For my Alumni I chose to interview McKenzie Fairchild. Not only did Fairchild go to school at Andale High School, she set the bar so high and was an amazing athlete. Kenzie is a freshman in college attending Texas A&M throwing Javelin in Track and Field.
One of the biggest things Fairchild likes so far about Texas A&M is the people she has met. Texas A&M University has over 70,000 students so she said “I’m very lucky to have found a few great friends.” When asked if track & field is the same as it was in high school, Kenzie said “I feel like moving to a higher level in any sport is going to be different, but for the most part, it’s pretty much the same.” Fairchild also stated “I feel like nothing can ever compare to Andale Track and Field though.” Some of Kenzie’s favorite things to do at Texas A&M in her free time include laying out at the pool and reading. Fairchild said she doesn’t get many chances to do that during the semester and school, but once school is over, that’s where you will find her.
One of the things Fairchild misses most is the community no matter who you were, as long as you were repping Andale High School, the entire town wanted you to succeed. “Going to college, especially in a different state is a hard transition. The entire community was rooting for me and my other teammates that moved on to the next level as well.” One of Kenzie’s biggest takeaways from Andale High school is that the road to success is never an easy task. Success is earned through hard work and digging down deep. Through all her years playing multiple sports, Fairchild learned that if you really want to win or succeed, no matter what it is, all you have to do is grind. Day in and day out.
Kenzie is a multi sport athlete so I asked her if there would be any other sport that she could play again what would it be? Fairchild said “Volleyball, definitely, by far my favorite sport. It brought me so many great memories with my friends and my coaches, and if I could go back and do it again, I would.” Being an D1 athlete is a lot of work and you have to have a good diet and a good workout schedule. So I asked Fairchild what her workout schedule looks like as a D1 athlete? Fairchild’s workout schedule on a normal week is three days of weightlifting and three days of specific work for her event. But that schedule changes a little bit once the outdoor season comes around, but for most of the year, that is what she’s doing.
A few of my last questions I asked Kenzie was, what are the biggest perks of being a D1 athlete? Fairchild stated “the amount of resources we have available. We have the best trainers available in the country that are available at any time. Along with our training staff we have some of the best event and performance coaches with all the knowledge and advice you need to be successful.” One of the drawbacks about being a D1 athlete is that it takes up a lot of your time. Especially with classes in the mix, you really have to learn how to manage your time appropriately. Kenzie Fairchild is an amazing athlete with so much more to come! So next time your watching Texas A&M Track and Field make sure to keep a lookout for her!
