#thats like making a post that says 'i enjoy french fries!!' great! who cares.

[spacebabe51]

that post that's like "people who spend so much time in niche online communities that they forget what the norm is outside" but for the tumblr bloggers that are like "you know what actually I DO enjoy imagine dragons/taylor swift/corporate pop idol #3747's music and I'm not ashamed of it!" like congrats, you listen to one of the most streamed musical artists in the world. you're truly one in 6 billion. do you want a medal or...?

[aw-eather]

Heather Watches Stargate SG1: Upgrades

I have some rare time off and deicded I would like to spend it writing another post because its been a long time and I love this show and it’ll help me be less stressed about life and work!  We all love Upgrades so I thought this could be a fun one to do today! I also just love how much you guys enjoy these posts so thank you for being wonderful  As always, I’ll almost defienitly swear so consider yourself warned. 

Nice shot of the gate

SAM’S HAIR

SHE’S SO CUTE

Tok’ra are starting to annoy Jack and honestly same

“Don’t get me wrong Carter, your dads great, love him like a brother”

What about a father in law???

just a thought

Boys stop gagging over a pretty girl

Ew Daniel thats so gross

“Looks like trouble to me” ew

Sam’s fucking face

She’s so C U T E

Daniel stop flirting with every woman you meet

Anise annoys me tbh

Sorry not sorry

No shit Daniel

Jack is judging SO HARD

I’m actually a fan of the caterpillar on Teal’c’s face. 

I genuienly don’t hate it

Of course it doesn’t work on the Tok’ra. 

Why would anything 

Wow Anise you seem awfully suspicious with how desparate you are to get those bands on our space babies...

Sorry Sam is so beautiful 

like SO BEAUTIFUL

CREDITS

They’re so boring this season no offence 

END CREDITS

JANET

she looks so fucking good omg 

her HAIR

Anise go HOME you’re so ANNOYING 

Jack’s neck I-

Jack and Teal’c fighting is cute

I love their friendship

aw poor Teal’c

he’s out cold 

Jacks hair is messy and cute

Janet is not impressed at all

“I’m sorry”

“no you are not”

“You’re right about that!

fucking Jack making a comment about his strength and Janet’s face I love them

Jack reading super fast and Daniel not being able too is hilarioius to me

Mostly because I dislike Daniel

Lol “want me to read it to you?”

Sam sitting in the dark

Janet visiting her with her messy hair and looking so cute and wonderful

I love her

lemme protect her

she’ll need it

Sam, I don’t trust Anise

Jack chil you’re gonna break the machine 

that fucking beanie

i hate it

Jack broke the ball

I’m quiet during this scene because I Do Not Care TM about Daniel and Anise

Janet looks so annoyed 

and I don’t blame her

I agree with Janet

take them off

ah but they can’t 

janet and hammond are ready to slap anise and I’m HERE FOR IT

Jack might not be concerned Teal’c, but I am

jack what did that punching bag ever do to you, you dork

SAm is WRITING  a BOOK with her new found power I hate her

Sam and Janet are beautiful 

and their friendship could have been beautiful

if TPTB knew how to write decent women

“its just so damn exciting sir” I love him

poor Siler omg

why is it always him

can’t he catch a break

aw they’re all locked up

Steak. 

THEY’RE BREAKING OUT

FUCK SHE LOOKS GOOD

LIKE SO GOOD

AND THEY’RE BOTH WEARING LEATHER JACKETS 

THEY LOOK SO GOOOD

FRENCH FRIES INSTEAD OF POTATOES 

I LIKE THE TASTE BETTER 

SAM STOP 

YOU’RE TOO MUCH

MY TINY COLD HEART CANNOT TAKE IT 

defying a direct order but who cares

Jack there is a large, huge MASSIVE difference between steak and earth

the story about that shot with the pool is always funny to me 

JACK LOOKS GOOD

SO GOOD 

WITH HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS AND THE LEATHER AND THE GREY AND I-

he is a geek

Daniel don’t do it

oh he did it

Sam’s even telling him not to do it

bloody hell 

can we have a chat about how hot Jack and Sam are? 

