‘GIVE IT YOUR ALL’

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For The Tribune

Seth Patterson enjoys being competitive and active, and for those reasons he enjoyed being a member of the soccer and track teams at Trinity Lutheran.

This spring he has been running the 110 high and 300 low hurdles, ran a leg on the 400 relay and competed in long jump where he holds the school record at 19-2.

“As soon as we get to the meet we start warming up and going and getting our steps for the long jump, so we can finish that as quickly as we can before all the running events start,” Patterson said.

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“You want to have good speed on the runway, and you want to try and jump as high as you can because the higher you go you’re running speed will carry your momentum forward, so the higher you go the more distance you can get. Usually, my first jump is my longest.”

Patterson said his favorite hurdle race is the 110s.

“I can three step about half of them before I have to go back to four,” he said. “My best in the highs is 17.8. I enjoy the short distance sprinting, and usually the hurdles are pretty competitive. I enjoy that aspect of it. My favorite lane is four.”

The senior had a different strategy when it comes to running the 300s.

“You want to definitely be able to kind of pace yourself for the longer run, so if you go too hard at the beginning you’ll get tired and it makes getting over the last few hurdles more difficult,” Patterson said. “You want to know what your best speed is for that. I usually prefer lanes one or two so I can see the people.”

During the 400 relay, Patterson typically runs the second.

“I really enjoy it because it takes multiple people,” Patterson said. “I think you have to hand off well with each other and know each others’ speed and all of that to be able to run it well. Handoffs are really important because a team can be faster than you, but if you have better handoffs than they do, you will win.”

Patterson, who played youth soccer in Texas, moved into the starting lineup his freshman year at Trinity.

“I’ve pretty much been central defense,” Patterson said. “It can definitely get pretty intense with the hits that you take. You learn to deal with it and get through it. It’s definitely a dangerous game and you have to be careful while you’re playing.

“It’s been a great experience being able to have that team relationship with everyone, and the competition is just another level going from grade school to high school. It’s been a lot of fun with the guys you play with.”

During the Cougars’ soccer season, they play much larger schools in preparation for the Class 1A sectional.

“We had some hard games, and lost to some of the bigger schools but it gave us that chance see what we were capable of and to fix what we were doing so that we were ready for the sectional and regional when it came up,” Patterson said.

For Patterson, having a strong work ethic translates to the track and soccer field.

“You have to practice and get your lungs used to both kinds of weather,” Patterson said. “It can definitely have an effect on your capabilities. Practice is extremely important. If you don’t work hard in practice then that won’t translate to doing well in either a game or a meet.

“You definitely have to give it your all in practice. You have to put your trust in your teammates. You have to trust them to do the right thing because if you’re constantly second guessing them then that will cause you not to do your job correctly because you’re trying to do theirs also.”

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Name: Seth Patterson

Parents: Tammy and Jeff Patterson

Siblings: Caleh, Timothy, Zac

Sports: soccer 4 years, track 4 years

Athletic highlights: Soccer- two sectional championships, Cougar Award; track- school record long jump.

Favorite away field: New Albany

Organizations: National Honor Society, band, peer mentor

Plans after high school: attend Purdue University

Favorite food: spaghetti

Favorite movie: “Top Gun”

Favorite team: Houston Dynamo

Favorite book: “Unbroken”

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