Ricky Young '19 Recruiting Profile

As a kid, I would always run around school playing tag with my friends and I would always enjoy it. I didn't know what track was or even thought that was a sport I'd be interested in. When the idea was first brought up to me by my dad I wondered if it was something I should try. I began to watch videos on youtube of people from Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin, and Usain Bolt. The first time I seen them run I doubted myself thinking that I wouldn't be the kid getting first place making it to the finals and all the way to end, but I knew with that mindset I wouldn't get far. So I was 12 years old in 7th grade my mom let me know that the track season was coming up and asked if I was interested, so I tired it out. Starting in January I began running and at my first track meet I was surprised that I had snagged 1st and 2nd place in my heats, it made me feel like I was unstoppable and I could do anything I put my mind too. My first indoor meet was at NAU in Flagstaff and I was excited to be there because that was my mom's old college and she was a true lumberjack, so I knew it would be one of my best track meets. In the 400m I came out in first place in my heat, and by the end I knew all the hard work on conditioning for that race was all worth it in the end. I then ran in the preliminaries for the 100m and then made it to the finals coming in second in my finals heat. Then it was time for the 200m, and during that I came around the curve and pulled my hamstring, I had to finish the race out but soon stopped at the end and felt like my world had been taken from me. That was the day I wanted to forget about track and quit. 

Track was over for me for about 2 years and then once I started high-school I wanted to join the high-school team and get back into track. I knew that this track year was going to be my year of warming back up and getting back into the track feels so I could regain the passion once lost. At the first track meet I ran a 12.29 which was my fastest 100m ran and was more than second improvement from the years I ran before. Leading into the 200m, I ran a 25.74 which was my fastest 200m ran, so after those races I was very happy with the results I ended up getting out of those races. As the season progressed my times were getting slower by milliseconds and I wasn't satisfied so I knew something needed to change. It was my last track meet of the season and all of my times and jumps were better than the rest all season and I ended up being the fastest on my team in my grade (freshman) setting new records all around. In school, this year I have maintained a 4.0 (unweighted gpa) and have never let my gpa slip down from that, and then I soon learned I ended with a 4.62 (weighted gpa) at the end of the year which really made me excited for the future because I knew I could balance the both of them. I do understand the struggles of juggling track and school together but I will do whatever I need to to make sure my schoolwork stays up and my dream comes true. I am very dedicated to track as my sport to do in college and I also want to study to be in Sports Medicine as a physical trainer as back up so when I become a track star with all the hard work I put into it I can have something to lean back on if a career ending injury happens. I am open to what critics my coaches have to give me and will try my best to apply anything and everything they have to say. I am excited for what lies ahead of me in college and my career with track.