Not make them stupid lol 

they were already stupid, Hammond 

they’re space babies

they’re looking so sory for themselves 

no you can’t Daniel

VERY HUNGRY SIR

more of a scuffle sir

ACTUALLY IT WAS YOUR IDEA... SIR

the fucking sass

the FUCKING S A S S 

ugh

UGH 

I AM SO SICK OF ANISE 

bitch  you brought those arm bands there so they could do stuff for you

the Tok’ra are always out for themselves and no one else

they barely do anything to help the taur’i and it pisses me off

Sam looks so cute

Hammond, every mission is a suicide mission 

sam is SO CUTE

HER HAND-

SORRY 

SHE’S REALLY HOT 

AND ADORABLE

I WANNA PROTECT HER

Thta was a lot of science talk 

aww the little hat 

so CUTE

look at em go

kicking jaffa butt

speeding around the place

HER HAIR 

I CANNOT STAND HER

SHE’S SO CUTE

wow thats a big ship

arm band is no longer working 

surprise surprise it happens in the middle of an important mission 

oh Hammond is MAD MAD 

Anise and you can bugger off

Janet’s face is like “did this bitch really just say what I think she just said”

NO SAM

JACK NO

OH BOY 

OOOOOOHHHH BOOOOOYYYYY

FAM I HATE THEM AND I LOVE THEM

THIS IS HONESTLY HEART BREAKING 

BECAUSE THEY OLY NOW REALISE HOW IN LOVE THEY ARE 

FUCK OFF

I LOVE THEM AND I HATE THEM 

BUT I LOVE THEM MORE 

i got a new computer today and the SOUND QUALITY IS SO MUCH BETTER

Aw Sam woke up first 

lol he wakes up funny 

he’s gonna do anything he can to help her

“you gotta get out of here sir”

“so do you” 

STOP IT YOU LOVE STRUCK NERDS

RUN BABIES RUN 

GET YO ASES OUT OF THERE

Look at that little jump over the rock

they’re in soooo much trouble

the fact these space babies didn’t get court marshalled a mllion times still shocks me 

ouch

that had to hurt

nice camera work

I AM VERY WELL GENERAL HAMMOND

lol 

i fuking love Teal’c 

what a sweetheart

i love him

could be a little less sarcastic to the Tok’ra Jack

I hate them as much as you do but no need to make things worse for yoruself 

this is why they never help you 

cause you are sassy to them

Final Thoughts: 

I love this episode

I love the silly space babies

I love Sam and Jack’s outfits when they go for steak

I love Sam’s hair

A lot

I love Sam in red

its a good colour for her

I genuienly hate the Tok’ra 

they’re useless

Jacob is ok

Martouf is mostly ok

the rest kinda suck tbh

Janet Deserved Better

all in all its a fun episode and I love it and it gives me the giggles which is what we all need right now

So tell me, beautiful people, what is our favourite moment from Upgrades? Lemme know and thanks for reading! 

[thesunnyshow]

Name: Emmy

Writing Blog URL(s): @pastelsicheng​

What fandom(s) do you write for?: NCT

Age: 19

Nationality: Canadian

Languages: fluent-ish in English, French, Urdu, Hindi, Pujarati, Punjabi, Arabic (listed in order from languages I can speak/read/write in, to languages I can't write/read/speak but can understand)

Star Sign: Aries

MBTI: INFP-T

Favorite color: I like most colours but I always just say purple 

Favorite food: Khow Suey. Idk how to describe it in English but it’s like noodles that you mix with like thick yellow curry and chicken tarkari, and you can put fried onions on top and what I call samosa crumbs (basically the crunchy dough you use for samosas, it’s like the dough fried alone and you just crush it and put it on top), and I add a bit of ketchup too cause its noodles and it's so good

Favorite ice cream flavor: Cookies and cream, or just basic french vanilla

Favorite animal: I love most of them hahah but I will say elephants

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering?: Coffee most likely but I love tea more

Dream job (whether you have a job or not): Open my own cafe

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?: Control time

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you?: No thank you I don't want to live through this again

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken?: 100 chicken-sized horses because I heard chickens eat people so uhhh no thanks 

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been?: The overachieving nerd/student council president. That’s literally what I was

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures?: Yes. Aliens and ghosts and demons, they’re all real. Not fairies and vampires and werewolves tho. 

