Biography
Full Name: Alyssa Mae Kulik
Date of Birth: 02/02/90
Brothers/Sisters: older brother Kevin, and younger sister Renee
Hobbies: running, drawing/painting, piano
Personal Bests: 5k-18:04, 3200m-11:09, 1600m-5:07, 800m-2:18
Academic Interest: art and design
scrunners: When did you start to run?
kulik: I started running the summer before my freshman year to condition for the upcoming cross country season.
scrunners: Do you remember your first race? Explain.
kulik: My first race was the Tiger Trails two-mile cross country race. My team ran it, and I came in second on our team. I was really proud of myself because I did not expect to be as good as I was. I also remember being extremely tired, even after I finished. It was a good introduction to running.
scrunners: With a brother and sister on Mauldin\'s team with you, do you two train together?
kulik: Every once in a while I might run a distance run with my brother or sister, but that\'s not too often, because we all run at different speeds. At the team practices, on easier days, when the girls all run together, my sister and I run in the same group.
scrunners: With family members on the team, how has this worked out with training and other areas of the sport and family?
kulik: With me and my siblings all on the same team, it is very convenient for our parents, since they only have to go to one meet to see us all run. It\'s also good for training, because if I have no one else to run with, I can just run with one of them. Since all three of us are involved in cross country and track, my parents have really gotten into it, making sure we all train well. For example, when we go on vacations, my parents make sure that there are places that we can run at to keep training.
scrunners: Which one of you started to run first? Explain.
kulik: My brother started running first, a year before me and my sister. My mom made him run cross country to get involved in something athletic as well as social. My sister and I started running the next year for cross country. She wanted us all three to do the same sport, so she made me run, but my sister wanted to.
scrunners: Does or did other family members run? If so, where and when?
kulik: Before me or my siblings, no one else in my family has ever run as a sport. We are the only three people in my family that run.
scrunners: Over your years on Mauldin\'s team, what have you seen change and grow in the sports of cross country and track and field?
kulik: Since I first started running for Mauldin, I\'ve noticed how much better our team has gotten. All of the girls have been getting faster and faster almost every meet. We\'ve also become more serious about running, and our accomplishments are important to us. Also, as time goes on, all of us have become closer. Many of my close friends are on the team.
scrunners: How would you rate your season thus far?
kulik: In all, I think my season has been good. Although I haven\'t been 100 percent satisfied with some of my performances, I\'ve still gotten in some great times, and have improved from last year. The girls team has had a great season so far. We\'ve won meets that we have never won before, and we\'ve moved up a good deal from last year, compared to other teams in S.C. and other states.
scrunners: What were you thinking going into this past weekend\'s region 2-4A meet?
kulik: I was thinking about any possible competition, and how I wanted to win, as an individual and as a team. I also was thinking about how I was going to run the course, since it\'s a pretty difficult course. I knew I was going to have to be prepared to run some hills.
scrunners: With the state meet coming up Saturday, what kind of preparation takes place this week for you and the Mauldin team?
kulik: Well, I don\'t think we\'ll be training too hard this week, to hopefully save some energy. We\'re also going to need to prepare ourselves mentally for Saturday, because that will play a big role in our performance.
scrunners: Does Mauldin have a team tradition prior to the state meet?
kulik: We always go and run the course the night before, and then go out to eat. After that, we all go into our coach\'s room for a team talk. The girls always go into one of our rooms for a quick girls meeting where we have a group prayer.
scrunners: What are you and Mauldin looking to achieve this coming weekend?
kulik: We would really like to defend our state title, and get as many girls as we can to be \"All-State\"
scrunners: How does the Mauldin team make up these goals?
kulik: By looking at how the other individuals and teams have been running in comparison to us, we try to make reasonable goals.
scrunners: What kind of training did you undergo over the summer?
kulik: I started training as soon as school got out, and ran every day. When we had team practices, I ran with our guys team, because I wanted to condition with people that are faster than me.
scrunners: Did you attend a running camp, if so which one?
kulik: Yes, I went to Brevard Distance Runners Camp.
scrunners: What did you learn at the camp?
kulik: I learned things about all aspects of running, such as cross-training, what type of shoes to wear, race strategies, etc.
scrunners: What meet has been the most challenging this year? Explain.
kulik: Furman Invitational was challenging because it was close between us and Morristown (Tenn.), the second place team.
scrunners: Have you ever been injured? Explain.
kulik: I\'ve never really had a serious injury. Sometimes I\'ll get some minor pains, but they only last a couple of days.
scrunners: How did you stay motivated during this time?
kulik: I just told myself that it wasn\'t serious and that I would get over it, and I always did. It\'s usually from just needing a new pair of trainers, or something like that.
scrunners: Did you cross train while injured?
kulik: I just kept running, because I knew it was minor and would go away.
scrunners: What keeps you motivated to get out the door on a daily basis for life and athletics?
kulik: I want to succeed greatly in everything I do, so if I just sit around, I\'ll be very disappointed in myself. I always work my hardest in school and running, just because I push myself to, and am self-motivated to do my best.
scrunners: What would you consider your most challenging race? How did you fare in this event? Explain.
kulik: My most challenging race was Greenville County, because after getting disqualified last year from the meet, I wanted to make sure that I did better this year. I ended up getting my PR (18:04), and winning the race.
scrunners: who is your biggest individual rival and team rival? How did this develop?
kulik: My biggest individual rival would be my friend, Kate Borowicz from J.L. Mann. We\'re not really rivals, just each other\'s competition. She really pushes me during races. I run better when I race against her, because I have someone to push me, and pace with. This developed just because we are around the same level. We became friends from just seeing each other at meets all the time, and hanging out together at them, especailly those long track meets.
scrunners: Do you feel this rival has helped yourself and your team become more competitive?
kulik: It\'s definately become more competitive, because I\'ve become more competitve, which causes the other girls to become more competitive. It\'s like a chain reaction.
scrunners: what do you look for in a coach and what do you expect a coach to look for in you?
kulik: I look for someone who knows the sport really well, and how to train so that I peak at the right moment. I expect a coach to look for someone who is hard working, and dedicated.
scrunners: Are you looking to compete in college athletics? Why?
kulik: Yes, I want to be able to run in college and stay in shape, and hopefully get some sort of scholarship.
scrunners: Do you think you will ever coach the sports? If so, why and what level?
kulik: I don\'t think that I\'ll ever actually be a coach.
scrunners: Do you or Mauldin have a pre-race tradition before a meet? Explain.
kulik: We get in a circle at the starting line and put our right foot in, pray, spit, and say \"Go Mavs, you weak!\" which is a quote from a movie. Our team has been saying it since before any of us were on the team.
scrunners: Are you competing in any meets after the state championship?
kulik: After the state championship, I don\'t think I\'ll be running any more races, at least I don\'t have any planned at the moment. I know that there is Foot Locker, but my family is going to Florida to visit my grandparents that weekend. I also want to be able to have a break.
scrunners: How much time do you take off between cross country and track and field?
kulik: I usually take off from after the state meet until track conditioning starts.
scrunners: How does your training vary from one season to the other?
kulik: Each season I train a little more and a little faster.
scrunners: Have you ever met a profession athlete? Explain.
kulik: I\'ve never met a proressional athlete.
scrunners: If there is one thing in the world you could do, what would it be and why?
kulik: I would go skydiving, because I\'ve always wanted to, and it looks like a ton of fun to just free fall in the sky and then fly up with a parachute.