The first thing you notice about Jessica Campbell is her smile, especially after she finishes a run.
Campbell, a sophomore on the Bakersfield College cross country team, shows poise and control during her runs that help her finish strong.
Her teammates and her coach Dave Frickel both appreciate her. “She is impressive. Fast. She is a great person,” said the coach.
Campbell is a very dedicated runner. “I’m a very competitive runner, so I try really hard to stay in the front,” she said of being the top runner on the BC women’s team.
“I am surprised that I have been finishing the fastest because there are so many fast girls on the team,” Campbell said.
Fueled by the inspirations that she has to accomplish her dreams and goals she set for herself, Campbell adds fuel to the team by leading by example. “To me, what inspires me is to see how far I can go with my running and to see what goals and dreams I can accomplish (through running),” she said.
She is often reaching for success for the namesake of her family. “To make my family and friends proud helps inspire me to do the best that I can,” she said. “Coach Frickel is great at inspiring me, too. He believes in my abilities and is always encouraging me.”
Campbell, who is majoring in psychology, said, “My goal for the end of this year is to graduate and get my associates degree.”
With hopes for a scholarship, Campbell is interested in attending Fullerton, Long Beach or Northridge.
“I hope that maybe one of them will offer me a scholarship in either cross country or track,” she said.
Being a double threat, Campbell will finish her last year of track and field in the spring. “My biggest advice for the incoming cross-country runners is to believe in yourself and never give up,” she said.
When she speaks about running, you can tell her enthusiasm for the general run, through her dedication.
“Cross-country is known to be a mental sport,” she said. “In order for you to have a good race, you have to keep positive thoughts. Instead of all the reasons why you can’t finish a race, think of all the reasons why you should.
“One of the things I always say to myself before practice or a race is ‘If I can take it I can make it,’ and if you believe in yourself and that you can, that is what I learned and helped me get through cross country and track,” Campbell said.
Campbell, 20, has a positive outlook on life. When she isn’t running track and field or cross country, she enjoys doing things with her church and spending time with family.
The most surprising thing about Campbell is what she listens to before she runs. Most athletes enjoy music to calm or motivate themselves. Campbell uses motivational speeches to keep her guided in a race.
“Before a hard practice or race, I like listening to motivational speeches. For runners, we are always thinking of the worst things possible (happening) so having something positive and motivational to listen to before helps me stay focused on my performance.”
Her final words of advice are: “You are not proving anything to anyone but yourself. So go out there and do your best because that’s all you can do to prove to yourself that you can do it.”
***
On Sept. 6, the BC women’s team finished sixth of out 17 teams at the Fresno Invitational at Woodward Park.
Campbell finished 14 th with a time of 19:34.8 for the 5k race, and teammate Leah Theroux took 26th at 20:07.2.
The BC men took 13th out of 19 teams with Juan Calderon finishing 48th out of 200 runners.
The Renegades will host their only home meet of the season, the Bakersfield Invitational, at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Kern Soccer Park.