Do you have a role model? If so, who?: There’s definitely people I look up to and try to learn from for various things, but I don’t think I have like one solid role model

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know?: I used to be a tomboy when I was a kid, and probably still am deep inside

When did you post your first piece? 

January 2020

Why did you start writing on Tumblr? 

I found it easier to gain feedback and find an audience of readers on Tumblr, plus the site was just easier for me to navigate compared to like Wattpad

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why? 

I write anything I feel like writing, and am open to trying new stuff. I just won’t write smut. I don’t feel comfortable writing or reading it

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc?

I write x readers

Who is your favorite person to write about?

I don’t have a favourite person, mainly because I pick people based on who I think would fit a certain concept best. I guess my favourite would be y/n LOL because y/n is in every fic and I put myself into their character.

What inspires you to write?

I just like writing. I get a lot of ideas of stuff I want to write, and as a kid I wanted to be an author, but that obviously isn’t happening anytime soon so I just write fanfics. They’re easier to write because characters are already developed for you, and they don’t have a word limit to how long and short they need to be compared to actual OC fics

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most?

Anything that relates to normal people, I enjoy writing. I like to insert my own experiences and thoughts in my stories so I write scenarios that I can imagine myself in or things I’ve experienced already, stuff like that

What do you hope your readers take away from your work?

I just want them to enjoy what I write. I’d like for my fics to be memorable, but idk if they are lol

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively?

I just don’t write. It’s bad but I don’t want to write something that I don’t like so I don’t force myself to write when I don’t feel like it. If it takes me months to get out of that rough spot, then oh well. I don’t want to force myself to do anything that would make me hate writing, since it's one of the only few hobbies of mine.

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful?

Most successful is murder replay. My favourite is an unreleased fic that I’m still working on. It’s pretty self-indulgent, and I talk about internal conflict with sexuality and not knowing what you really want, alongside being insecure and having mental illnesses. It’s angsty but it’s one of my favourites because of how much of myself I’ve poured into it

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose? 

It’s the same. Aside from the character being a real life person, fanfiction is the exact same as prose because it’s completely original ideas and thoughts, completely original sentences, and in general just the exact same as original prose. There’s like no difference.

What do you think makes a good story?

A writer who enjoys what they’re doing. It doesn’t matter your skill level or your language skills, or whatever. If you are passionate about what you write, then it will be evident in the story, and it will be a great story. There’s other things like the story idea and genre, but that’s all dependent on the reader. What I think makes a good story is different from what someone else thinks makes a good story. But in general, it’s the author that makes it good. You can tell if the writer really liked what they were doing, or if they were just writing for the sake of throwing words on a document and then calling it a day.

What is your writing process like?

Get an idea. Make a doc with that idea. Either immediately try and develop details, or leave the idea as is for months, maybe years. After developing the details, write the beginning of the fic, a few scenes I really liked, and then call it a day and never open the document for a few months again lol. Then I wait until I’m in the mood to write for that specific fic, and then I will write as much as I can. Finishing fics is a struggle, I’ve yet to finish my longer ones lol. I have a terrible writing process. The only way I really finish is if I already told my followers i will post it and theyre all waiting for it. Then I feel bad leaving people hanging and so it motivates me to finish. But yeah once I actually finish it, I throw it into grammarly and some other editors, fix stuff up, and publish.

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story?

Doubt it. Once I’m done with a fic, I’m done. I don’t really want to go back and change anything. Even the longer fics that I love, I get sick of them and so I just dont want to touch them once they're done.

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand?

I’m a huge sucker for childhood best friends to lovers lol. I have gushed about this on my blog a few times. Just the fact that you know someone for that long, and even been through arguments and times of not talking to each other, just to still come back to each other, thats real love even if its platonic. I’m just a sucker for that stuff. I also really enjoy anything that I, as a normal person, can relate to so high school AUs, college AUs, platonic AUs, anything real life based. There’s no tropes that I can’t stand, just tropes I don’t find interest in or don’t read much.

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you? 

