Bay Port’s Ben Hoskyn: track & field, cross country (Kris Hoskyn photo)
BY RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT
Benjamin “Ben” Hoskyn is a senior at Bay Port High School and a member of the track and field team as a distance runner. Ben also ran cross country for the Pirates this past fall and was a part of the WIAA state team.
Ben plans to attend Boise State University in Idaho and will double major in kinesiology and bio-chem. He will most likely run for the college track club.
Name: Benjamin Hoskyn
Nickname: Ben
Parents: Kris & Dave
School: Bay Port
Sport: track & field, cross country
Events: 800, mile, 2-mile
Twitter: @the_hopscoth
How do you pronounce your last name?
“Hos-Kin.”
Any siblings?
“I have a younger brother named Braden who is a sophomore here at Bay Port.”
Do you come from a sports family?
“My brother plays lacrosse and runs cross country, my mom was a three-letter varsity basketball player and played volleyball in high school and my dad played football and ran track.”
Have you ever done any other sports in high school?
“I played basketball my freshman and sophomore year, but then realized I just loved running too much to continue with basketball.”
When did you start track?
“I began my seventh-grade year.”
What’s the hardest event you do?
“My gut says the 2-mile, but the 800 is almost a sprint … you have to get out and go for two laps. I also hate the 400.”
You’re a distance runner … what would your time in the 100 be?
“I’d guess in the high 12s? Noah Staszak would probably beat me by 10 meters. I’ve never even started out of the blocks!”
If you could do one event that you currently don’t do, which would it be?
“They don’t have it in high school but the steeplechase. It looks cool to me.”
Have you ever done a field event?
“I have never done a field event!”
How about an event that you’d like to see added?
“The distance-medley relay … that’s like when one person does a 400, another does an 800, the third does a 1,200 and the anchor does a mile.”
What’s it like having Andy Nuthals as your coach?
“He’s a fun coach and is very energetic. He tries to get out there and run with us, but that doesn’t always work out too well! It’s been fun.”
What’s harder … track or cross country?
“Overall I think track is harder because of that running in circles thing … it’s takes a lot of mental toughness. You have to warm up, cool down and then do it all over again a few hours later for another event. Cross country you mentally prepare for it and do it. I also like to run in the woods.”
How about a sport you wish you could have tried?
“I really love where I am at, so nothing comes to mind.”
What would be your most memorable sports moment?
“When we went to team state for cross country last October, we checked into our hotel and went out for our pre-race, and it started to snow. It just stuck with me and was fun!”
Boise State … that’s the football field that’s blue, right?
“Yes … you don’t know how many times people say that when I tell them I’m going to Boise State!”
I guess I didn’t disappoint then!
“Nope … it’s a beautiful campus.”
What is something about you that most people wouldn’t know? “That I probably won’t be settling down in Green Bay. It’s nothing against the area, but I just love the mountains out West in Colorado, Utah and Idaho, so I see myself being out there eventually. When other families are going to the beach for spring break trips, we are one of the weird families that actually seek out snow. I can’t sit on a beach for four hours at a time.”
What are some of your hobbies?
“You’ll mostly find me running, but I love music … I have a drum kit in my room and self-taught myself how to play. I also play the trumpet in band. I also love to mountain bike.”
What three words best describe you?
“Energetic, athletic, intelligent.”
Who is someone you admire and why?
“Ironman triathlete Ben Hoffman … he’s got a cool name and someone that I’ve always looked up to. He’s a hard worker.”
What is something you want to do before you die?
“I’d love to do the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. It’s the ultimate challenge in that sport. You are riding/running through the lava fields, so if it’s not super-hot, it’s extremely windy. I can’t really competitively swim right now, so I’d have to learn that.”
If you could be anywhere other than here, right this minute, where would you be?
“There are a lot of places, but I’d pick Zermatt, Switzerland, to ski because I haven’t been there yet.”
Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What do you want to be when you grow up?
“An architect. On my mom’s side of the family they are known for that.”
How will Ben Hoskyn be remembered at Bay Port after graduation?
“Probably just as the crazy person who was always running and never really stopped. Kind of like ‘Forrest Gump,’ but not that crazy.”
Tree house or tiny house?
“Tiny house … more freedom.”
Tent camping or camper?
“Tent camper … campers cheat the system!”
Lie on the beach or ski down the slopes?
“Ski down the slopes … it’s not even a question.”
Watch TV or read a book?
“Read the book.”
Fruits or veggies?
“Both.”
Favorites
Food: watermelon
Subject: science
TV show: The Office
Candy: Butterfinger
Holiday: Easter
App: my flight radar … it’s a live radar and shows me all the commercial flights currently in the air.
Notes: Suggestions for the Senior Spotlight can be submitted to Rich via email ([email protected]) or by Twitter (@richpalzewic) … all spotlights can be found online at thepress.media. Check out last week’s spotlight on Bay Port’s Brett Fuglestad.