Latest / Illinois Valley - Shaw Local / The Times Athlete of the Week: Ottawa’s Joey Liebhart
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- 0:05Speaker 1: The Times Athlete of the Week Ottawa's Joey Liebhart Written
- 0:09by J. T. Pidelti. This article is being read by
- 0:13an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. With fifty
- 0:17eight point seven percent of votes cast in an online poll,
- 0:21Ottawa boys track and field state qualifier Joey Liebhart is
- 0:24the penultimate The Times Athlete of the Week. Leebhart qualified
- 0:29for state out of the two A Pontiac Sectional in
- 0:32both hurdles events, including winning a loaded three hundred meter
- 0:36hurdle event in thirty eight point six zero seconds. The
- 0:40All Boys Track and Field State qualifier ballot also included
- 0:43runner up Jacoby Gooden, Marquette zeb Maxwell, Seneca and Michael
- 0:47Beckett Field Crest. Here is a canda with this week's winner.
- 0:51Do you have any nicknames? Leehart? I don't really have
- 0:54a cool nickname. Most people just call me Joey or joe.
- 0:58How old were you when you started participating in track
- 1:01and field and what got you into the sport? Liebhart.
- 1:06I started running track my freshman year to get faster
- 1:08and stay in shape for football. What were your expectations
- 1:12heading into the Class two A Pontiac Sectional were you
- 1:15surprised to leave a sectional champion and heading to state, Liebhart.
- 1:20My expectations for Sectionals were to win the three hundred
- 1:24hurdles and run a qualifying time in one hundred and
- 1:26ten s. I wasn't surprised to be leaving a champion,
- 1:29but I knew if I wanted to do it, I
- 1:31would have to perform because of the talent in my sectional.
- 1:35What is it about hurdles that drew you to that event, Liebhart.
- 1:39I never really chose hurdles. I feel like they chose me.
- 1:43My freshman year, I was pulled out of sprinting practice
- 1:46to come try hurdles, and I loved the hurdle crew
- 1:49and my hurdling coaches Tom and Stener Zeiel and those
- 1:52people really made me love hurdling. Coming to practice every
- 1:56day felt like hanging out with my friends. What are
- 2:00a few of your favorite track facilities you've gotten the
- 2:02chance to compete at, Leebhart. My favorite track facility that
- 2:07I got to run at was Sterling because of the
- 2:09size of the curve, the layout, and the softness of
- 2:12the track. What movie would you say you've seen more
- 2:15than any other? About how many times Leehart I think
- 2:20I've watched Interstellar about fifteen times and it never gets boring.
- 2:24Which of your teammates cracks you up the most? Lee Part?
- 2:28Definitely Archer, Chekowitch and Bellmarky. If you could see any
- 2:32musical artist in any venue, all expenses paid, who would
- 2:36you see? And where? Leehart? Alison Chains live at the
- 2:40Moor in nineteen ninety. I watch it on YouTube all
- 2:43the time and wish I would have been able to
- 2:45see it live. You and your teammates are going out
- 2:48for dinner to celebrate a big win. Where are you
- 2:51going and what are you ordering? Leebhart? To celebrate a
- 2:56big win, the team and I are definitely going to
- 2:58Culver's and getting a pub. Seasonal question at a cookout,
- 3:03what's your favorite food off the grill? Lee Part? Definitely
- 3:07a flavored brat, pineapple or cheddar jallapeno is the best?
- 3:11Is there something about you that people who only know
- 3:14you through sports might find surprising? Lee Part? I spend
- 3:18a lot of my free time playing guitar. Do you
- 3:21have any plans for life after high school? Do they
- 3:23involve sports? Leehart? After high school is over, I'll be
- 3:27going to the University of Illinois to study civil engineering,
- 3:31and unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever be on a
- 3:33sports team again.