Depends on how long i took to write the fic. If it’s a short piece ranging between a few hundred words to maybe a couple thousand words then I don’t really care much because chances are I didn’t take long to write it. My pieces that are longer than 5k, I care about because those are usually the ones more close to my heart, and the ones I spent way more time than necessary working on. Even just one reader telling me they enjoyed my story makes my day 

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)?

I know murder replay which is my current biggest story blew up, and I feel like part of it was because of the frequent updating I did. I kept a schedule and made sure to stick with it, even changing parts of the story to fit feedback from readers. Consistency was definitely key, and also engaging with readers. Replying to all their reblogs even if it was just tags they added, constantly expressing how grateful I am, stuff like that because it makes people feel that they’re validated as well. And I guess the general idea/trope of the fic was interesting to people too

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged?

Yeah lol. It’s definitely something I hide from everyone I know in real life because I dont want to be looked down on. 

Do you think art can be a medium for change?

Yes!! Art defies boundaries set by language, especially visual art. Stories are a good way to express things to people who don’t understand why something is the way it is, it’s literally what has been done by humans since the start of time. We pass down stories explaining things. 

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself?

Yeah, sometimes when I felt really burnt out, I felt I had to post an update or something just so that my followers got what they kinda signed up for when they followed me. It was partially just the pressure I put onto myself I guess because my followers are always supportive and understanding when I say I cant post an update. I’d also say in general there’s a part of me that wants to write for others too. I would be lying if I said I only write for myself because that’s not true. The whole reason I write and post is because I want some reader interaction and feedback, and if I truly did only write for myself I wouldn’t be posting.

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times? 

Not yet! And I hope I don’t have to experience that lol

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr?

Nope. No one does. It’s something I wanna keep to myself. Even some of my other internet friends don’t know.

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers?

I purposely send a bunch of messages because I feel bad leaving people on read so I just keep sending hearts and stuff to express my love but also just so that you can end the convo when you feel like.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there?

Go for it! It might be scary to get criticism, but I promise there are way more nice people on Tumblr than there are mean people. In fact I haven’t even interacted or met with a mean anon or person on here yet. Also the only way to really start is to go for it. I get anxious too every time I post something, even now, and honestly its just a feeling ya know. Its just chemicals in your body. So don’t stress, and if you always need someone to boost your ego and promote your work you have me! 

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr? 

Nope

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey? 

The memorable ones are Mimu, Nini, Gwen, Philo, and Krystal who were supportive of murder replay. Also sunflower anon and peace sign anon, and recently Jo has been really supportive.

Pick a quote to end your interview with

“...the universe is basically like a machine. I don’t know who made it, if it was the Fates, or the gods, or capital-G God, or whatever. But it chugs along the way it’s supposed to most of the time. Sure, little pieces break and stuff goes haywire once in a while, but mostly . . . things happen for a reason.” Leo Valdez in The House of Hades (so technically Riordan lol)

BONUS: K-POP CONFIDENTIAL

Interested in your very own episode of The Sunny Show? Find out how to apply here.

[jmkitsune]

1-59

1. selfie

I’m lazy go to my instagram and like one of the selfies I posted recently lol and if you’re not- follow me there too :D

2. what would you name your future kids?

don’t want kids

3. do you miss anyone?

plenty of them yeah

4. what are you looking forward to?

hmm twitchcon this year :D finally get to go

5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?

all of my friends ^.^ they’re quite good at it in their own unique ways

6. is it hard for you to get over someone?

yes and no

yes emotionally but no mentally, once I close the door- it’s closed, the emotional linger things are what take a while

7. what was your life like last year?

uhhh not good not bad it was life-y

8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?

yuuuuuup

9. who did you last see in person?

my sister- she just went out XD

10. are you good at hiding your feelings?

uhhhhh I SAY yes....my friends say I’m shit at it soo maybe?

11. are you listening to music right now?

sii

Halcyon- On and On

12. what is something you want right now?

star wars episode 8....twitch con....a puppy

13. how do you feel right now?

alright, can’t complain yet

14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?

uhhhh....*thinks*...uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I think...last august....unless Eden hugged me after that, but I dunno did Kyo or Eden hug me before leaving on Election night, I forget

15. personality description

Ambitious...very ambitious, driven but easily distracted, oblivious to a lot of things but perceptive to some stuff. tries to be calm and relaxed more than not but winds up stressed and cluttered minded. I think...dunno ask my friends lol

16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahah

17. opinion on insecurities.

they suck...like they ruin great things bout people cause people have all his greatness in them but the insecurities make it hard for them to even live

18. do you miss how things were a year ago?

nothing much has CHANGED sooo

19. have you ever been to New York?

