Get to Know Q & A
- Your nickname, if any, and how did it come about?
I have a lot, Maris is the nickname one of my coaches gave me. He just one day started calling me Maris and a few other people followed his lead.
- How did you get your start in track and field and/or cross country?
I moved from Minnesota to Oregon in 2nd grade, my sister was a distance runner and wanted to join track and my mom wanted me to make friends so she put me in track. I started throwing because I refused to run and so my mom taught me to throw shot with a bocce ball in our front yard the night before a meet, and the rest of the events came later.
Me throwing my first season in 2nd
- Your parents athletic background. Did they play any sports-where (HS, College, Pro), what position, when, any awards?
My dad , Tanner Johnson did golf at Bemidji State, however neither my moms side nor my dads side has played high level sports. Both my parents are accounts Tanner and Tracy Johnson are accountants, so my family jokes that we don’t know where my athletic abilities come from, given that my life is basically The Office.
- Outside interests- your hobbies, talents(musical, chess, anything), volunteering- what do you do in your free time?
I am a part of NHS (National Honor Society) and NCL (National Charities League), so I do a lot of volunteering. I also love to bake for my coaches every few weeks or so, especially when one of my coaches PR’s!
- At school, do you do any extracurricular activities? i.e. student government, clubs or other sports.
Other than track I don’t do any school sanctioned extracurricular activities, I spend a lot of time working to keep my 4.0 gpa.
- Pre- and post- race rituals. Any superstitions?
I am very superstitious, all my pre meet rituals take place the night before, I need to eat pesto pasta with chicken, artichokes, and spinach the night before a meet along with painting my nails white. The day of the meet I always do my hair better than I normally would and the same with my makeup, it follows the look good, feel good, play good idea.
- Movie watcher and/or book reader? What is/are your favorite book and/or movie and why?
I am more of a book reader, but I don’t have a favorite book, I watch very few movies or shows however my favorite movies would be Step Brothers
- How do you deal with setbacks and triumphs?
With setbacks I give myself until I go to bed that night to be in a bad mood, but when I wake up I know it’s a new day and start working towards the next thing. I know that setbacks are what you learn from and I’d not be where I am today if I never had a setback.
With triumphs I generally am proud of myself, but I have the same rule, I give myself until I go to bed that night to be caught up in the excitement, I know that I should celebrate but then continue to work.
- Pet owner? If so, what is your pet's name and type/breed?
I am a pet owner. I have two cats and a dog. My dog is a golden retriever named Nora and she is four years old. One of my cats name is Frankie but we call him “Frank the Tank” because he like to destroy everything in his sight. I have a cat that’s particularly mine, his name is Joe and he is a tripod tuxedo cat who we rescued after he got hit by a car. Joe and I are particularly bonded because I spent weeks working with him so he would be comfortable around my family and I, he was really scared when we got him.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years I see myself in college doing track. I also would hopefully be studying kinesiology and Spanish.
- What words would you have for your sixth grade self?
I know you like soccer now, but stick with track it’s worth it.
- Who is your favorite track and field athlete and why? How about other sports-who is your favorite athlete and why?
My favorite track and field athlete is Ryan Crouser, he is the world’s best shot putter but he is also my favorite because he is from Oregon too.
My other favorite sports athlete would be Simone Biles, she has showed the world what it is like to be an amazing athlete but also she showed athletes that they should also put themselves first, and that you should be proud of all you’re accomplishments.
- Favorite hype song, if any, before your competition
Not exactly a hype song but, Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. It reminds me to have fun and shake off any bad throws that may happen.
- Many athletes are quoted as saying " trust the process". What does that mean to you?
To me it means knowing that not everyday will be your day, but knowing that’s how you grow. If you don’t trust the process you’ll get hung up on the small losses and miss the big wins.
Freshman year when I PRed by two feet to win.
- How do you balance social media with your performance? Does social media impact you positively or negatively?
I use social media only after I’ve competed, if I’ve had a good meet I’ll generally make a post, but I never post beforehand so it doesn’t impact my performance.
- Favorite and not favorite high school subject and why?
I have two favorites, firstly Spanish is fun to me because I think it’s so cool to learn another language. And history, history is interesting to me because there’s so many interesting things that happened in the past, and my history teacher this year did an amazing job teaching it and making it interesting. I don’t have a least favorite class, I actually find them all fun or interesting.
- Favorite musical artist and why? What is your favorite song by that artist?
I don’t have a specific artist that is my favorite, but Upside Down by Jack Johnson is one of my favorite songs
- Favorite pre- and post- meal?
My pre- meet meal is always pesto pasta with bow tie noodles, chicken, spinach, and artichoke hearts. My post meet meal is normally chipotle, but only for big meets.
- Dire question warning :) If you were unable to continue to compete in track and field, what would you do?
Gymnastics, I was a competitive gymnast until sixth grade and I would go back in a heartbeat.
- What do you see your legacy being-in and outside the track world?
I see my legacy being leading by example along with keeping your head down and working hard no matter what, always keeping focused and not letting anything get to your head.
- What is your vice? What do you binge on that you can't seem to control?
I asked my mom and she said my vice is that I never seem happy or completely satisfied with a performance no matter what, even if I pr I always want more.
- If you could meet anyone dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Simone Biles, she has competed at every level of her sport and is the greatest of all time, she has had so many experiences and I would love to learn her perspective about them.
