Kate Hall is one of the greatest high school athletes of all time from the state of Maine. The Iowa State commit owns 20 Class B State Championship titles, 10 Lake Region High School records and six Maine state records. She is currently the only long jumper to reach the 20 foot mark this season with her US #1 20 feet, 1.5 inch leap. She also ran US #2 6.99 55m as one of only two girls to dip under 7 seconds this season. But she's only just getting started.
MileSplit: Congratulations on the 20 foot, 1 1/2 inch long jump! You are the first girl in the country to jump 20 feet this season. What does that mean to you?
Kate Hall: Reaching that 20 foot mark means absolutely everything to me. Ever since I jumped 19-11 in my first meet last year, I've been aiming to jump in the 20s. This season I've really put a large amount of time and effort into improving my approach. Seeing the results from putting in the work really lets me know that I'm doing the right thing and can even jump further if I get my landing straightened out.
In addition to the long jump, you are successful in a wide variety of events, including the 100m (11.45 PR), 200m (23.98 PR), 55m (current US #2 6.99 PR) and triple jump (36-6.25 PR). Run us through a typical training week in the life of Kate Hall.
It definitely depends on my meet schedule, but Monday is my hardest day. Everything explosive is on that day. I do all of my block starts and weight training on that day, but everything is as fast and as explosive as possible. Tuesday is a tempo run day where I do a lot of recovery runs at 65%. Wednesday is my plyometric day where I do a lot of my long jump work and then also some plyo's in the weight room. Thursday is my off/massage day, and Friday is meet day. Unless I have a meet on a weekend, I will almost always take weekends off to let my body fully recover.
Which event do you enjoy the most? Which do you dread?
I'm asked this question quite often actually, and I like the short sprints and long jump exactly the same. I could never choose between the two because I love training for both, and I love competing in both. I don't dread any of my events, but I would say I especially get nervous for the 200m. It's longer than my other events and I always struggle with the last 40 meters in that race.
You are undefeated in Class B. But tell us what it was like to win your very first state title. How old were you? What event was it in? How did it feel?
I remember my very first state meet when I was fifteen. I was extremely nervous for weeks prior to the meet because I had competition in all of my events and I really wanted to win an event. The first event of the day was long jump, and I don't remember every detail, but I know I jumped in the 17s and won. What I do remember is how happy I was, though. I was so pumped that I had won my first state title as a freshman and I couldn't wait to try and win my other events as well. That moment is one of those moments that I'll look back and remember when my track career is all over.
What is your athletic background and how were you first introduced to track and field?
I have loved sports since I was in first grade. I immediately started out with basketball and soccer and I remember how much I fell in love with those sports from the start. By the time I was ten years old, I was for the most part quicker than everyone, which helped me a ton when it came to playing soccer and basketball. One time at soccer practice everyone raced to see who was the fastest. I almost always won these races, although this time my friend Hannah won. I was so disappointed in myself when I lost, but I found out that over the summer she participated in a summer track program. My parents tried to convince me to try it out, and even though I was very hesitant, I tried out one practice. From the very first day I knew I loved the sport more than the others. After that day I never stopped running and jumping.
You have signed with Iowa State to compete at the NCAA DI level. How did you make your decision and what other schools were you considering?
I visited four schools. LSU, UGA, University of Oregon, and Iowa State (in that order). My visit to ISU was actually a last minute decision type of thing. I had a couple of other schools in mind to visit, but I received a really nice, long e-mail from Coach Brooks at Iowa State that peaked my interest. Coach Brooks had made a home visit previously and even met with my trainer on two separate occasions, but it wasn't until I received this e-mail that I knew for sure that I wanted to visit. All of my other visits to the other schools were amazing experiences and I can't tell you how much I miss talking to the coaches of those schools, but I knew when I visited ISU on the first day that that's where I wanted to go. I fit in with the team really well, the academic program was exactly what I was looking for, and Coach Brooks really showed me how good he was as a coach and that I could fully trust him. He was very, very individualized with each athlete and really took the time to go through each step of things the right way before he had his athletes do something. Not only that, but he spent two full days with my trainer, learning his philosophy and how he trains not only me, but other people as well. In the end, it was just an overall fit for me and there wasn't one negative.
Do you plan to compete primarily as a long jumper, or will you pursue the multi-events?
I will be a long jumper and short sprinter, with the 200m being kind of a side event for me.
Which multi-event will push you the farthest out of your comfort zone?
I think every event will in a sense. If I'm not pushed out of my comfort zone, I'm not learning new things and improving. I need to be pushed out of my comfort zone in each event in order to learn the correct techniques even if it feels uncomfortable at the time. I think everything will fall into place if I can do this.
What do you plan to major in at Iowa State?
Kinesiology (exercise science). I eventually want to get into the strength and conditioning field.
What New England traditions are you excited to introduce to your new midwestern teammates?
I don't exactly have anything specific in mind, but maybe clam chowder since it's a New England thing? But there's actually three other Maine athletes on the team, so they may already know some New England traditions there :)
What's next for you - what are your goals for the rest of the indoor season? Will you compete at New Balance?
I'm definitely competing at New Balance! My ultimate goal is to become a National Champ this year and I want to improve upon my 6.99 and 20-1.5 jump. Even though I have these goals, what's more important is taking things one meet at a time and one event at a time.
Short Answers! Ready... set... GO!
Pet peeve: using silverware from restaurants.
Pre-meet Pump-up Song: it really depends on the season, but anything up beat.
Can't-miss TV show: Lost!
Last book you read: The Best of Me
If you could work out with any professional athlete (dead or alive, from any sport), it would be... any pro track athlete that can help me get better and give me great advice :)
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? chex cereal, blueberries, nectarine, and sausages
Worst habit: over thinking things
Website you spend WAY too much time on: nothing stands out really, but Netflix is towards the top of the list :)