Aggie sprinter looking to get into restaurant business
Utah Statesman: What does it mean for you to be named Athlete of the Week?
DJ Smith: It’s a good feeling. It just shows that all that hard work that I put in the first semester and second semester paid off.
US: Track is a team sport. However, you all compete in separate events. How much do you focus on what the team is doing as opposed to your individual events?
DS: At this point and time, I focus more about myself. I still worry about team, but towards conference I will start worrying about the whole time and worry about myself less.
US: You set a school record in the 100-meter race with a time of 10.28. How do you feel about that?
DS: It’s my third record that I have broken, but I have always been shooting for the outdoor 100, and when I got it I couldn’t believe it, to be honest with you. I was a little disappointed because I messed up my first part off the race and I could have run faster had I had a clean race. But to run that fast this early is just amazing. I don’t even know what the future has for me.
US: Does that time qualify you for Nationals or Regionals?
DS: It qualifies me for Regionals, but if I do poorly at Regionals, that time could get me an at-large into nationals.
US: What is the qualifying time for Nationals?
DS: It is 10.25 (seconds), but they take the top fastest times ran that year. So that should be good enough time (for me). I’m not counting on it, but it should.
US: What are your personal goals for the year?
DS: I want to break the school record in the 200, be WAC champion in the 100, 200 and 4×100 (relay). Go to Regions and place in the top five. Actually I want to win Region at 100, and go to Nationals again. All-American is my ultimate goal.
US: How far off are you in the 200 from the school record?
DS: Another tenth (of a second).
US: What does it feel like to be so fast?
DS: I don’t even think about it like that. I am humble when it comes to my speed. When I run fast, I am happy and I show myself that I am happy and I don’t really show others. I try not to rub it in everyone else’s faces. I have always run fast since I was a little kid, so it’s not something that is new to me. I have been around it all my life.
US: How did you get into running?
DS: I originally wanted to do football. I was in the seventh or eighth grade, and so I joined the football team, but I missed my high school football team my freshman year. My mom said, “Why don’t you do track so you will stay conditioned? That way when the next year comes around for football, then you will be cool.” So I did it my first year and went pretty far with it actually. I went to State my first year doing track, and I was pretty psyched about that.
US: The USU football team could use some speed. Has that thought crossed your mind?
DS: No, no. (Laughing)
US: Do you see running in your future?
DS: Yes, actually, because I have a lot of friends at home who keep track of what I have been doing and they tell me to keep training, and I still have another year to train with my coach. So I definitely see it in my future.
US: With this being your senior year, how does that affect you?
DS: During indoor conference, me and a couple more seniors that were on there last year were talking that we only have one more season left before we are completely done. It is sad because I like competing, but if I keep my training, it probably wouldn’t leave me that much.
US: What is your major?
DS: Nutrition and food science, culinary arts with a minor of speech
US: What are you’re post-graduation plans?
DS: I want to work for a catering company back in San Francisco and eventually start working in a restaurant as a manager. Long term goals: own my own restaurant.
US: Are you from San Francisco?
DS: I am actually from Pleasanton, Calif. San Francisco is right across the water from me.
US: What do you like to do outside of running?
DS: Hang out with friends. We occasionally play video games, have big dinners and cook a lot of food and invite a lot of friends over and hang out.
US: If you could race against anyone in the world, who would it be?
DS: I would race Asafa Powell from Jamaica. He is No. 1 in the world in the 100 right now. I would probably run with Carl Lewis as a casual run because he knows a lot, he has been there. He has been the top. He is just a good guy to learn from.
-samabry@cc.usu.edu