NCAA.Com Interview Transcript, Video With Terrence Gibson
Full Video Of Day Two NCAA Division III Indoor Championships
Website Note: On-air interview occurs at 169 minute mark, immediately near the end of the men's 60 meters and at the beginning of the women's 60 meters. The interview continues through the women's 60 race up until its conclusion.
Will Fleming: And now we really happy to be joined by the man who won the 60 meter hurdles, congratulations Terrence Gibson on the National Championship!
Terence Gibson: Thank you I appreciate it.
Will Fleming: Well, just a sophomore you come into this meet seeded fifth overall and it really appeared like you came in here with the best form here at this meet.
Terrence Gibson: The past couple of weeks my times have just been getting faster and faster because I haven't been doing hurdles. This is pretty much my first year doing college hurdles.
Will Fleming: Talk to me about the process of getting over those hurdles, I know it's a long process, and yet small fractions can make such a big difference.
Terrence Gibson: Well the hurdles in general is a technical event. The better you get your technique down, the faster you are going to go.
Will Fleming: So you kind of feel like you've had a breaking point you've reached and it's gotten easier the last few weeks.
Terrence Gibson: Well in the beginning I used dip my hips going into the hurdles; anyone who does hurdles knows you've got to stand straight up and be tall. So once I started not dipping my hips, my times kept getting faster and faster each week.
Will Fleming: Now just a fabulous effort in the final, 8.04, previously your best was 8.13 and you set a new facility record and you were blazing there in the finals.
Terrence Gibson: Like I said the past couple of meets if you look at my times, I've been getting faster and faster because my races have been cleaner and as I've said, I've been keeping my hips up.
Will Fleming: You've got the women's 60 meter hurdle final here, and we are joined here by Terrence Gibson, the man who won the National Championship in the 60 meter hurdles.
You're the only athlete here from Worcester State, so it's kind of a one-man traveling party. What's that been like just you and the coach just coming here to the title?
Terrence Gibson: It's been cool, but honestly my whole teams been with me. They've rooting me on, giving me support. I've been best friend on the team, Duy Truong, who's been a phenomenal athlete. He's always been pushing me in practice.
Will Fleming: You've got some support?
Terrence Gibson: Yeah, it's great.
(60 meter hurdles race is cued up and shown on the screen)
Will Fleming: Now we are going to take a look at your race Terrence. If you could walk us through from start to finish what's going through your mind?
Terrence Gibson: Okay, so once I hit the beginning of the race, I know I probably have the best start out of anybody there. And then, if I get my hurdles clean, I know nobody has the top end speed that I do.
Will Fleming: So once you got going, you…
Terrence Gibson: Once I got over the first two or three hurdles, I knew that I pretty much had to sustain that speed and I had the National Championship.
Will Fleming: So has that the challenge for you in terms of the learning curve in learning the hurdles, its just that start and getting in the groove of those first two hurdles, as we watch it again.
Terrence Gibson: Yeah, exactly. That's what I think.
For a hurdler, you can always improve your time and you get a faster race. If you watch my race…my first hurdles good, seconds good…then I hit the third, as you can see, and the fourth, because I had a clear run at the last three hurdles I would have a sub 8.00 for a time.
Will Fleming: But did you just get enough momentum and enough speed during the first two that you just know that you, go (two) more and you know that you'll be just fine?
Terrence Gibson: Exactly. I think hurdles, a lot of its will power. If you can believe you can do it, you can do it.
Will Fleming: Speaking of will power, we're going to have a look down here on the track in a moment and the next race on the docket is the 60 meters, Sasha Henry, the senior from Buffalo State had the top qualifying time with 7.54, then Tiarra Good (of Birmingham-Southern) and Targie Gervais (of Westfield State).
I know that you've done a lot of these meets here this year; do you know any of these competitors in these finals of the 60 meters? Try to talk to us about what's going through the minds of these ladies in the 60 meters?
