First-year UCLA student Hunter Connell might just be Superwoman. A cross country and track star throughout high school (she placed in the top 15 in her region all four years), the Santa Rosa, Calif. native continues to excel athletically as a member of UCLA’s highly competitive Triathlon Team. She is also actively involved in her sorority, Chi Omega, and taking challenging life science classes for either a psychobiology, neuroscience, or psychology major. We asked Hunter how she got involved with triathlons, the best and worst parts of being a member of the team, and advice for balancing lots of activities and staying happy.
HerCampus: How did you get involved with UCLA’s Triathlon Team?
Hunter Connell: The existence of the UCLA tri team was actually a fairly major factor in my decision to come here. I ran and swam in high school, and while recovering from injuries I also cross-trained with biking. Before ultimately choosing UCLA, I had the option of running for smaller D2 and D3 schools, but in terms of athletics I honestly wanted to try something new and different. I knew the coach here is world-class and the team is both competitive and very close knit, so that combined, obviously, with other reasons led me to pick this amazing place! I explored the tri team’s website and knew it was a good fit. You can too! Check it out: http://www.triathlon.ucla.edu/index.php. I did struggle with choosing this school at first, but I am so relieved that I picked it. I honestly could not have made a better decision.
HC: Which races have you competed in so far?
H: I haven’t competed in any WCCTC races yet, because so many of them have been cancelled this season! The ones I planned on competing in this year are no longer happening because of weather and other reasons (this never normally happens). So instead, I’m focusing on training for races this summer like the half Vineman and hopefully Big Kahuna, along with other smaller ones that I haven’t picked out yet.
HC: How do club sports at UCLA compare to high school sports?
H: I can’t exactly speak for other club sports, but I’ve found that UCLA tri provides a similarly structured and competitive environment to advanced level high school sports. I have a feeling the case is similar for other club sports, though. I must say that we have great leadership in our club with expert Gareth Thomas’ coaching and president Henry Szeto’s guidance. The thing I love about tri here (which might be different from some high school sports) is that it is whatever you make of it; you have the resources to become really fast and competitive, but you can also just have fun with it and use it as a way to get in some awesome workouts.
HC: What’s the hardest part about tri?
H: I’d say the hardest part is doing workouts on your own. We have three coached practices each week and three workouts to do by ourselves. It’s not difficult at all to do those on-your-own workouts when you have your running buddies and teammates to do them with (which is actually most of the time), but on the rare occasion that schedules conflict I personally find it difficult to ensure a high-quality training session. As in right now, the idea of running 90 minutes by myself without my teammates in the cold and diminishing sunlight is a bit unappealing (they are currently in Alabama preparing to race nationals!). Another thing I’d say is difficult about tri is just balancing all of the training with my sorority/social life, a job, and of course academics. It gets tough sometimes, but it’s definitely worth it!
HC: What is your advice to other UCLA students for balancing sports, academics, and social life?
H: I’d say just be as efficient as you can. As in, don’t go on Facebook when you get back from class if you have a sorority meeting in 2.5 hours and a workout you still need to fit in. Also, plan ahead! One thing that helps me is always thinking in terms of highest priority: school, my job, then the other things that are important to me. This way, I get the things which are most important done first and then I don’t have to worry about those when I’m working out or going out or whatever else. I definitely have a lot to work on in this area, but doing all this stuff keeps me happy, and I think anyone can do it! Learning to maintain that kind of balance without feeling stressed is a skill that has been so valuable to me in college.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCLA chapter.