Cody Parks just finished up his senior year at East Jessamine High School. He capped off his career with a state title winning the Class AA 3200m Run in his very last high school race.
He answered some KYtrackXC.com Senior Send-off Questions below. If you graduated and are interested in answering the same questions, please email them to jonathan@kytrackxc.com
What was your most memorable race?
I feel like my most memorable race would be the 3200 meter relay at state, even though we got disqualified it was the height of the race itself and just being in that moment with my teammates that made it so special.
Where did you face your biggest competition
I think that I faced my biggest competition at the KYtrackXC.com 5K Showdown, I don’t think I’ve ever been lapped in a race but this was definitely a new experience. It just goes to show how great the talent in Kentucky is becoming and now we have multiple guys giving notice to this state nationally.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments which stands out the most?
My top accomplishment in the entirety of my high school career was winning the 3200m Run state title. Mostly because our school only had three past state champions but they were all in field events, so I felt it was pretty big to bring home a title in a running event.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
Definitely focusing on running a lot earlier in high school. I played multiple sports up until my junior year and when I took on running alone I felt like the improvements were in bounds and I sometimes wonder where it could have taken me if I would have had the same mind set earlier.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
Some of the obstacles I had to overcome were not knowing how I would match up in track after having a good XC season. A lot of people can argue about short courses and fairness of times due to certain courses but on the track there is nothing to argue about because everyone is on the same playing field, so I felt like track would let me see where I actually matched up against some of the top runners in the state.
What will you miss the most?
Honestly being able to have a reason to get on KYtrackXC.com everyday but really all the friends I’ve met and the coaches. I love being a runner and everyone who has any involvement in it what so ever. You have to respect someone who has enough discipline to even try to take on the task of running and we all have the same goals in mind and at the end of the day we can all relate to one another. I would also like to thank all the coaches that helped me throughout school Sylvester Turner, Kevin Castille and Jean Balan.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
Don’t think that just because you have four years that you should just wait to really test yourself, running and distance running at that has no boundaries so you can be as good as you want to be.
What are your college plans?
Well this fall I will be taking my talents to the Highlands where I will be attending Bellarmine university. Being in Louisville will allow me to run with some really talented runners and teammates that will allow me to reach my full potential.