Ricky Cantrell, Track and Field
Junior, Nursing
Englewood, Ohio
I WILL train
I WILL study
I WILL be great
A nursing major, Ricky Cantrell is studying to take care of hospital patients for a living. For now, Cantrell is taking care of business on the track, as well as building a legacy as a sprinter on the men's track and field team. Cantrell recently took a break from his off-season lifting session to talk with sports information assistant Bryan DeArdo about his first two years at Capital, his new role as a team leader, and what he would with $100 at Best Buy.
BD: What were your first two years in the track program like?
RC: The first year was hard at first because everything that you do is tweaked and analyzed. The times went down my second I was able to coach myself more because I became a smarter runner. This year, I hope to add more weightlifting and strength to my workout program to become an even stronger runner.
BD: Summer just started and I've already seen you in the gym lifting and working out. Is the thought of this work paying dividends in the winter keeping you motivated now?
RC: Absolutely. I didn't do a lot of weightlifting heading into track as a freshman, but I did as a sophomore and I really think it helped me come into the season in better shape and condition. It is also just an added way to get motivation during workouts and races, knowing that I've worked hard enough to expect success.
BD: Now an upperclassmen and team veteran, do you want to take more of a leadership role on the team this year?
RC: I want to lead the team more, and show the freshmen things that I should have been more focused on when I was younger, like my running form and motion.
BD: How did you arrive at the decision to come to and run for Capital?
RC: I was going to run for Eastern Kentucky, but I decided to go to Capital because of their four-year nursing program. I'm glad I came here because I have one-on-one relationships with the coaches here, which has helped me a lot in my growth as a runner and as a person.
BD: What's the life of a Nursing major like at Capital?
RC: It's a really good program. Anywhere you go, people know about Capital and their nursing program. When you leave here, Capital prepares you to be a holistic nurse, which means you can use and improve the mind, body and spirit.
BD: What's the best part about living close to Columbus after growing up in a suburb near Dayton?
RC: There are a lot of things to do here. There is a nice lifestyle, restaurants, shopping centers, and movie theatres. I'm especially a fan of Best Buy.
BD: If you have $100 to spend at Best Buy, what are you walking out with?
RC: What am I not walking out with (laughs). I would probably get one video game and two CD's. In a dorm room, that's all you need.
BD: What are your favorite music and movie genres?
RC: With music, I like rap to get pumped up, and I need country because it helps me sleep. I really like action movies, like "Batman" and "300". There's something about horror movies that I just have to watch too.
BD: When you're not running track, what sport are you playing?
RC: I'm a big flag football fan, and played football strong safety in high school. Capital's flag football league in the fall, which is a lot of fun. But track is my sport.
BD: What appealed you to the sport initially?
RC: Track has always been my calling, even though I have a love-hate relationship with running. It's full body workout. Everything is hurting, but it's worth it afterward because you get in great shape and your times drop. You also meet and become great friends with your coaches and teammates.
BD: What is the best part of being apart of this program?
RC: I like the people on the track team. I like winning with my teammates which I also consider friends, which makes winning that much better. Being with the team is the best part of track. The payoff at the end of the day is also what I like about it. When I first came here, most of the team was really young, so we meshed right away. The fact that we were around six days a week made us really close. I'm very close with my teammates here.
BD: How do you see the program evolving in the future?
RC: The girls right now are really good and are already climbing the latter. As long as the men's team keeps maturing and getting older, we'll continue to get faster and close the gap on everyone. We worked really hard before because we know that we're not as fast as the older guys on the other teams. Now, we're starting to work even harder and catching team and guys that we use to not be able to catch.
BD: What excites you the most about this upcoming season?
RC: I can't wait to see how everyone's times have dropped, and to see the talent that we have coming in. We need people to keep stepping up and filling in all the needed roles. I'm really excited to see what the new people have to bring to the table.
BD: What you like this team's legacy to be when you graduate?
RC: I think anyone would say that you want to win the OAC. But if we can't, I at least want to be first in either a relay or an event. I want to see more first places come out of the guys side, and for the girls team to keep pounding on opponents. I want this team to be at the top and to be the best.