ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Micah Hannah

Ocoee High School senior cross country runner Micah Hannah recorded a personal best time of 20:57 for the 3.1-mile race at the Osceola Invitational meet Friday, Aug. 25. Hannah decided to run cross country last year as extra conditioning prior to basketball season, but she fell in love with the sport and came back this year for her last season as a Lady Knight. 

What do you love most about cross country?
I like the competitiveness of it. (There are) a lot of people at the meets and (it’s fun that) you get to race against people from other places. 

What do you think about when you are in the middle of a run? 
Don’t stop. Keep going — no matter what. 

What do you believe cross country has taught you on and off the track? 
You’ve got to be able to stay into it. You can never give up and (you have) to push your own teammates. When it comes to cross country, it’s not your individual time; it’s your team’s time. So, you’ve got to push your teammates in order to get further. 

What would you like to study in college? 
I’d like to be an OB-GYN. 

What is your favorite hobby? 
I like playing video games. I like playing Fortnite, Valhalla, Call of Duty: Warzone. I also like reading comic books: I’m more into the drama, the action, the romance. 

Who is your favorite celebrity? Why? 
When I was younger, my favorite celebrity was Michael Jackson, I definitely listened to him a lot. 

What are three things you would take with you to a deserted island? 
I’d take some water, a tent and an electric vehicle to move around the island. 

What’s your favorite movie? 
“Twilight.” All the movies are so good, but (the first) one is my favorite, because it introduces the whole vibe.

If you could choose one person you admire to have dinner with, who would it be? 
My grandma (on my dad’s side). I never met her. I’ve heard a lot of things about her, and she did sports, too. I’d love to ask her some questions. 

Looking back, what would you say to your 10-year-old self? 
I would tell myself, “Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do or that you can’t do it. Be yourself and do you.” 

If you could write a letter to your future self, what would you write? 
I’d write to myself and ask: “How are we doing? Are we where you wanted to be? Are you an OB-GYN? Are you living the life? Are we doing amazing out there? Do you have any kids? How many? Where are you living at? Do you talk to your brother?” 

What is your biggest fear? 
Spiders. People always say, “You like snakes, but you don’t like spiders?” They have eight legs, and they just crawl. Also, another big fear of mine is falling in front of everybody. It’s already happened to me — it’s so embarrassing. 

What is your favorite music? 
Gospel music. I just started getting into it. I’ve been going to church, but recently, I’ve actually sat down and listened to my pastor. 

Who is you favorite superhero? Why? 
At first it was Spider-Man, because it was my brother’s favorite superhero. To be honest, he’s still kind of it. 

Who is your favorite Disney character? Why? 
Princess Tiana, because she was the only colored-skin princess and was able to do what she wanted to do and live her dreams. 

If you could go back in time to a specific period of history, which one would it be and why? 
Probably would like to learn more history and instead of reading books go back and see what happened for myself. Especially during the Civil War. I’d actually want to see what went down and how it happened. 

What color would you say represents your personality? Why?
Gold, because it’s not only my birthstone, but it’s also a jewelry color that I wear a lot. 

If you could be an animal for a day, which one would you be? 
A bird, because I’d get to fly and go around the whole world. They’d be chilling up there for real.