. I enjoyed it and was pretty successful within our division of private schools so I also ran track in the spring.
Q: What made you choose Rice?
I actually decided to come to Rice to play soccer. Chris (Huston, Rice head soccer coach) is an exceptional coach, and I knew the program would develop into one of the best in the nation with time. Also, I thought it might be nice to stay near home and my family.
Q: What is the most important factor in your success?
I think that enjoying what you do and being confident in yourself is so much of being successful in a sport. I run within myself and desire/believe that I can be as good as anyone out there. I think continually taking risks without fear of failure is the only way to get better. Training and competing at a level where you fall short repeatedly is where I think you find success. The essentials like commitment, desire, work ethic, passion etc. all seem to follow.
Q: What do you look forward to most about Rice's new conference (Conference USA)?
I am not too familiar with Conference USA and the competition for cross-country and track mainly because I never look at stats and results. I guess particularly in running where times are always being compared, I feel that focusing on other people is distracting and may cause you to place yourself somewhere before you have even competed. It is exciting to be in a conference with different schools that will challenge us. It is something new so it should be good.
Q: What was the hardest part of your transition from high school to college athletics?
I have had a fairly smooth transition. I was burnt out on soccer so I followed my intuition and decided to try running once pre-season was over. I was very lucky in that Chris was supportive of me trying cross-country out and Jim (Bevan) did not deny me. It has worked out well, but I have them to thank.
Q: Who is your biggest running "hero"?
Well, umm I don't know many pro-runners, but I find heroes in most everything I do. A hero to me is someone who you follow closely because you admire who they are and aspire to grow into what they are. Marissa Daniels is who I look up to in this sport. It might seem weird because she is two years younger, but I see her as older and more experienced than me. I have never met someone so grounded in what they do and who they are. She has a confidence and maturity to her that is unique and special. I feel Marissa is very successful and continually improving because she approaches the sport perfectly. She never compares herself to others so all of her energy is focused on making herself better and helping her teammates do the same. She understands that distance running is different from most sports in that more is not always better, and there is a fine line between being fit and breaking down. She is extremely modest and genuinely supportive of others despite her endless accomplishments. She is loyal and good-hearted, trusting and very easy-going. Marissa is a hero for me because I see so many things in her that I hope to be.
Q: What is the best place you have ever raced (i.e. most scenic, best course, etc.)?
I really enjoy running in Indiana (Terre Haute) at Pre-Nationals because there are so many good people and the fans are all about cross-country. It is a big deal to everyone and there is a lot of excitement. I also liked running in San Francisco my sophomore year for conference because it was the craziest course I had ever seen. It was all dirt and the hills were sharp and steep. It reminded me of some kind of African safari thing. Pretty hard though.
Q: What do you like better -- cross country or track? Why?
So far I like cross country better because you can just run and not think about anything. In track it is harder for me to stay focused and excited about it because of the number of laps and splits etc. But, I think this year track is going to be good because I will train more like I do in cross country and hopefully stay healthy as well. I might get to try the steeplechase too which would be sweet.
Q: You also played soccer in high school. How did that help or hurt your running?
I think soccer helped my running definitely because it is a challenging sport both mentally and physically. It taught me toughness and the importance of working hard and competing well for your teammates. It also proved to me that you have to keep pushing because even if you are great, there are still people better than you.
Q: What has been your favorite Rice class?
Shakespeare on Film-Dennis Huston
Personal Essay & Narrative-Marsha Recknagel
Players Mentioned