Terrence Gibson: Ohhh man…They're probably nervous right now and probably have butterflies in their stomach right now like I did. Just waiting for the starter to say, "On your marks", then "Get set," then "Go." Then, pretty much do what they do all year, run fast and get to that finish line as fast as they can.
Will Fleming: Sasha Henry was the number one overall seed from Buffalo State. The two-time SUNYAC Runner of the Year.
Terrence Gibson: Really?
Will Fleming: And Henry, as we look down the track, is in lane four. So we will watch with great expectations here with Henry in lane four and then just to her right is Tiarra Good, the number two overall seed, she is in lane five.
What's it like with all these other athletes, not to say that its not that more nerve wracking, but you prepare for months and months, you sit around for the whole meet and its over in seven seconds.
Terrence Gibson: It's crazy, there's so much preparation into like you say, like seven, eight seconds, of a race. You want to build up a nice sweat before, so you're nice and warmed up for when you get to the finish line once its over, (snaps fingers in background), because you can't take it back.
Will Fleming: Now in a race like this, this 60 meter dash, once you start everything off, will that set the tone for the winner?
Terrence Gibson: Yeah, the start pretty is. It's whoever drives out the strongest, is pretty much going to win. It's whoever sustains their speed.
Will Fleming: There's Henry in (lane) four and Tiara Good in (lane) five…a year ago, the only finisher amongst these competitors, is Tobi Alli (of Lehman) who, did not qualify. She finished seventh last year, so all of these ladies will be new and first-time All-Americans.
Terrence Gibson: You've got to get them a lot of credit for working over the summer and doing all those extra practices, which I did also.
Will Fleming: All the work pays off at the biggest meet of them all right?
Terrence Gibson: Everyone who's here, deserves to be here. There's some phenomenal athletes here.
Will Fleming: Some real close finishes, we saw you win by 0.06 , both (Adam) Scalesse (of Coast Guard) and (Marcus) Smith (of Wisconsin Whitewater) running in your race. Did you see them out of the corner of your eye?
Terrence Gibson: Well, I saw Smith from the corner of my eye, but I didn't really see Scalesse, because I think he was in more of an inside lane. So I was pretty much focused on the getting to the finish line first and whatever time I got would have been happy with.
Will Fleming: The ladies are in the blocks, and now kind of a bit of a false start situation there, so they will get reset. Does that kind of rattle you when something like that happens because you've got to get back into your mind?
Terence Gibson: It does kind of rattle you because, you're kind of like in your mind, man you just want to get my race over with and see what I get for a time.
Will Fleming: As they get right back into the blocks just one more time, again the top qualifying time was Sacha Henry with a 7.54.
The all-time meet record is exactly that 7.54 by Ashlynn Chavis (of Methodist) and that was last year. So when she qualified yesterday, she tied that record. Lets see if Henry can match or set a new meet D-Three meet record right here.
(Starting gun goes off, race begins, starts and finishes. Henry wins, followed by Gervais just 0.01 seconds off the top time for a photo finish)
Will Fleming: We're going to look another at this. It looked like Henry got a slower start and on her outside Tiara Good was there, and then Gervais made a bid. A great push at the end. It does not get any closer than that. It looked like the lunge of the head at the end.
Terrence Gibson: Yeah definitely; She's definitely a smart racer and a competitor.
Will Fleming: That was fabulous. Well Terrence, we really appreciate you taking the time. Congratulations on your championship, and only a sophomore, I am sure the future is bright for you.
Terrence Gibson: Thank you. I appreciate it sir.
Will Fleming: Alright good luck on your outdoor season and we'll see you down the road.
Terrence Gibson: Definitely, thank you.
Will Fleming: That's Terrence Gibson and Worcester State puts 10 points on the board and their only qualifier here in the event gets 10 on the board and that was great stuff from Terrence Gibson and great timing for the 60 meter dash final.
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