By: Izzy Cheung, SFU Student
Carly Seemann is a third-year science and art major who is training to compete in SFU’s track and field season this March. Her love for running blossomed in grade five and has remained a constant source of pride in her life since. She previously spent eight years running for the Coquitlam Cheetahs in hurdles and high jump events.
Editor’s note: This piece has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I’ll watch some TV or some Youtube. I just watched Glass Onion last night, it was so good! I do like baking, it’s methodical. You can’t mess it up . . . until you mess it up!
Q: Favourite songs to warm up or run to?
A: Usually people listen to rap, or hard music, but I listen to R&B. It’s a great tempo to run to, and I find that I zone in if I’m listening to that music.
(Check out Carly’s go-to running playlist: “R&B Favourites” on Spotify!)
Q: If you could compete in any track event with any athlete, who would you pick and why?
A: Honestly, I’m going to say Jerome Blake because he used to be on the Cheetahs, and I used to train with him. He’s a fun guy — and now he’s an Olympian!
Q: Do you have any rituals or superstitions?
A: It’s so hard to find a routine that works every time, because each place you go to compete is just so different. You really have to focus on yourself; you can’t let anybody else psych you out.
Q: What are your favourite courses you’ve taken at SFU?
A: There’s one art course [CA 262] I really loved. It’s called “Practices in Drawing.” I guess I really liked that because it tied into biology in a way, and it was just a really good way to look at things differently. I just took Vertebrate Biology. The course load was intense. We dissected a cat, pigeon, turtle, a fish, and a mudpuppy, which is kind of like an axolotl.
(Fun fact: a mudpuppy is NOT an actual dog.)
Q: Do you have any go-to restaurant recommendations?
A: I really love burgers, so Romers is really good. They actually have good gluten-free buns. Red Robins has really good flavoured burgers. There’s one sushi place in Maple Ridge called Wasabi Grill, and half of their menu is gluten-free.
(If you didn’t catch on, Carly is celiac, and she’s politely requesting more gluten-free sushi restaurants.)
Q: What’s your favourite track memory?
A: BC Summer Games in 2016. I was elected for high jump, long jump, and hurdles. I didn’t win anything, but I got a personal best in high jump. My personal best at the time was 1m 55cm; my mom told me to “get over 160.” I think it was my third attempt. I just barely skimmed it.
