The Aquin: Olympic hopeful 'shifts gears', runs at UST

February 25, 2000
By Emily Soucheray
Aquin staff writer

Olympic candidates usually spend most of their lives training for the main event. Not St. Thomas sophomore sprinter Roman Cress. He began running competitively about a year and a half ago. Now Cress may be headed for this summer's Olympics. But he won't be running for the United States.

"Roman is a strong candidate and will most likely represent the Marshall Islands in the summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia," said men's track and field coach Steve Mathre.

Although Cress, 22, was born in the Marshall Islands, he moved to Minnesota when he was a small child and became an American citizen. He didn't learn of his dual citizenship until a couple of years ago, around the same time he began running with the University of Minnesota's Tyrone Minor. One of the Midwest's top sprinters and jumpers, Minor was training to qualify for the U.S. nationals. Cress too started pondering the possibility of competing nationally, maybe even in the Olympics. Then Minor explained the fierce competition in American track and field.

"Twenty different people can win at any given race," Cress said, who specializes in 60- and 100-meter races. "Only three will qualify for the Olympic team."

"I wasn't thinking realistically, he said."

Luckily for Cress, the Marshall Islands is not as competitive. It has never even been represented in the Olympics, so Cress still has to wait for paperwork to qualify him to run. But since the Islands are in the Pacific Ocean and Sydney, Australia is loosely considered the governing body of all the islands in the Pacific, Cress' odds look good.

"There is every indication that if the proper paperwork is completed Roman will run in Sydney," Mathre said.

However, Sydney won't be the first time Cress runs for the Marshall Islands. Last summer he won a silver medal at the Ociania Games in Guam. He also raced at the World track and field Championships in Seville, Spain. Even though he hyper-extended his leg prior to Spain and didn't race well as a result, he just felt lucky to be there.

"I was just happy to get the opportunity," Cress said, who found himself running in front of 65,000 people in a massive stadium against athletes with their own entourages.

"I would be doing my simple stretches, touching my toes, and other runners had massage therapists, stretchers, physiotherapists and personal trainers.

"It was amazing."

Since Spain, Cress has been focusing on this summer's Olympics. He trains five days a week, about three hours each day. He considers running a full-time job, a much different attitude from a few years ago.

After graduating from Minneapolis South High School in 1995, running was not in Cress' immediate plans. He wanted to go to school for graphic design and began taking classes at a community college. Although he was still running, he wasn't taking it seriously until he met Minor in late 1997 and began training with him.

"I actually met Tyrone at a meet at St. Thomas," Cress said. "That's when it all started coming together."

Cress then transferred to St. Thomas to major in Health Promotion, continued running with Minor and began training under coach Mathre. He still continues to practice with the team and runs at some MIAC meets but also attends larger meets to help him prepare for tougher competition. Mathre said Cress' presence on the team has helped build morale with the other runners.

"His presence has helped boost an already strong sprint crew," Mathre said.

Cress tries to share his love for the sport with his teammates.

"I try to tell them to make the most of running, to set goals and records," Cress said. "I try to spread my philosophy."

Cress' philosophy is a unique one. Especially in the Minnesota MIAC, where track and field is certainly not the most popular sport. Cress simply thinks Minnesotans don't realize the world popularity in track and field. He and Minor call it the "Minnesota mentality."

"Especially in the Midwest, a lot of people run only to stay in shape or only to be the best in their conference," Cress said. "People don't strive for perfection.

"They don't understand the sport."

What they don't understand, according to Cress, is that sprinting is not just about running really fast. Sprinters have to be fast, obviously, but they have to do it smartly.

"There is a big difference between someone who is just 'fast' and someone who is fast yet understands how to use and control their speed," Mathre said. "It's about being able to shift gears in succession in order to maximize speed.

"Roman understands this and has a great sense of 'feel' about his sprinting."

Although Cress understands what it physically takes to generate speed at an already fast level, he admits sprinting is an extremely challenging mental sport.

"Everything is on you in this sport; it is tough mentally," said Cress.

Lately, Cress is concentrating on shifting gears to increase his speed for world competition. He has been running about 6.77 seconds in the 60-meter race. He needs to race at about 6.60 seconds for a shot at the Olympics. Cress is only about a tenth off; the miniscule numbers still astound him.

"It's amazing that I'm training so hard for such minimal gains," Cress said. "That's why a handful of runners can win any given day.

"I just need to relax and let the speed come out."