Catching up with Mariah Smith
A three-sport athlete who will garner 10 varsity letters by the time she hangs up her prep track spikes, the West Aurora senior on Feb. 3 signed her letter of intent to participate in track and field at the University of Illinois, which will offer a full tuition scholarship. At 18 the youngest of Andrew and Ramona Smith's six siblings, Mariah is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. In a somewhat rare track career move, after years of competing in short sprints and sprint relays - she joined Shanice Andrews, Markesha Davis and Kehlay Dunah to win the DuPage Valley Conference 400-meter relay and later qualify for state - last spring as a junior the 5-foot-3 Smith took up shot put and discus. After winning both events at the DuPage Valley Conference meet in her first competition, she qualified downstate in each.
Q: What's the hardest event in track?
A: Whichever one's the longest.
Q: What inspired you to trade sprinting for throwing heavy weights?
A: I still run as well, but my focus right now is definitely on throwing. Actually, I've been running since I was 4 years old for my summer team, the Aurora Sundowners. After you've been running awhile, 13 years, you lose a little love for it - there's only so many times you can run around in a circle. So I went over to my coach (Teresa Towles, at West Aurora) and said, "I think I'll try something new." So I tried it and I guess I was good at it.
Q: Is there anything that translates from being fast in a sprint to being decent in, say, shot put?
A: It turns out that being fast helps you a lot. When you're in the ring you need quick footwork to get that momentum going. If you're not fast, if you can't use that quick footwork, you're not going to get that much momentum.
Q: It's an interesting story how you landed at Illinois. Can you tell us how the ball got rolling?
A: What happened was I went down (to Illinois) for a camp this summer. And my mom e-mailed and said, "I'm not sure of her potential, but I think she's a thrower."
Q: Why do you like the throws?
A: Naturally, if you're good at something you're going to like it and want to get better at it. But I'm a pretty strong girl. Just being able to put my all into something and get down and dirty with it, I really like it. It's like my thing and I found it. It's kind of like my baby - I like it a lot and it's something I want to take care of.
Q: What do you like to read?
A: I definitely like the Young Adult Life (Initiative) novels about the average, normal teen. I definitely like the classics, too. Shakespeare's "Macbeth"is definitely one of my favorites.
Q: Yikes. Tragedy or comedy?
A: I like comedy, definitely comedy. But if the tragedy's good...if it's good and can hold my attention then I'll definitely read it.
Q: Mariah is such a pretty name. How did your parents decide on it?
A: Actually it was my aunt (Gale) who chose it. She was actually like my other mother. And Mariah Carey was popular at the time. And Gale means strong win, and Mariah means wind.
Q: Speaking of singers, who'se your favorite?
A: India.Aire. She sings about a lot of true stuff, about loving yourself before you can love anybody else, and slowing down in life when things get too hard or too fast, and understanding yourself that, hey, you can do this. Her music is really inspirational.
Q: Here's a cliche question: What three things would you want if you were stranded on a desert island?
A: Would a diary and a pencil count as two things? I'd bring a Bible, that diary and pencil, and a water bottle.
Q: Name one goofy thing you've done.
A: I was crazy about ice skaters, and before learning how to ice skate I decided to have that as a birthday party. I left with all sorts of cuts and bruises from my own skates. It was fun, though.
Q: What's the most important aspect of the 100-meter dash?
A: Staying low out of the blocks and driving your arms.
Q: Many athletes who throw shot or discus yell upon release. Do you do that? Do you need to?
A: When I first started throwing I thought it was weird. But when you're putting your all into it, it's definitely necessary.
Q: You play basketball and tennis for West Aurora, in addition to competing in track. What do you get out of sports?
A: A lot, actually. Sports have taught me character, definitely, how to deal with situations that pertain to real life situations - rising to adversity, calming yourself when things get out of hand. One thing my mom's always taught me is that it's not the situation, it's how you react to it. ...One of my attributes is when there's a bad situation I turn that around into something good. Or I use the bad to fire up the good.