Student
Athlete
of the
MONTH
Presented by the Governor’S Traffic Safety Bureau- IowaGTSB.org
Anna’S Q & A Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY? AND WHY? A: My favorite sport is cross country. I love the differing terrain, courses and the adverse conditions that are present in cross country. I like using the hills and natural terrain to my benefit, opposed to running around a track for lots of laps. Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS MEMORY? A: My favorite memory was running for Team USA this year in Scotland. It was such an incredible experience to be able to represent something far greater then myself, my school, or even my state. I was able to get that taste of success, which has “fueled the fire” to fulfill my Olympic dream. Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY FUN PRE-GAME “RITUALS” THAT PREPARE YOU FOR AN EVENT? A: I like to have peanut butter pancakes on race day morning or a waffle. I pray, and I visualize the race set out before me. Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? AND WHY? A: My favorite subject is psychology by far. I love learning about the way people behave and interact. I enjoy learning about all the different theories and reasons people act the way that they do. I also am fascinated with abnormal psychology. I plan on studying psychology at Iowa State next fall. Q: WHO INSPIRES YOU? Why? A: I have two people that inspire me the most in my life. My first motivator is Jesus Christ. I find peace in knowing that my identity does not lie in my running, but in my relationship with Christ. I often use scripture and Christian music to get through hard training. My second motivator is Tim Ward. He is a 7 year-old with special needs, who I mentor. His courage, spunk, and the obstacles he has to overcome, makes him the most inspirational person in my life. He has inspired me to pursue my education to become an Occupational Therapist, and specialize in working with pediatrics with special needs. Q: WHAT WAS THE BEST MOVIE YOU SAW IN THE LAST YEAR? A: I really enjoyed the comedy “Bridesmaids,” and the movie “Pitch Perfect.” Both are so good, I can’t choose between the two of them. Q: COLLEGE OR POST-HIGH SCHOOL PLANS: A: Pursue a career in Occupational Therapy, working with special needs youth. Majoring in Biology & Psychology at Iowa State while running Cross Country and Track. Q: WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB? A: My dream job would be to become a professional runner, and work towards fulfilling my Olympic dream. Eventually I would have to retire from the sport, and then I would like to work with special needs youth as an Occupational Therapist. I also would love to set up a after school sports program for students with special needs, to try different sports, and adapt each sport so all children with different levels of abilities could participate.
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Achievements Sports: Track and Cross country Academic Achievements/Honors: National Honor Society Member & 4 time Academic Honor Student Athletic Achievements/Honors: Member of Team USA for BUPA XC Run in Scotland of 2013, Footlocker All-American 7th place (Highest finish of an Iowan at Footlocker of all time), 6th place finish at the Footlocker Regional, 5 time individual State Champion in Cross Country and Track, Runner-up in the 800 in 2012 at State, 3rd Place in the 3000 at the 2012 Drake Relays, Runner-up in 1500 at the 2012 Drake Relays, 3A State XC Meet record holder.
Anna Holdiman Waverly-Shell Rock - Class of 2013 / GPA 3.65