Senior Katie Hamiter has been running cross country and track since her freshman year. She said she will probably continue running in college by joining a running club, but “nothing too brutal.” Hamiter plans to attend San Diego State University where she will study electrical engineering. During her free time, you can find her taking long hikes with her dogs, Buttercup and Krystal Bob.

Q: Why did you first start running cross country and track?

A: Coach Calce recruited me from his eighth-grade P.E. class. He is super intimidating so I obviously couldn’t say no.

Q: What’s your greatest or weirdest memory from your track or cross country season?

A: Witnessing my teammate, Julia Barylack, perform “the eggbeater” at one of our pre-race gatherings was easily the highlight of my running career.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone doing track or cross country?

A: Just accept the fact that the Palo Comado hill never gets any easier.

Q: What’s one thing unusual about you that you think actually helps you in these sports?

A: This sounds super weird, but I’ll literally conjugate Spanish verbs in my head while running up hills. At times like this, my running buddies and I are just wheezing and no one can really talk, so it helps to pass the time a bit faster until the trail flattens out again.

Q: I’ve been told you used to ice skate, can you tell me about that?

A: I was a competitive ice skater for 10 years. My plan upon entering high school was to use the cross country summer conditioning program as extra training for skating, and I had every intention of quitting before the season started in order to continue focusing on skating. Needless to say, things didn’t exactly go as planned, and here I am today!

Q: Why did you start ice skating?

A:  I begged my parents to take me skating for the first time after watching the movie the Ice Princess as a five-year-old. I was a bit disappointed when I couldn’t step on the ice and do a triple axel for the first time, but I still stuck with it.

Q: What did you like and dislike about ice skating?

A: I really enjoyed the overall atmosphere and the (mostly) friendly competition of the sport. Even though it was really hard to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to train most of the time, I absolutely loved skating at the end of the day. The only part of skating that I completely hated was when my parents made me wear a helmet for the first few months when I was a newbie. They still laugh at those pictures.

Q: What’s your opinion on peanut butter and eggs?

A: Peanut butter and eggs is quite possible my best invention yet, but no one seems to agree with me. I would highly recommend trying it now that you’re intrigued.