Telegraph Athlete of the Week: Max Tran: top athlete and team leader

Max Tran is a top performer on the Vista del Lago track and field team and whether he knows it or not, a team leader. Tran, a senior, has got the talent to be a leader, as he's third on Vista's all-time list in the 110 high hurdles as well as the 300 hurdles, but he's also got the personality to be a leader. "Max has been that kid that has acted like a captain from his first day as a freshman; not in a bossy way, but he inherently has the right idea of being on a team sport," Vista coach Mike Kozlowski said. "Even though track and field can be individualized, Max has the discipline about doing the work at practice and being a cheerleader for the rest of the team. As a by-product of his hard work, he's third on our all-time list in the 110 and 300 hurdles. Had I given him the assignment of running the 200 or 400, he'd probably be on those lists too. "Max should make the finals in the 300 hurdles and has a good chance of advancing to masters, and he will also anchor the 4x400-meter run for us at the divisional championships." Folsom Telegraph: What are your plans/hopes for after high school? Max Tran: After high school, I plan to study medicine in college while running track and field. I hope I can handle both at the same time. FT: Do you plan on participating in athletics in college? MT: I plan to run for Missouri Western State University. FT: Do sports run in your family? MT: My family is mostly focused around academics and getting into a stable career. While both my parents did sports in high school, it was mostly for college and to keep in shape. I'm the only one among my siblings who is into sports. FT: How long have you been jumping over hurdles and how did you get your start in it? MT: I've only been doing hurdles four years technically; two-and-a-half since COVID-19 ended my sophomore and shortened my junior year season. I got my start in hurdles because I was sick for the first two weeks of practice in freshmen year. So my coach just put me in random events and I ended running the 300h. I found I enjoyed it even though I did horrible and from there kept working at it. Also Coach Mark Nordheim is just a good coach and I enjoy working with him. FT: Have you ever done any other events other than hurdles? MT: I've run the 100, 200, and the 400 but I'm not that good at them. I've done Cross Country/Distance stuff for offseason since that team is so fun to be with. The hurdles make it easier for me to win races since not that many people know how to get over them. FT: Have you ever been involved in other sports? MT: Aside from cross country, I have not as part of a team but I enjoy other sports recreationally. I love mountain biking, basketball, and volleyball. FT: Are you better at the 110 hurdles or 300, and if so, why do you think you're better in one rather than the other? MT: I think I'm better at the 300 since doing cross country in the offseason has built up my endurance so much. While I enjoy the 110s more since the step pattern is easier, I don't think I'm better at them as demonstrated by my disqualification from falling in the CAL Center Meet #3. FT: How do you feel you've performed this season? What's been your highlight? MT: Overall, I feel like I've improved so much this season and I think I've had my biggest growth as an athlete over this season. Whilst I do feel depressed over failing to break the 110 hurdle record as I messed up and lost three more chances to achieve it in the CAL Center Meet #3. I think as a whole I've had a good season. My highlight would be the Sturgeon Invitational where I somehow placed third in the 300m hurdles whilst racing one of my idols Isaiah Earls. FT: What are your goals for the postseason? MT: To get stronger and be able to compete better at the college level. At the moment I'm slower than all the people who run hurdles at MWSU, and in order to catch up I have to work out and get my mental game together. FT: Who is the funniest person on your team and how does he or she make you laugh? MT: Can't just choose one but Angela Zhou and Zachary Ostenburg are two people who never fail to make my day better. Not really sure how to describe how they make me laugh because most of the time it's me laughing at myself and then they laugh at me making me laugh more. FT: What is your favorite class/subject in school? MT: While I'm not good at school, I enjoy the content of all my classes. Teachers are another story. Shout out to Mr. Schwan and Mr. Oregel. FT: Favorite music and/or artist? MT: I like rock, j-rock, j-pop, heavy metal, and video game soundtracks, some electronic. I don't have a favorite artist and I like a lot of individual songs from different artists which relax me before races. Like Imperfect by Masayoshi Oishi, Dare by Stan Bush, Touch by Stan Bush, Everything's Alright by dj okawari, Perfect Triumph by WAЯROCK or Union by OXT. FT: Favorite book or movie? MT: My favorite book is a Manga Series called Bakuman by Obata Takeshi and Ohba Tsugumi. I always reread it when I'm feeling down and need motivation. I also like the Fate series since it put historical characters, real life lore and awesome fights together. FT: Favorite Food? MT: I like shirashi. FT: Do you have any pets? Tell us about them. MT: My family has a rabbit named Fluffmaster. It's a very smart rabbit and is a master escape artist. FT: Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time? MT: I have too many hobbies. It's hard to balance but in my free time I do a lot of art related projects. Painting models, sketching, digital art. I play a lot of story heavy games, read manga, light novels, visual novels normal books. I watch anime and play table top games. FT: What inspires you in sports? MT: Manga and Anime. I've been raised watching a lot of Shonen anime/manga and superhero TV shows and comics. I've learned a lot about pushing forward through hardship from characters in these shows. I've always looked up to heroes of justice, and those who can overcome and most past their failures. They motivate me to be a person people can look up to and be inspired by. FT: Is there a particular job or profession you'd like to have someday? MT: I would love to have a job in the creative field but unfortunately I don't have the confidence to do that.