Indoor
Track & Field V.16
February 15th, 2023

Oliver Hinson

Norwin High School

Senior

3200m specialist

College: Undecided

Do you have any pre-meet rituals?
I would say my entire pre-meet is a ritual. It's always the same run the day before (mini fartlek with 40 meter pickups), the same dinner (whole grain spaghetti with some toast), I always elevate my legs and do a hip mobility routine the night before, I wear basically the same outfit every meet day, and I stick to a Clif Shot and Cinnamon RunGum. Every time I discover something that adds to my success, I add it to the repertoire.

Is there a coach or athlete that you look up to as a role model and why?
Obviously, I look up to Coach Fleckenstein. He's the most dedicated coach in the state, he's on Zoom meetings with XC coaches from around the country at midnight, and he's the only person I've ever met who demands excellence more than myself.

What is the best advice you ever got and who gave it? My dad always tells me that the only thing that will ever matter is surrounding myself with the people I love, and it took me a while to realize that, but I honestly think it's the most important thing about life. I think one of the reasons that our team got so much better is because we would all run through hell and back for each other. It's real love, and it sometimes makes me even more motivated to succeed; I know that success in this sport is something all of my guys really want, and I just want to put that smile on their faces.

What is your favorite memory about Track & Field ? Weirdly, it's probably one of my worst races. Last June, I ran at the Night at the Island Meet in Pittsburgh, and I honestly had no business racing there. I felt horrible about my race, but I met so many great people that love track and field even more than I do, and I realized that my role in the sport isn't to be in the spotlight, but to be telling the stories of the people who deserve to be there. That day really set me up well in this network of western PA runners, and it led to a lot of great steps I've taken in my career so far. Hopefully, in a few years, I'll be working for Citius Mag or New Generation.

Which strengths do you believe you have that make you a great athlete?
I'm crazy. Like absolutely insane. Sometimes it hurts me because I end up overtraining (thinking about last January when I took 3 days off for a really bad IT injury), but I take everything so seriously and I'm willing to do what it takes, day in and day out. You'll find me running in -20 when I'm vacationing in Wisconsin, and you'll find me hitting an afternoon double when it's pouring rain, and every night, you'll find me doing a core routine before I go to bed. Sometimes, I have no idea why I'm even doing it; it's like I'm haunted by something I can't define.

PA Milesplit