Faith Christian Academy seventh-grader Alex Lopez-Portillo runs hard and fast at every competition no matter what. Lopez-Portillo, who is in his first season running cross country, is one of two runners on FCA’s team and has been praised by the staff for his hard work. His athletic career is getting started and he hopes to try other sports in the future.
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How long have you been running cross country?
It’s been like, maybe a month and two weeks.
What do you like about it?
It takes my mind off a lot of stuff. Mostly like school, or stress stuff.
What does it take to keep a good attitude when you go out there, no matter what happens?
You’ve got to just stay focused.
When you’re getting ready for a meet, how do you get your mind right to run?
Take a few stretches and deep breaths.
What’s something you learned in cross country that’s helped you become a better runner?
Definitely going to the gym, like training. Mostly the treadmill.
Running some of those courses is not easy at all. When you’re out there, how do you motivate yourself to keep going until you finish the race?
Looking at everybody else and realizing they’re in front of me.
Do you play any other sports?
Just cross country for now, but I do intend to do soccer. I used to play soccer but I stopped a while ago.
What are some of your other hobbies?
Gaming.
What are you playing right now?
Mostly Nintendo games, like Breath of the Wild.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
Science.
Do you have any idea what you might want to do when you’re all done with school?
I intend to do something that’s related to computers. My brother’s going into designing now.