University of Tennessee Athletics
In The Exchange Zone - With Brittany Sheffey
February 20, 2012 | Women's Track
Feb. 20, 2012
Lady Vol senior Brittany Sheffey is nearing the end of her collegiate career, and she simply is trying to enjoy and make the most of her final season at Rocky Top.
As the team's top distance performer this season, the product of Bellport, N.Y., took a trip to Seattle, Wash., on Feb. 10 to compete in the 5000 meters at the Flotrack Husky Classic, a meet known for bringing together some of the top distance runners in the country. Sheffey finished 16th in the invitational section and earned a spot in the Tennessee record books as the fourth fastest finisher of an indoor 5,000m with a time of 16:18.37.
Sheffey and her Lady Vol teammates have turned their focus toward the SEC Championships, which will take place this weekend at Nutter Field House in Lexington, Ky. Tennessee enters the meet ranked No. 8 in the nation in the latest USTFCCCA Rankings.
When did you first get interested in running?
"I first got interested in middle school. You can start running in seventh grade in intermediate school."
How did you know what would be the best distance for you?
"Actually, at times I still don't know. You just have to pray and trust in your coach and where they put you, and hopefully you end up where you'll have the best success. I still don't know."
Have you ever tried sprints?
"Actually, no. I got confused and I thought that cross country was track. So when I went out for it, I was automatically a distance runner, and I just stayed in that area."
What other sports did you play?
"I was a cheerleader when I was younger, and I played a little bit of soccer."
Do you have any other family members who are involved in sports?
"My uncle on my dad's side is Justin Gatlin."
Do you have a favorite meet or venue?
"I really like Arkansas, where we usually have SECs. And my home track, the Armory, where we ran a few weekends ago. I love the Armory. It's probably my favorite, but in collegiate racing, it's Arkansas."
What was your greatest moment as a Lady Vol?
"I can't say one moment has been the greatest. I just believe that I've met so many people here and I've had a lot of success at the championship meets. The whole experience has been great. I love running for the Orange and representing UT. I'm trying to make everyone proud, from my family to the older Lady Vols. I think the whole experience of being here running has been great."
Do you have any pre-meet or pre-race superstitions or rituals?
"Not really. I just pray and try to stay comfortable and calm. I listen to music."
Do you get nervous before you run?
"Yes. I go to Joe Whitney (mental training director) every week before a race to help me. I guess you could say that's a ritual."
What do you think about when you're getting ready to run and during the race?
"Staying confident and getting in position. I try to have fun and enjoy it. I focus on doing what I've done at practice every day."
What is your favorite thing about running?
"The adrenaline that you get when you finish. After you've done well, you think, "Wow, I can't believe I did that. It was hard, but I stuck it out and I can't believe I did something and it was a success."
How does weather affect your running outdoors?
"At times, it's hard. The rain and the cold. I really don't like to be cold. That's why I left New York to come south, but it's actually been pretty cold here at times. I really don't like to be cold, but you just have to stay confident and know that everyone else has to deal with it, and you don't know what's going to happen at any point in time when you're competing, so you just have to be ready for anything."
Do you hear fans cheering while you are competing?
"Yes. It helps so much. It definitely does. Especially the weak times when you might get a little discouraged. Not even knowing that you're discouraged, but falling asleep a little bit, it definitely really helps."
What made you decide to come to UT?
"I felt like it was a great fit academically and athletically. The team felt like a family, and I just love Coach Clark."
What is the sense of camaraderie like among the Lady Vols?
"We're like a family. It's a sisterhood. At times, there are little problems, but all sisters have little problems. At the end of the day, we're a family, and I can depend on my teammates."
How pleasing was it to get an NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the DMR at Texas A&M?
"Very pleasing. It always feels great to get an automatic mark to go to nationals because that's what we're striving for all season long. So it feels great."
Were you pleased with your results at the Husky Classic?
"They were OK. I wish I would have stuck it a little more. I didn't feel very well, but I know that I have to be more headstrong when situations like that happen. It was OK, but I would have liked to have some more success."
This was your first time running the 5,000m indoors. Is it different than outdoor?
"It is because I've never done it before, so it was different. A little more concentration was needed because it's on a 200m track and outdoors is 400m. It's something that I'd like to get better at and conquer."
How has your cross country season, and your national appearance in November, affected your performance this track season?
"I had a little bit of a slower beginning to my season than I would have liked coming off of a better cross country season than I have had in previous years. I think it's all coming together. My base is much stronger, I think, from having a better year. I think it'll all come together eventually."
How is the team preparing for SECs? Are they ready?
"We're going out and having some hard practices, just like we do every other day, trying to stay confident. We're preparing our minds to have some mental competitions because the SEC is a great conference. We're hoping to go out there and have confidence and have fun."
Are you all pleased with being ranked eighth in the nation this week?
"I like being the underdog. We always are, any time, regardless of how well we're doing. But I think we're going to go out and always try to do the best we can and put marks on the board and take the Big Orange to the best place we can."
What do you like to do when you aren't in class or training?
"I like to hang out with my teammates who I'm closest with on the team, my boyfriend, and my dog."
What is your favorite sport to play, or just watch, other than running?
"I like to watch gymnastics. I like the dog show, if that counts. I love figure skating."
Who are some athletes you admire?
"I admire all athletes who have faced some type of adversity or are just tough and gritty and get out there and run regardless of the situation. I think, from any area, track is hard. It's very mental, and when I see anyone having some type of success, they're doing something right. I just really admire that."
What's something interesting about you that people may not know?
"I was a clown and a party leader for my first job."
If you could compete in any track or field event besides distance running, what would it be?
"I would be a sprinter. If I weren't a distance runner, I would want to sprint. They're just so powerful."
What's the one thing you can't live without?
"God."
What are your goals for the season?
"Just to finish strong and have a good season. I would like to have some top scores at the SEC meet and do well at nationals. I just want to finish strong and confident and get some marks on the board."
Is it different being in grad school and competing as opposed to undergrad?
"Yes, it is. It's pretty tough. I always knew that grad school would be tough, but it takes a lot of time. With our traveling schedule, I've learned how to manage my time well, but I feel like it's tough. I'm in fewer classes, but the workload is more."
What career would you like to have after you complete your competitive career?
"I would like to be a lobbyist or a director of a non-profit organization."
