Cross country athlete, Sofia Holovatska, set a course record at Nevers Park on September 2nd. Holovatska led the scoring for SWHS in matchups with Tolland and Enfield.
Leading up to the race, Holovatska prepared as she usually does.
“A couple days before a meet, I focus on my hydration more than usual, making sure I am hydrated for the race and can perform at my best,” Holovatska told The Prowl, “The day before a meet, I have an easier practice than usual, so I’m not fatigued for the race the next day. But rather than using that practice for physical preparation, I will do a run that makes me the most mentally prepared for the next day. There’s nothing I can do that will make me more physically fit for the next day; I can only make my performance worse by over doing it.”
When news about her record reached her, Holovatska remained unphased and unimpressed with the revelation.
“I wasn’t impressed because we actually altered the course for safety. So essentially, anything I would have run would have been a course record,” Holovatska said.
After learning she had broken the previous record, she told The Prowl that the news didn’t sink in right away.
“That made me feel good about myself, because even if we hadn’t altered the course I still would have made a course record!” Holovatska explained. “For it being only the second of the meet of the season, I think setting this new record is a confidence booster and will lead me into my next races with calmness and belief in myself.”
Holovatska’s passion for track and XC stems from her love of racing.
“The races are much shorter in duration than cross country, so the margin for error is smaller. I feel more adrenaline at track meets because of this, and that feeling fuels me to continue the sport,” she commented.
Fellow teammate junior Rachel Matyschsyk describes Sofia as both driven and humble.
“Sofia is one of the best runners I’ve run with,” Matyschsyk said. “She is ambitious and when she wants something she fights and gets it. She has big goals every year and always manages to hit them. But she’s humble and always thinks she can do better.”
Besides excelling in XC, Holovatska is an active student at SWHS, committed to South Windsor for the Local Kids, serving as their vice president. SWFTLK is a club at SWHS that fundraises for Connecticut Children’s Medical Hospital. She also acts as the Feature Specialist and Regular Editor for The Bobcat Prowl.
Holovatska offers advice for other Track and XC athletes at SWHS.
“Find comfort in chaos,” Holovatska said. “What I mean by that is to find something you really love about the sport, and let that motivate you in all you do. There may be more than one thing that motivates you. There are going to be rough moments and setbacks, but use what you enjoy the most as a north star.”
Reflecting on what she does to succeed, Holovatska has her own philosophy.
“Being an athlete doesn’t end at practice, it is a way of living,” Holovatska explained. “Go to bed early, get your homework done, get off your phone, eat and drink enough and then you can start to add on training. Otherwise, things start to fall apart and you can’t handle the basic necessities that come with taking care of yourself. Everything is connected.”