I have

20. what is your favourite song at the moment?

uhhh just a little faster by there for tomorrow

21. age and birthday?

26, 2/20

22. description of crush.

moving on

23. fear(s)

abandonment/replacement

sensory deprivation

whatever lurks in the DEEP fucking ocean

die hard conservatives

24. height

5′7ish

25. role model

mm I used to always say some streamers and fictional characters but recently I’ve noticed I still look up to them but don’t wanna be them, I just borrow bits of them I like, I am trying to be my own role model now that I’m older

26. idol(s)

see above

27. things i hate

stress, having to work to survive- hey no one likes it I’m admitting that personally hate it, my depression/anxiety, most food lol

28. i’ll love you if…

see if I tell people that they’ll abuse that information, best learn one on one not giving EVERYTHING away that’ll be kryptonite

(but a sneak answer- snickerdoodles- I love those things)

29. favourite film(s)

star wars

30. favourite tv show(s)

futurama

simpsons

arrow

flash

legends of tomorrow

supergirl

star wars rebels

brooklyn 99

31. 3 random facts

I have six tattoos want tons more

still wear my class ring

picky as fuck eater

32. are your friends mainly girls or guys?

I think the MAJORITY is still girl, quite a few are guys now, some are non binary/gender neutral so I’d say it’s balanced out

33. something you want to learn

probably everything to some degree

34. most embarrassing moment

goooood question, probably when I got my first kiss, my mom brought me, her, and our friends home from swimming at the local Y, well I walked her to the door, she actually PICKED ME UP kissed me like not cute kiss but like yeah and put me back down before going inside, my mom/friends gave me shit the whole ride home....I was redder than my hair I think

35. favourite subject

history/literature probably

36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill?

see all 3 books of mine published

become a partnered streamer with a community I am proud of

own a puppy and cat in my own place on the west coast

37. favourite actor/actress

uhhh carrie fisher right now

38. favourite comedian(s)

colbert

39. favourite sport(s)

soccah

40. favourite memory

hmmm I still remember watching star wars (the original one) for the first time in my living room when I was like 6, I was like SOOOOOO into the movie and during the trench run I was like running back and forth on the couch asking my mom and step dad if Luke was gonna make it, was the Empire gonna win, I was HELLA invested....and that started my obsession

41. relationship status

single pringle

42. favourite book(s)

grisha trilogy, percy jackson books, harry potter, any of the Star Wars EU (legends and canon)

43. favourite song ever

I’m still here- from treasure planet

44. age you get mistaken for

apparently early/mid twenties? when I shave though like CLEAN shaven probably 16-18

45. how you found out about your idol

yeah see question bout idols lol

last idols I had were twitch streamers who my brother showed me when they were on YT

46. what my last text message says

don’t text soo sorry

47. turn ons

ya know if you REALLY wanna know this one ask off anon just cause then you can get a direct answer lol

48. turn offs

racism, sexism, prejudice (of any kind), intolerance, umm gore (like HELLA gore  to the obscene amount), anything like abuse/r*p* and the like

49. where i want to be right now

somewhere NOT HOTH (it’s cold and snowy here...I hate it)

50. favourite picture of your idol

yeah skip

51. starsign

I’m Pisces in human form

52. something i’m talented at

apparently writing scenes that can break hearts :D

53. 5 things that make me happy

friends, video games, puppies/kittens, music, and sleep

54. something thats worrying me at the moment

dentist tomorrow

HATE dentist appointments, partially cause fuck dentists and second cause I have to be awake for like...8 am

55. tumblr friends

@thescarletbxtch @iamthelizardqueenx @lunar-lolo @kyostiel @queen-of-acheron @catherineparrs umm I have a lot actually like I talk to a lot of people on here but if we can on other things (discord/fb/twitter/whatever) we talk on those. I don’t MIND talking on here but if they have options I have we drop this for something else lol

