Colorado University Athletics
Getting To Know: Michael Egotanda, T&F
You just completed your freshman year of college. What was that experience like?
It's fun. It's a big learning experience practicing, attitude and training with a whole new group of people. It's definitely a fun bonding experience meeting your teammates and having a new coach that's really patient and pushes you to be the best that you can be as an athlete. So, I love it. It's been a lot of learning but it's been a lot of fun.
How did you begin participating in track?
I started track in eighth grade and I continued into ninth grade, high school. I wasn't good at it so I stopped for a year. But, I came back junior year and I wasn't any good at anything else so I figured I'd try long jumping. You don't have to run that much so I tried it. It ended up being my forte, like it was meant to be. It was a perfect relationship. It's fun. I learned to enjoy it and embrace all of the hard parts about it and all of the fun parts.
What is your favorite event to compete in?
Long jump is my favorite event with jumps. It feels like you're flying. You get off the ground and you're in the air for that second and it's just so nice. It's peaceful. You get up in the air and there's no problems and nothing is bothering you. But then you hit the ground and go back to reality. It's definitely cool. It makes you feel like you're above the clouds. It's definitely a nice feeling.
What were your goals for your freshman year and how have they changed after this first year?
My goal coming into college was to make it to Pac-12s and just adjust to my environment. Now I'm looking further ahead and I want to get to Pac-12s each year. I want to score enough points to help the team. Hopefully next year and the years coming, I can make it to prelims and NCAAs. I want to be a big factor for the team; someone they can always rely on when they need points and someone that they can go to to get a gold medal. My goals for the rest of college are just to keep moving up.
This track team seems to be an extremely close knit group. How important is that family atmosphere for your team?
It's weird because track is an individual sport but it's also a team sport at the same time. There's times that you do bad and think it's not going to affect anybody but it really does. You don't want to let your teammates down. When you score a lot of points, everybody has a great time. When you get to track meets and you do well, your energy feeds off to everyone else and they do well. If you PR, someone else probably PR'd, you know? It's definitely a good experience when you're playing for the team and trying to do the best you can for the team.
Who are your role models in track and in life in general?
I would have to say Mike Powell. He broke the long jump world record against Carl Lewis. He was a real underdog coming into that and he was 0-15 against him. It was huge for me to see him break the world record. My dad always talked about it. My parents are also huge role models. They always supported me and made sure that I was okay and got everything that I needed. Definitely just friends too. My teammates push me to be the best that I can be and keep me on a straight path. We make sure that we're pushing each other to be the best that we can be as a team. It's like a big family.
You're from Western New York. What is the biggest difference between the East Coast and Boulder?
Definitely altitude got me a bunch, especially the first week of training in August. That altitude got me the most. The East Coast is really busy and people are always in a rush to get somewhere. Out here, everyone is really relaxed and friendly and it's like they're just waiting to get to know you. Personally, I really like that. The nature here is amazing. It's like Natural Geographic, right out of the magazine. Waking up to the mountains every day and having sunshine on a daily basis, I wouldn't pass that up for anything, even as much as I miss the East Coast.
What is your favorite thing about Boulder and CU?
I think my favorite thing about Boulder is Flagstaff and the Flatirons just because hiking up those, once you get to the top, the view is incredible. It's surreal. It makes you so appreciate of nature and just how beautiful our world really is. It's amazing that this is where we live so we need to take care of it. Boulder is a really clean town and I love it here. It's really mellow and relaxed. It's a great place if you want to just lay back and meet some strangers especially. I love the interesting people in Boulder. Walking around Pearl Street is definitely fun too. It's good food everywhere you go.
How do you prepare for a meet both mentally and physically?
I listen to a lot of Kanye West to get into the zone and get excited. I'm not a quiet person so I like to dance and have fun and be around a lot of people. I feed off of that energy and get excited. Being around friends is the best pre-meet ritual along with getting sleep and eating a good meal the night before. Kanye and friends gets me in the zone.