CORPUS CHRISTI – Throughout the year, GoIslanders.com's Christina Boothe will feature student-athletes from each of our 15
sports. Every Monday, we will bring you a Q&A session with a student-athlete, while Wednesday we will feature an in-depth story of a student-athlete. Be sure to keep tabs on GoIslanders.com as well as our Facebook (Islanders Athletics) and Twitter/Instagram (Go_Islanders) pages throughout the year for more information.
Some athletes are the first of their kind in their respective families, and have to walk through the years of exhausting practices and games without a family who truly understands the process. Others come from a long line of athletes. These families are well accustomed to the expectations placed upon a collegiate athletes. But with the good also comes the bad. Because these families understand, they also take no excuses. Daniel Guerrero's family knows exactly what it takes to be collegiate track stars, and Daniel can't seem to catch a break because of it. But he also has an incredible support system, one that could never be replaced.
GoIslanders (GI): You run cross country and track, and both of your parents ran for Texas A&M University - Kingsville. They were recently inducted into the 1986 national conference team. What made you decide to come to Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi instead of your parents' alma mater?
Daniel Guerrero (DG): Kingsville was my first option, but my decision ultimately led down to the fact that I didn't get a scholarship from Kingsville, while I got one here. Also, this was a better decision for me. Living costs are a lot less because I live here in Corpus. And I just like the school better.
GI: What kind of influence do your parents have on you as a runner?
DG: Running was just part of the family nature. All of my siblings have run. But in the beginning I wasn't much of a runner. All of my sisters expressed signs of really good running ability early on, but I didn't. So I kind of figured that I wasn't a runner. Then I got to high school, and I gave it a try.
GI: What kind of influence did your parents have on you once you decided to run in high school? Did they put more pressure on you? Was it weird to know that your parents were former star runners and feel like you had big shoes to fill?
DG: A lot of my friends had parents who supported them, while my parents always understood what I was going through. I never had any excuses. My other friends could go to their parents and say, "this is hard, and you don't understand." But if I talk about a hard practice, my parents are like, "yeah, I remember when I did that." There's nothing I could tell them that could faze them. Even today, they still wake up even earlier than they did at college, at 4:30 a.m., to stay fit and work out. I never have any excuses.
GI: How do you feel about that? Do you think that has made you into a better athlete?
DG: Yeah, I would say so. I suppose the main thing for me is not thinking about it too much, just going out and doing the work and the performance will appear all by itself. That's worked for me.
GI: Your dad probably had certain records in college. Do you compete with him a little bit?
DG: I was a freshman last year. When my dad was a junior, he ran a 15:02 in the 5k. My goal was to beat him or catch that. Last track season, at the Rice Invitational I ran 15:08 in the 5K. I never got around to running a faster time but I was just on his tail. It was a bittersweet moment for my dad, knowing that his son was running fast but also about to break his record. It was a big moment for my family, knowing that I'm filling in the shoes.
GI: Do you think you'll beat him this year?
DG: Definitely.
GI: So, being from a family of athletes, what's a special memory you have where y'all all did something athletically together?
DG: Beach to Bay. My whole family did it. My dad developed arthritis so he can't do things that are too strenuous on his legs. But he's always there. One time, he went before beach to bay and walked the third leg of the race. Then, I ran that leg when it was my turn with the baton. All of our races, we're there supporting each other.
GI: As a final question, do you think you will make your kids run cross country?
DG: One thing that I appreciate about my parents is that they gave me the choice. If I didn't want to run, I didn't have to. I could pursue other things. I like that my parents gave me the choice, so I'm going to reflect that on my own children. Maybe they'll be volleyball or football stars. Who knows? It's likely I'm going to pass them the running trait, but if they end up being good at anything else, I will totally support them in that pursuit.
