Athlete of the Week: Patty Karpiesiuk

Sport: Track and Field

Year: Freshman

Hometown: Franklin Park

High School: East Leyden 

Lily Goodfellow: What events do you compete in? 

Patty Karpiesiuk: 100, 200, 400, high jump, pole vault and 4×100 [relay] and 4×400 [relay].

LG: Wow! That’s awesome. When did you start running?

PK: I started running my freshman year in cross country at East Leyden, and I did that for two years. After my freshman and sophomore year, I stopped doing cross country and instead did diving. I did long-distance track my freshman year, and sophomore year I started doing short-distance, but it was cut off because of COVID-19. But I continued [with track] my junior and senior year.

LG: You have a big meeting next week. What is it?

PK: It’s Nationals. It’s going to be in NY, and there’s a bunch of juco schools, and we go against each other. It’s a pretty big meet. A lot of the races are doubled, so you run them once and qualify, and then soon after you run it again. There’s a total of three days of this meet. It’s my first time going. You have to qualify to be able to go. I qualified for all of my events. I qualified for the 400, but I’m not running it in Nationals because I’m already running the 4×4[00 relay]. 

LG: What goes into training for the big meets?

PK: A lot of running for sure, weight lifting and plyos. We stay in the [training] routine for the season, so it’s not really different for the big meets.

LG: What is your favorite event?

PK: I would say high jump because I’ve been doing that the longest. I’m not that good at it, but it’s just really fun to jump over a stick.

LG: Do you have any rituals before you compete?

PK: Not really. A day before I’ll eat a ton of protein and a ton of carbs, but that’s really it.

LG: So what do you eat the night before a big meet?

PK: I eat lots of protein, like chicken. I also eat carbs such as rice and mashed potatoes, and I also like to have some veggies, like broccoli.

LG: What strengths do you have that make you a great athlete?

PK: I feel like I’m pretty supportive. I’m a really good teammate. I like to cheer for my teammates in the meets, and I’m always there for my teammates whenever they need me.

LG: What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in track and field?

PK: I would say pole vault. It was my first time doing it this year, and I feel like I made a lot of improvements. It’s an event I had never done, and I quickly enjoyed it. And I’ll be competing in it at Nationals.

LG: What is your favorite movie?

PK: I’m not really a big movie person, but I would have to say The Hangover.

LG: So if you’re not a big movie person, how do you like to spend your free time?

PK: I usually go to the gym. I go to the gym a lot. I listen to music while I work out, mostly rap, R&B, and hip-hop.

LG: What is your favorite season?

PK: Spring, because the weather starts to get nice and I really like the warmth. It’s not too hot or too cold.

LG: What is your ideal vacation? 

PK: I would probably say the beach, one hundred percent. I love the water, I love the sand, and I also love a good tan.

LG: What are your goals for track and school?

PK: Definitely hitting my PRs and keeping up good grades.

LG: What one word best describes you?

PK: I would say encouraging because I like to encourage others to reach their goals. 

LG: Thank you very much, Patty!

PK: Thank you!