For The Tribune
In the sixth grade, one of Cameron Lee’s friends told him he should get involved in running cross-country and track.
While the sport didn’t stick at first, Lee quickly changed his mind.
“I hated it, but in seventh grade I figured out I was actually pretty good at it so I started trying,” he said.
Lee ran both sports all four years at Brownstown Central High School. He ran with the Polar Bear Club the past couple winters, so he felt like he was in good shape going into track.
“I started off running the mile and two-mile, and then halfway through the season we realized that the 800 was my best race,” he said of his senior year in track. “I love the 800. It took a few races to figure out what pace to run. I wanted to be around a 1:02 or 1:03 after the first lap.”
He ran the 800 at sectional and said his best time this spring was 2:05.
He said he enjoyed competing in relay events.
“It’s a team event and I like finishing them up, coming down the home stretch for the team,” Lee said. “In the 4×8– I liked to run the fourth leg.”
He said the distance races in track go hand-in-hand with cross-country.
Lee had a successful cross-country season his freshman year.
“I made top seven and we advanced to semi-state,” Lee said. “I was usually fifth that year. It was rough at first going from two-mile practices up to eight or 10-mile practices but eventually I got the hang of things.”
Through experience, Lee learned how to pace himself.
“For my first mile I aimed for 5:50 to 6 minutes, and I tried to keep that pace for the second mile, and then go as hard as I could for the last mile,” Lee said. “It was a great challenge, but I’d say what I liked the most was my teammates. We all hang out every weekend. It was just fun.”
Lee said his favorite course is North Harrison.
“I liked the fact that there were a lot of guys there, it was nice competition,” he said. “I always did well at that (invitational) so I liked it.”
Lee, who advanced to regional last fall, said he has enjoyed running on the different courses.
“Everyone has their advantages for every course. It just gives you the variety to show off what you can do,” he said. “My best time was 17:43.”
He said his highlight race in CC was at North Harrison when he set his personal record.
“I ended up getting 30th place which was a medal,” Lee said. “At the first mile the coach had me at about 70th place, so the next two miles I picked up the pace. In track I’ll remember winning sectional my freshman year.”
With running, Lee said the mental aspect is as important as physical ability.
“Running is just about all mental (toughness),” Lee said. “Once you lose your mental capability you shut down. You don’t really try any more so you’ve got to stay mentally focused and to finish the race as good as you can.”
He has enjoyed being a student at Brownstown Central.
“The people on the teams were really nice, and the coach, coach (Derrick) Koch especially,” Lee said. I enjoyed having him for track. I liked the small class setting, the teachers know you one-on-one and are always willing to help you.”
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Name: Cameron Lee
School: Brownstown Central High School
Parents: Adrian and Nicole lee
Sports: track 4 years, cross-country 4 years
Athletic highlights: track-2014 sectional champions; cross-country- all-conference honorable mention 2015, 2016, semi-state qualifier team 2014
Organizations: band
Plans after high school: attend Indiana University Purdue University Columbus and study business
Favorite food: Chinese
Favorite TV show: Big Bang Theory
Favorite team: Purdue University
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