VYPE: What grade are you in, and what sports do you play?
Sophia: I am a junior at Anadarko High School. I am on the cross-country and track teams
VYPE: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you?
Sophia: I think the teammate who’s left the biggest impression on me is Kendall Hamilton. She was a senior my freshman year, but we got really close really fast, and she was just so good at what she did, and I aspire to have the same skill she had. She’s just a really kind person, and even though we don’t talk much anymore, I still hear about her sometimes through the grapevine since we both come from the Kiowa tribe, and it’s a pretty small community, and even now she’s someone I still look up to and admire as a person.
VYPE: What has your sport taught you that makes you a better person?
Sophia: I think my sport has taught me to be resilient and learn from failures in how I can improve.
VYPE: What accomplishment or memory are you most proud of?
Sophia: I think two accomplishments that are the same amount of memorable for me are when I placed my freshman year at the Riverside Indian School cross country meet, even though it’s one of the hardest courses, and this past spring I ran the OKC Run to Remember Half Marathon and finished in under three hours.
VYPE: Who is your favorite teacher from any grade?
Sophia: My favorite teacher is Mrs. Pugh, she teaches English and Drama. I’ve had her all the way through high school so far as both an English and Drama teacher. She’s just very kind, funny, and understanding. She very much gives the feeling of an aunt who you feel really comfortable with, and she’s always there if you need to talk to someone about something.
VYPE: Who inspires you?
Sophia: My mom has to be my biggest inspiration, in both running and life in general. She’s been through a lot and has still managed to be a good and kind person who likes helping others. She’s why I started running when I was younger, because I saw her going to fun runs and wanted to go and be like her.
VYPE: What is the best advice that anyone has given you?
Sophia: I think the best advice I’ve ever heard falls along the lines of “the outcome is a result of your effort” because this can go for a lot of things, whether it be sports, art, or relationships. The result of whatever you’re doing is only as good as the effort you put in.
VYPE: What is your all-time favorite meal?
Sophia: My all-time favorite meal is a tie between venison stew and pashofa. Venison stew is just deer stew, of course, but pushofa is a more traditional white hominy stew from my Choctaw side that my mom makes. We eat them both with either fry bread or
yeast rolls.
VYPE: Here is your chance to give a shoutout or say thank you to anyone you wish.
Sophia: I want to shout out my parents for supporting and encouraging me on my journey as a runner, even when I was little, and I’m really thankful for all they’ve done for me over the years to be able to compete in my sport.
