Posted 4/13/07
UW-Platteville's Derek Dietmeier is a sophomore sprinter from Durand, Ill. He and the Pioneers debut the brand-new outdoor track Saturday at the UW-Platteville Invitational, which includes the Wisconsin Badgers, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point, and Wartburg. The field events start at 10:30 a.m. and the track events at 12:30 p.m.
What does it mean to be able to open a new facility Saturday?
"I'm very excited about it. It's really a great experience and an honor to get to run on a track as nice as we have. I think, without question, it's the nicest outdoor track in Wisconsin. I have friends from high school who are at Augustana and Carthage, and they've seen pictures of it on the internet, and they're impressed. I'm just real excited about it. In practice, it's a real fast surface. I'm looking forward to getting out and putting down good times."
The first meet also has some outstanding competition, too.
"La Crosse is always the big gun in the conference. It's nice to have somebody push you. I know I run better when I have someone pushing me. I like getting in the fast heats. And the Badgers, to get to compete against them will be a good experience."
You run the sprints, the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 4x100 relay. What is your favorite event?
"I'd have to say the 200. I'm a bigger guy so it takes me a little longer to get going."
How long do you have to train in order to run those sprints?
"We start out with the conditioning phase in the fall. We'll go out and do half-hour or 45-minute jogs to get going. Since we started practice, an average for me would be about two and one-hours. I like to take a while to warm up and now we're into different types of speed drills with starts. I try and focus on lifting every day, too. That's a big part, especially for a sprinter."
What are your goals for this season?
"I'd like to make it to conference in the 4x100, the 200 and the 100. My quickest outdoor time last year in the 200 was 23.3 seconds, and I'd like to go down to at least a 22.7. I was able to take a second and a tenth off my indoor time from last year to this, so I'm hoping to really drop my outdoor time, too."
Your life doesn't all revolve around track and field because you are also have a 4.0 grade-point average. How do you manage that?
"Through athletics, I've learned a lot about time management and leadership skills. I can apply that to my academics. Just by having everything constantly going on, it makes me better about budgeting my time and keeping a schedule. It makes everything flow smoothly, instead of sitting back and saying, 'I'll watch TV now and get to my homework later.' Having everything on a schedule helps me."
What is your major and what would you eventually like to do?
"I actually have two majors. My first one is business administration with marketing and management emphasis and my second is a comprehensive business and economics. I actually have an internship working as a marketing rep at AgReliant Genetics this summer, working in three counties in Wisconsin and two in Illinois. After graduation, I'd like to be in a management position in a marketing firm. That is my long-term goal."
Interview by SID Paul Erickson