By Chris Cox

Altus freshman Stephanie Hamm has enjoyed track ever since she could participate.

“I joined cross country in sixth grade, and I really liked it,” she says. “Track was introduced in seventh grade, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I like running and, with track, I get run by myself and with a team for points.”

Most people have a love-hate relationship with running, but Hamm doesn’t. She just simply loves to run.

“I like running because it’s really calming and you don’t have to work hard to run by yourself,” she says. “It’s just really calming. You get to be by yourself and in your own space for a little bit.”

While running might be calming, racing is competitive. To channel that competitiveness without getting out of her calming space, Stephanie says it’s all about completing one goal at time.

“I set goals whenever I’m running,” she says. “If there’s a person in front of me, I’ll get in my own space and try to catch that person. Once I get that person, I move on to the next person and I just push myself until I get to the spot I want to be at.”

Stephanie runs multiple events for Altus. She runs the two mile, the one mile, and is a part of the 4×800 relay. While she is just a freshman, she has some big goals for this season.

“I really want to go to state in the mile and hopefully place pretty good,” she says. “Our main team goal is to do good at state and keep our tradition going.”

Beyond athletic success, Stephanie tries show good character in all that she does.

“Character, to me, is who you are to other people and how you react,” she says. “Whether you did good or bad, it’s how you react. It’s also about finding the things you did well at and being happy with those.”

Beyond track, Stephanie is also a member of the Altus cross country and volleyball teams.

Stephanie might just be a freshman but she already has a plan in place to help prepare her for her life after graduation.

“I’d like to get a scholarship for track to Southwestern Oklahoma State,” she says. “I want to go there to get my bachelor’s degree and become a teacher.”