Grade:  Junior.

Parents:  Jane Mize and Jason Mize.

Winter sport:  Indoor track.

Other varsity sports:  Volleyball, cross-country, track.  She qualified for the Class 4A state cross-country meet this year, her first to participate in the sport.

At the state meet:  Thompson finished 73^rd with a time of 26:47.56.  “Not my best, but that was with an injured knee.”  She’s undergone physical therapy for a dislocated kneecap in anticipation of track season.

Why track and cross-country?  “I’ve always enjoyed running.  When I was little, I’d go outside and run around the yard.  I get a certain joy from running that’s hard to explain.”

Individuality:  “In any other sport, you depend on a team.  If a teammate messes up, that affects how you play.  In cross-country, it’s just you individually.”

The sport’s biggest challenge:  “Trying to get your time down.  A minute doesn’t seem like a long time, but when you’re trying to drop your time, every second counts.”

Her best time:  24:00.  “I was at 27:00.  Two weeks later, I ran a 24:00.  You just gotta want it and push yourself as hard as you possibly can.”

Cross-country training:  “It’s intense.  Some days, we’ll run distance, like nine miles.  Other days, we’ll run intervals to work on speed.  Practices are tough, but when you make a good time at a meet, you know the practice definitely paid off.”

Another aspect of training:  “Coach is always telling us to watch what we eat.  You’ve gotta be real careful to eat right and not eat a lot of junk food.  I’ve noticed a big difference since I’ve been doing it.”

While running at a cross-country meet:  “I tell myself, ‘It’s only 3.1 miles.  We run more than that at practice.’  I try to think positive.  If you think negative, you’re going to want to stop, and I know if I stop and walk, I’m going to regret it later.”

Is cross-country more physical or mental?  “That’s a tough one.  It’s a lot about being in good physical shape.  But Mr. Terry, our principal (and former track coach) talked to me about how you’ve really got to put it in your mind that you’re not going to quit.  If you give in to yourself and say, ‘Oh, this hurts, I’m tired,’ you’re going to slack.  You’ve got to push yourself mentally, so that does have a lot to do with it.”

After high school:  “College, for definite.  I’m still a little iffy about what I want to go into.  I’ve wanted to go into journalism since I was younger, but I’m not sure.”