56. favourite food(s)

pancakes, snickerdooodles, grilled cheese, french fries, cucumbers, cheese poofs

57. favourite animal(s)

Foxes, huskies, and munchkin cats

58. description of my best friend

1- constantly stressed out, can’t sit still, enjoys bugging me, short as hell, big eyes, can be cute when she wants to be, loves animals and has to be told “no” a lot when wanting to take in strays

2- clever, like way more clever than she realizes. Pensive a lot but can be loud, in charge and opinionated when you get her going. I buck heads with her sometimes but it’s mostly cause how alike we are. A ravenclaw true and true. 

3- smart, kind, funny, dependable, loving, such a deep understanding of people emotionally even when they’re at their brink and want to crawl under a sink to hide forever. They are wonderful towards people and animals alike even if the people don’t deserve it

4- dead pan smart ass, feisty and giggles/cackles easily, extremely lewd but not offensively, loving and cares more for those around her than herself sometimes but allows us to care for her. also do not turn your back on her in a game, you’ll get shot lol she has no shame

5- very bookish, incredible easily fixated on a project they started, tends to be very considerate and needs to think of her OWN well being more than others- speaking of- make sure you eat somethin today dammit.

and they has a thing for trash guys, memes, and loooooooves women, but mostly the ones that can bench press her oh and brooooooody as fuck guys yeah those too lol

59. why i joined tumblr

honestly- I wanted to build a community/audience. I was at the time JUST finishing my first book before getting ready to start publishing it so I figured tumblr was “the new popular place” for that stuff

[dreamsaretangiblegoals]

Questions to my former Self w/ Catarina Rocha @catrocha11 #PeabodyFinest # ProvidenceFriar

As a coach we are educators and I find myself seeking and looking for stories of inspiration to share with the youth. What’s not better but sharing a story of Catarina Rocha from Peabody. The Rocha family has been a household name in the sport of running for over three decades especially in the New England Area. How many State Championships has this family produce ? For now we are entering All State Weekend Here in Mass, why not a Q/A with a winner Cat Rocha, i believe many can learn from her and her journey.

DATG: When you were younger you played soccer & basketball ? What positions in each respective sports you played and how did that assist you in your running career ?

Cat Rocha: Yes, I played a lot of different sports when I was younger. I was a really energetic kid so any sport that allowed me to move really interested me. My main sports that a played for many years were soccer and basketball. I started playing soccer when I was five years old until I was a sophomore in high school. My main position was midfield and on rare occasions I played goalie. I also began playing basketball at a young age (elementary school) until I was in eighth grade. Because I was so short, I played point guard. Being a midfielder and point guard both involve a great deal of running which assisted me in finding what I really love to do…RUN! I never would have found my passion unless I played those sports. Playing those sports not only helped me discover my passion but also be competitive and be a member of a team. Even though running is more of an individual sport there is nothing like going out and crushing a workout with your teammates, who also are some of your best friends. There is no better feeling than working together in order to achieve a collective goal. Playing team sports instilled this feeling in me and I am grateful. Some of my best memories in my life thus far have been with my high school and college teammates.

Side Note: I also played flag-football and honestly was one of my favorite childhood sports. I made an all-women’s team in middle school and we made it to the national tournament in Florida.

DATG: I notice you like music, is there a particular genre's is your favorite ?

Cat Rocha: I enjoy all music genres. Depends on the day what I feel like listening too. I listen to anything from country to pop to Indie!

DATG: Is there a pre-race routine that you do to get in your zone ? 

Cat Rocha: The morning of the race I try to stay relaxed and stay positive. I usually get nervous but that is natural for everyone. Once I get to the course, I throw in my music in and try to visualize the race. I try to visualize how I am going to run my own race and think about all the work I have put in to get here.

DATG: Why Providence for undergrad ? 

