1 ON 1 CONVERSATION: Southern Wayne's Cierra Thompson

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 18, 2016 1:48 PM

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Southern Wayne senior Cierra Thompson had played basketball since middle

school and had never even heard about outdoor track and field. Now, she's regarded as one of the sports' top sprinters and she has a state championship in her sights.

The News-Argus conducted a Q&A session with Thompson, who has verbally committed to run track at Winston-Salem State and plans to officially announce her intentions during the April signing period.

Q: Tell us about your choice to attend Winston-Salem State University. How did that come about?

A: Well, I've always wanted to run. The choice came when I had to make the decision to either play basketball or run track. Winston-Salem, I thought it was a good choice for me academically and for track to weigh it out.

Q: How hard was it for you to give up basketball?

A: It was really hard. Coming into high school, I always said that I wanted to go to college to play basketball. I was thinking big hopes and dreams. It was different because I never knew I could run. In middle school, I used to always beat people in the mile, relays and little shuttle runs. I always knew I was fast, but I never knew track was a sport. It really hard to stop basketball ... difficult to do it and be around the coaches, but they supported me, which was good.

Q: Now you've started concentrating on track and had a good indoor season. How has that prepared you for the outdoor season?

A: It's helped a lot. I wouldn't say it's indoor, but winter track because we only ran on an indoor track at states. It was more running and more technique, and made me more competitive because in the spring basketball players come out (for track). It helped me a lot with competition and who I'm going to see at the state meet again. Some of those same girls will probably be there. It's helped me with endurance, drive, strength, coordination.

Q: What has track taught you about yourself?

A: I have to keep going, I can't stop. Third place (at indoor states) isn't enough. I didn't think I'd come back with third place, I thought I was going to come back with first. But, like I say, block work makes a difference. It helps me inside because it makes keep going, not give up and makes me want to get the gold.

Q: You ran against Natasha (Johnson) of Eastern Wayne at the indoor state meet. (East Carolina freshman) Courtney Warner was your main competition when it came to outdoor track. What have you learned from both of them?

A: I learned a lot from Courtney because she was probably in the same boat as I was since she played basketball. By her sophomore year, she stopped playing (and) kind of knew it before I did and started taking home championships. I just thought it was sport, I came out to run and thought it would be. Courtney helped me a lot with the decision. We practiced together multiple times because we ran together on the same summer team. She gave me a lot of advice on different things I did (on the track) and corrected me on them. I have gotten better. Natasha was kind of a surprise because Natasha has never beaten me in regular meets.

Q: In track, it's all about the start. What have you been doing to improve on that?

A: You have different steps, sometimes I forget if I start with my left foot or if I start with my right foot. You have to start a certain way with the (starting) gunman that you're supplied with (at meets). At states, the gunman was so slow and had disqualified three people, so I was scared already. My blockwork has always been iffy, never had perfection ... always something different to do. You can't give it your all too soon, have to have different speeds. I was lucky to get third. It was so quick. There's not a whole lot of time to do anything besides panic.

Q: You, specifically in the 100 (dash), what must you do to improve upon last year's sixth-place finish at states?

A: I have to work on my last 40 meters. It's kind of like I die out. I have to work on my endurance. I have to keep my speed up ... three different gears like Courtney tells me. The first and the last (gears) are most important. I get caught sometimes looking (peripherally) to see who is beside me or coming up behind me or who is in front. That slows me down.

Q: What are some of the things you like about track?

A: I like the individual parts about it. I mostly love how it's about you. If you win, everyone is coming up to you. I like the team part about it, too. We're out here, we're having fun every day. It's better than being stuck in the gym all the time. Don't get me wrong. I do love basketball, but track is just different. I never knew I'd like it until I got to high school because I never about it in middle school and elementary school.