Chapter 333 The Major Marathons 7 (1/2)
”Now that we've talked about basketball let's talk a little bit about marathons too, which is something Jake also stands out a lot about, you said you prepared well for marathons since before running in Chicago, how was that?”
”The first sport I enjoyed when I was a kid was athletics, I liked running more than basketball, but I still loved basketball almost the same way.”
”But in the neighborhood where I lived in Miami I couldn't play basketball with my friends even if I wanted to because they didn't have courts, so I always liked to run in the city squares.”
”I didn't know that it's nice to know you were interested in sports since you were a kid, and why did you decide to play basketball and not keep running?”
”As you may well know, basketball is one of the most beloved sports in our country, and I was very fond of basketball myself, and my family was in a complicated situation with just my mom working and she seemed to have health problems at the time.”
”So I was a child just thought it was easier to get money for my family through basketball than through athletics and running.”
”Even though it was a decision I made as a child I took my training seriously and trained on my own for almost a year before attending my first basketball tournament.”
”I played against children who were several years older than me when I was 11, and yet I won that tournament and knew it could really be good at basketball.”
”My mother always supported me playing basketball not knowing I was doing it thinking of making money for my family, so after many years I got a sponsorship and I could help my family before I even entered high school.”
It was the first time Jake had spoken in an interview more directly about the difficulties he had as a child, he said he decided it because he was a child not to mention that he had an adult mentality and already knew basketball was the way to go right for him.
But in the rest, he said everything that really happened and because he first chose basketball over marathons first when he was younger, Jake could feel that some people who were participating in the recording were thrilled to hear about it.
”It's really an inspiring and exciting story, many in sports came from a humble background and had financial difficulties before finding the sport to change their lives.”
”True, part of my basketball training has always been running, because I loved running and because I knew it helped improve athlete stamina, so I never had a hard time participating in a whole game and even now I don't have this difficulty.”
”Also, I've always had good fitness and could have stronger training than other basketball players, when I already had sponsorship and still had time before college I decided to start training more seriously for marathons that to me because of my Resistance was the easiest of athletics for me.”
”Of course after I started training I realized it was not easy at all and I suffered a lot because of it, but when I continued training at my school's athletic field alone and when I saw that I was running well and at a good pace I decided to run in Chicago.”
”I really enjoyed the marathon there and managed to win even though I wasn't fully prepared, then I lost in New York for running the marathon wrong and then that's how you all know well.”
”After that, you won all the marathons you participated in including the Olympics winning a gold medal for our country, I have to say it was great talking to you Jake, I hope you continue to be very successful in your career.”
”I thank you very much for coming here and hope to be back here again one day.”
Jake really enjoyed the interview and said a few things he wanted that had not been arranged before the interview, yet the commentators and the recording crew seem to have enjoyed the interview with Jake quite a lot.
After that Jake returned to the university to continue his classes and training, after a week the classes were finally over and Jake took all the exams, the classes were very easy for Jake who got the high grade again.
So the training with the basketball team was over and Jake was getting ready to go to Miami, Jake said goodbye to coach Dean Smith who wasn't coming back next semester, Jake attended a frat party with Charlie and had a great time being careful to do not drink.