Cat Rocha: I chose Providence for undergrad because of the great academics and athletics. Providence’s rigorous liberal arts academics is what I was looking for in a small city school. They also have one of the best Elementary/Special Education Degrees around which is what I wanted to pursue. When you walk onto campus you can just feel that there is so much support from all Academic Departments, faculty, staff. The athletics was also a major factor in my decision to become a Providence Friar. Providence has a great athletic reputation, not just in cross-country/track but all sports. Being part of one of the strongest conferences (BIG EAST) in the country and having many sports nationally ranked drew me in. I wanted to be part of an institution that valued, supported, and took pride in their student-athletes not only in sport but in life. What sold me was the coaching staff and teammates on both the men’s and women’s cross-country/track team. They were all very welcoming and all were trying to achieve the same goal, which is what I really wanted. I chose to be a Friar because of the longstanding reputation of the program and my desire to continue running to the best of my ability. I trusted Ray and knew he was the best coach for me and would help me work towards my goals athletically and academically. Immediately after my official visit, I knew Providence was special and I wanted to be part of the Friar Family.

DATG: What was it like growing in Peabody with your Uncle & Father, at the helm of the Cross Country & Track & Field teams ? 

Cat Rocha: Growing up I knew my Father was the track coach and had great success as an individual athlete as well as a coach. Even though I knew this growing up I did not really realize the impact my father had on the programs and more importantly his athletes. My father had a major impact on the Peabody High XC and Track programs. He has coached multiple individual State Champions, HS All-Americans and won State Team Titles. He has helped student-athletes achieve their athletic goals, continue running in college at all Divisions, and even becoming Professional runners. More importantly my father had a major impact on the athletes themselves. He knew running came second to the well-being of his athletes. He cared for each of his athletes like they were one of his own. I did not get treated any differently in high school than any one of my teammates. My dad made everyone feel as though they belonged and that they brought something special to the team. Growing up and hearing that my dad has touched the lives of so many athletes was not a bad way to grow up. Knowing that the Peabody community respected him for not only his coaching abilities, but also character was something to admire.

DATG: Favorite pre & post race meal ? 

Cat Rocha: My favorite pre-race meal would have to be chicken-parm and pasta.  My favorite post-race meal is big cheeseburger and french fries !

DATG: Your the oldest of Jose & Gina's children. As the oldest siblings your younger brothers have carried the Rocha torch, describe the feeling when Marcelo won MA state title in XC ? Now Claudio attending Assumption. When you see them run do you see some similar attributes and traits that you see in yourself ?

Cat Rocha: When Marcelo won the MA State Title and Claudio committed to Assumption, I was extremely happy for both of them. When Marcelo won the State Title, I think I was more excited during that moment than when I won my own state title. I just knew how hard he worked and the lengths he went to win that title. When I found out Claudio committed to Assumption, I was so proud of him. He has been the underdog that no know thought twice of when we were young, and now he is one of the best runners in MA. Claudio is one of the toughest runners I know, and I wish I was half as gritty as he was in high school. I give both of them a great deal of credit and respect as well. I respect them a great deal because of how they overcame all the obstacles thrown in their way throughout their high school career. Whether those obstacles be an injury or teammates doubting their abilities, they overcame all those adversities. I honestly think in high school I could have not done what they did. After I graduated from high school, unfortunately they were known at first as Catarina Rocha’s brothers. But as they progressed throughout their career, they made their own names for themselves both athletically and academically. They created their own path that I believe tops anything I have done so far. I bet in a couple years people will be asking me, “Oh are you Marcelo and Claudio’s sister?”, and that would make me so happy!

DATG:  Reflecting on your career what was your "worst race", and how did you bounce back from it ? 

Cat Rocha: Throughout my career I have had many bad races, both in high school and college. I would say the “worst race” in my career so far would have to be the 5,000 meters outdoors in Florida at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships last spring. Going into this meet I had a great chance of placing top-12 and making it to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the first time in my career. Unfortunately, I did not make it. It was not because I wasn’t capable or fit enough but because I doubted my abilities. It was one of the first times I went into a race having no confidence in myself. I convinced myself that I did not belong there, and I didn’t have a chance of making it to the NCAA Championships even though I could have. I was overthinking every move the lead pack made, I ran their race instead of mine, and just quit on the race with one mile to go because I convinced myself I wasn’t going to qualify.  I also feel that it was my “worst race” because it was the last race of my college career. It was difficult emotionally to take in because I knew I would never have another opportunity at the college level again.

