Daniel Lion senior Stephanie Gammon hopes she has been a good role model \"both on and off the track for Sinead (Haughey) and all my teammates.\" Gammon also sees Haughey as a good competitor and makes Gammon \"a better person.\"
\"Sinead and I inspire one another to become the best we can be on any given day,\" said Gammon. \"In addition we receive motivation from our competitive teammates.\"
\"I first met Stephanie at a summer track meet in 2005 at Clemson University\'s track,\" said Haughey. \"I really looked up to her because I had heard a lot about her great races. She was so nice and easy to get to know from that first day on. I was just starting to race at the time and was not training between the races. Stephanie talked to me and encouraged me.\"
\"Up until this summer, we (Gammon) trained together almost everyday,\" said Haughey. \"And now that school is going back, we\'ll be training with the entire team again. If I didn\'t have all the members of our team, I wouldn\'t be pushed as hard. It wouldn\'t be cross country without all of them. Stephanie does a great job pushing the pack, while others provide leadership in other ways.\"
Gammon finished third at the 2005 state championships in 19:21. Haughey was fifth in 19:44. The Lions captured the team title with a 65 point total. J.L. Mann was second with 97 points in class AAA competition.
\"Lauren Droddy is very responsible. She is always making sure that everyone is where they\'re supposed to be,\" said Haughey. \"She helps us with our workouts. When you are new, maybe in grade seven, you don\'t even know when to warm up. We lost a great leader when Hannah Freedman graduated. Last year she was a great competitor in cross country, track and in school. She was in the top two in her graduating class. Chris Pennebaker leads by giving it all she\'s got all the time. She\'s a calm competitor and tends to calm everyone down. Erica Segars is a very smart, tactical runner. She and Hannah Washburn help the younger runners by talking to them, and that encourages them to stay with cross country. And then there are all the others, Tyler Head, Leigh Mumford, Mary Kate Garrett, Katherine and Jessie Dickey...all of them are leaders. I\'m sure the new ones, Jade Ferguson and Jasmine Drake will be great leaders too.\"
Gammon\'s future plans include possibly coaching the sport. \"I have thought about coaching cross country at a high school level,\" said Gammon. I would love to share my passion for running with others. It is a great sport that teaches self-discipline and motivation, which are admirable traits for any young person.\"
Haughey, an eighth grader on the Daniel cross country team, received guidance from Gammon at the 2006 state track and field meet. \"We stayed with each other the entire time through warmups, cooldowns and in between races,\" said Haughey. \"We talked about how well our other teammates were doing and how we wished our races were over! She joked with me so I wouldn\'t be so serious.\"
\"Stephanie is a great friend,\" said Haughey. \"I\'m not sure what I would do without her as most of the time I am just trying to do what she does. Running with her is always fun because we always have funny conversations. Our team is made up of girls of all ages, but you\'d never know it by the way we all get along. Stephanie and I and the others often race each other in workouts, and we tend to get pretty competitive with each other. I really have a lot of respect for Stephanie as a runner. She is one of the hardest workers and has taught me a lot about what it will take to get better.\"
The 2006 Daniel team consists of two seventh graders, four eighth graders, two freshman, one sophomore, three juniors, and two seniors.
Following a not so enjoyable 1600-meter run, Haughey talked to Gammon about the her next race, the 3200-meter run. \"I had not enjoyed the mile,\" said Haughey. \"It wasn\'t my smartest race, because I went out way too fast. Talking with Stephanie made me relax so I could come back for the two-mile. I was a lot more relaxed in that race.\"
Gammon ran times of 5:14.74 (second) and 11:24.02 (second) at the 2006 state track and field meet. Haughey ran times of 5:22.93 (fifth) and 11:26.57 (third).
Haughey\'s goals this season consist of, \"Individually, I am just trying to do the very best I can,\" said Haughey. \"I think Daniel\'s team will do what they have always done.... be very competitive. The state has great teams who will be just as competitive though. I hope that all the teams perform well, because it makes South Carolina a better running state.\"
Gammon trained the summer with both teams at Daniel, mainly focusing on mileage, and has this to say about goals for the 2006 season and future. \"As a team we want to defend our title and improve from our times last year,\" said Gammon. \"Individually, I want to improve my times and be a contender for the individul title. As a senior, I of course want to further my education by going to college. As for career paths, I have not decided on a major, but most likely I will end up in the science field. As far as athletics, I want to go to a place that will contine to push me and help me improve my times. Most importantly, I want my experiences in college to help me grow as a person.\"