Rose Talbert | Monticello girls’ track and field
Why she’s Athlete of the Week: The senior put together two strong performances during the Sages’ most recent meets — the Unity Invitational last Friday in Tolono, and the Piatt-Macon County Meet on Tuesday at Monticello’s facility.
Talbert won the Unity Invite’s 400-meter dash in 59.78 seconds and was part of three other top-three finishes as well, in the 100 dash (third place, 12.82), the 200 dash (runner-up, 25.82) and the 1,600 relay (third, 4 minutes, 19.93 seconds). Talbert then established a new Piatt-Macon County Meet record in the 400 dash by clocking 58.91, winning the event. She also was the 300 hurdles champion in 49.29 and added second-place showings in the 100 dash (12.96) and 200 dash (26.54).
From Talbert: “I’m just seeing how much faster I can get each time, which is always fun. I was still trying to conserve a little bit of energy (during the Unity Invitational 400 dash), because after that I had to run the 200 and the 4-by-4. Thankfully before that I just had a 100, and I like using my 100 as a warmup to get me prepared to run the 400. ... I ended up throwing up over a fence between my 400 and my 300 hurdles (at the Macon County Meet). I was really happy with my performance on that one. Sadly, I was about .21 away from my PR (personal record), so that was kind of a disappointment. But I’ve still got some time to break that. ... I started doing (hurdles) last year, and I ran them about twice. Each time I got a 51 in them, and then I practiced with our hurdling coach (Kyle Ness) over the fall to get better at them. I always wanted to try hurdles and felt I needed to try them before I got out of high school. I find them to be a lot of fun. It’s easier than a 400 because it’s less distance, and you get to jump over things as you go.”
I need tickets to see ... “Hamilton.” I actually do have tickets to see it soon in Indiana. It’s my birthday present. I always loved listening to the soundtrack in middle school. My sister introduced me to it. My freshman year, before COVID happened, we went and saw it in late November with my grandma. It was an absolute blast seeing it live.
One movie I could watch over and over is ... “Crazy Rich Asians.” I love all the characters. They all make decisions that are reasonable, and it’s just a great storyline.
If I could choose one superpower, it would be ... breathing underwater, because it’s just so calming and serene. If you’re underwater, the sounds are so nice.
The social media platform I use most often is ... Instagram. I’m on it all the time in school whenever I have a free moment.
My biggest pet peeve is ... when someone’s late. I can’t stand myself or anyone else being late.
My favorite track and field memory is ... going to state my sophomore year and being able to run the 4-by-4 with my sister one last time. It meant I didn’t have to see her for another two years at school.
My most embarrassing track and field memory is ... two times my junior year I tripped and fell after the finish of my 400. In the moment I can brush it off and laugh, and I think about it after and it’s like, “Oh, that’s not the best look.”
Before a meet ... I eat a sandwich a few hours before my events, and then between all my events I drink a lot of Gatorade because I know I can’t keep any food down.
After a meet ... I normally try to sleep on the bus ride home. The next day in practice we normally do 200 repeats at 70 percent (intensity), to get the lactic acid out of our legs.
In five years, I see myself ... recently graduating from college and hopefully looking for a job that I would love to continue for 10 years on in the future.
Honorable mention: Timera Blackburn-Kelley, St. Joseph-Ogden softball; Sammi Christman, Urbana soccer; Heidi Humble, Clinton softball; Addison Lucht, Milford/Cissna Park softball; Grace Pelz, Champaign Central soccer.
Monticello girls’ track and field athlete Rose Talbert, center in blue shorts, poses for a photo with teammates at Wednesday’s practice in Monticello.