RT-C’s Salinas 5-For-5 in Golds at District Track, is New County Athlete of the Week
Round Top-Carmine track standout Ilse Salinas recently competed at the district track meet at Fayetteville and earned herself a total of five first-place finishes, which include the long jump, triple jump, 100-meter dash, 4x100 team relay, and 4x200 team relay.
Salinas recorded a winning time of 13.47 seconds for the 100-meter dash. “She brings the energy,” said Round Top-Carmine head track coach Jacob Dopslauf. “Everyone goes by her example. If she does well, everybody gets excited. If she might be a little off, hurt, or sore, everybody’s worried about her. She is the energy of the track team.”
Salinas continued the track success Monday at the area meet, winning four more gold medals.
It’s clear that Salinas is a leader for RTC track, and she’s an easy choice as this edition’s Player of the Week.
Question: Out of your five first place finishes at district, which one would you say was the toughest and why?
Answer: “I believe that the 100 meter dash was the hardest, definitely. One, because I have competition there. It’s intense. I really gave it all I got and it was successful.”
Question: What are some things that you tell yourself right before a meet?
Answer: “I really always am confident in myself. I always try to hype myself up. I always pray, try to do the most I can spiritually to get ready for that race. My mentality is that I am good and I believe it, and that I can go out there and show them who I am.”
Question: What’s your favorite restaurant in Round Top?
Answer: “I would say Popi Burger because they have amazing milkshakes and their burgers are the best.”
Question: What makes attending Round Top-Carmine unique from other schools?
Answer: “I believe it’s the attention to all the students because it’s only a few of us. All the staff and teachers, they’re always paying attention to you. Always trying to make sure you get the material. In sports, they’re always making sure you’re feeling well. Always making sure that you’re doing the best you can. Even though we have a few kids, I think that we do great.”
Question: Who’s one person you would say you are closest with or talk to the most?
Answer: “I think the seniors on the team. They are my closest friends. They’re always my go-getters and they always try and make me feel better. They are the reason that I am as confident as I am in my sport.”
Question: Can you describe the hardships and rewards of running track?
Answer: “I definitely think the hardships are sunburns, the soreness, the hurt, and everything after the track meet. But it’s always worth it whenever you’re crossing that finish line. I think that although it is tough in practice, you throw up and all that stuff, I think it’s worth it for the meets because you show all you got and you’re successful.”
Question: When and where were you first introduced to track?
Answer: “It was my seventh grade year. I was told by everyone that in elementary school, I was this fast, little girl running around in the playground and that I would be good at track, so I decided to give it a try. I really liked it and that leads up to now.”
Question: How would you sum up this season so far as a whole?
Answer: “I believe that we started off rough. After COVID, I think we all started a little bit off. It was weird. It was out of our comfort zone to get back on the track after almost a year. So far, we’ve been increasing in energy, confidence, and success. I think we’re doing great.”
Question: Do you play any other sports? If so, which sport do you benefit the most from by running track?
Answer: “I play tennis, I do cross-country, and I play basketball and volleyball. I think that volleyball is the one that benefits the most from track because I’m always sprinting up and down the court, running for volleyballs, trying to get that pass over the net.”
Question: How do you think running track will help you later on in life?
Answer: “I think it will help me endure the hardships of life because there’s many obstacles that you face. When you push yourself in the sport, it’s the same thing as pushing yourself through life and pushing yourself through those hard moments.”
Salinas’ production in sports and in the classroom is more proof that a strong mindset often leads to great ability.
Recent FCR’s Athlete of the Week
March 12: Alex Lozano, Schulenburg Basketball
March 19: Missy Zoch, Texas Tech Softball
March 29: Jessica Pope, Flatonia Track
April 2: Trey East, La Grange Track
April 9: Wyatt Wick, La Grange Baseball
April 16: Ilse Salinas, RT-C Track
* Read about the new honorees in our Friday editions and then watch their interviews on our Facebook page a few days later.