Salute To Seniors is a medium for "senior farewells". With so many seniors heading off to bigger and better things we wanted to give everyone a chance to salute them one more time as well as invite those seniors to tell their stories from the past four years. We will be posting this series through July, if you would like to submit check out this article.
Athlete: Evan Minor - Career Stats
High School: Voorhees
College: Bucknell University
What was your most memorable race/throw/jump/vault/moment?
This past fall at Sectionals when I had won the race individually and the team won for the 3rd straight year. Coming into that race my father had told me to go after the individual title, yet I was unsure about it. In the end, I surprised myself and some others by winning. It made it even better to have my teammates come 2-3 and sweep.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
On an individual standpoint, I could name a long list of people. I often times found some of my greatest friends within the sport to be my toughest competitors. All the guys from Hunterdon County and the Skyland Conference always made it a challenge by being the ones to gut out a race with and then go on a cool down with afterwards. I also have to give a shoutout to Bobby Hastie, as he mentioned myself in his Salute. He always kept the races between us interesting. From a team view, I'd have to say any of the top teams in the state or who raced at Bowdoin Park.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
Greatest accomplishment had to be being part of a team that bounced back from a shortfall of losing to a very close gap for the Group 2 State title my sophomore year. After winning two years in a row following that, it helped to satisfy some of the bitter taste left behind.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running or field career in high school?
I would've taken training more seriously my freshman and sophomore years. It wasn't necessarily the actual running component, it was more the recovery aspect. I didn't really understand much of it. All I really knew was to just push in workouts and races. I came to realize and understand it all better this year through changing my diet correctly and getting the right nutrients. There are just some foods that I won't eat and I think that had an impact at some point, or at least where I didn't make up for it.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
The mental aspect of running was definitely the toughest obstacle. It can often times make or break a race if you aren't in the right mindset. I had it right a lot of the time during my junior year, but not so much my senior year.
2016 Skyland Conference Race - Voorhees Wins 16:24 Average.
Evan Minor 7th at 16:17
What will you miss the most?
My team will undoubtedly be what I miss the most. We all get along very well and it's displayed during the school day. No matter the age or grade difference between us, we all could get along. We also often times acted much more jokingly or were louder than other teams, yet when it came to races and workouts we still would throw down. So in the end it was a great atmosphere, because the runs would've been real monotonous.
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
Work on your mental toughness because most often times your body is well tuned and fit for a race. It is your mind that will screw it up for you.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
My coach has had a great amount of influence on my performance. During my high school career I had a change of coaches which changed things up a bit. At one point I was coached by both which I really enjoyed. Coach Capone showed me how to push through adverse situations and make the best of them while also taking advantage of opportunities when they were right before me.
What are your college plans?
My college plans are to continue with running at Bucknell University. I will be studying economics and hope to go further into a post graduate MBA or finance degree that will hopefully bring me into the finance/investment banking world. I will be back on a team with two of my former teammates which will be great as I can look to them for guidance when needed.
Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?
I'd like to say thank you to my family. My father was most often times at meets taking pictures all over the course and my mom usually was screaming in her shrill scream from the sides of the finish. My brother also came to every meet before this year when he was on the team and always cheered. A big thank you can be attributed to my teammates over the years. Sam, Anthony, Chris, and Nick definitely put forth a model to be followed as they were who I looked up to my freshman year. Robert, Brendan, Vira made our program into what it's become. The guys in my grade such as Ryan, Matt, Jacob, and Franklin helped by being there to grind workouts and toe the line alongside me. And the younger guys for always making me push harder because I didn't want to ever set a bad example.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I don't like losing, so whatever teams have beaten us in the past accomplished something
Running through mud and rain at Holmdel is what makes it fun
I finished my high school career being part of a team that included my two best friends, Ryan Morello and Matt Cowell. Ryan and I had been running together since Hunterdon Hawks in 5th grade. Matt and I have been friends since kindergarten and live on the same street, so to finish it alongside him was really nice.