I am going to be honest I was upset for a week or so. I was sad, mad, and disappointed not only in how the race went but in myself. During those couple weeks, I didn’t run one step and kept saying to myself I don’t think I want to run anymore. I kept feeling bad for myself and playing back that race in my head thinking I could somehow change it. After a weeks of not running, reflecting ,and much support from my family, friends, and coaches I realized some things…

1.      It is inevitable for every race you run to be great!  No matter how good you are or who you are, everyone has bad races. That is a major part of the sport and that’s why we run the races! We as runners put in so much work and get so little out but that is part of the sport!

2.      This ONE race does NOT define my running career. I ran some of my best races last year. I had won three-straight BIG EAST titles and was part of a team that supported me throughout the good and bad days.  What defines my career is how I bounce back from that and how I learn from that experience.

3.      I found out that I really do LOVE running. Those weeks after the race I was upset and told myself I don’t want to run anymore but I was kidding myself. I realized it was okay to be upset because it just showed how much I cared about the sport.

DATG: With a stellar career what would you have done differently if anything ? 

Cat Rocha: There are not many things I would have done differently in high school and college because I had such great experiences in both. The only thing I can think of is appreciating the little things in both my high school and college careers. As athletes, we need to appreciate our coaches, teammates and families because they are there for us through thick and thin. Appreciate the time you have with your teammates and the goals you want to achieve together. I would appreciate the hard workouts, the long runs, and each race you run. I say this because once you get older somedays you won’t always have that.

DATG: If we could go back in time, what would you tell yourself Freshmen year before you transitioned from Soccer to running ?

Cat Rocha: I would tell my freshman year self to enjoy my first year of high school and live in the moment. I would tell myself to not put any pressure on myself in regard to athletics. I would say to have fun being on the varsity soccer team and being the underdog. C

 DATG: Did High School prepare you for College and did College prepare you for the Pros?

Cat Rocha: In regard to running, I feel as though high school prepared me for college to an extent. My dad who was also my coach definitely prepared me for the type of training that I had throughout college. My mileage was very low in high school (40-45 miles per week) compared to college (60-65 miles per week) but the type of schedule and workouts were similar. During high school, I did a lot of strength workouts, such as four mile tempos and interval reps, and at PC I did the same except they were faster and longer. High school definitely prepared me for the type of training that was ahead of me, but it did not prepare me for collegiate racing. Racing in high school is very different than college. In college, everyone is the best of the best and very experienced, especially at the NCAA Championship Meets. I feel as I gained more experience in the collegiate scene throughout my five years, I became more comfortable and confident in both my training and races.  I learned a great deal about training, racing, recovery, and patience in college, which then prepared me for pro-racing. I would say one of the most important things I learned in college was patience. In college I found that patience is the essence of progress. Being patient and trusting in yourself, your abilities and your training will allow you to move forward and achieve your goals. One of the biggest obstacles I faced during my senior year of college was injury. I was injured for a full year and it was really difficult for me because I had never been injured for that long. Throughout that year, I learned that I need to be patient and let my body heal as it wants. It is not up to me and I can’t speed up the healing process. Being patient during my senior year definitely benefitted me in the long-run mentally and physically. It made me appreciate running more and being healthy. Learning how to be patient and progressing will hopefully lend itself in trying to run professionally. Being patient and accepting results is all part of this new running journey that I am just starting. My favorite quote about patience… “Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in your mind”

DATG:  What is next for Catarina Rocha ?

Cat Rocha:To be frank I am not sure what is next, which is sort of exciting but also a little scary. Currently, I am a Graduate Assistant in Sports Information at PC and am finishing up my Masters in Counseling. On top of graduate school and my GA I run for the Ocean State Athletic Club. Ocean State Athletic Club is a group based out of Rhode Island that is sponsored by New Balance. We are coached by the legend/guru himself Ray Treacy, who was also my college coach. I am the only woman on the team thus far and just finished up my cross-country season last week. My last race was the USA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida. I placed 24th and was one spot away from a NACAC USA Team. I am very happy with how my first post-collegiate cross-season went and ready to run some races on the outdoor track this coming Spring. I hope to run some PR’s on track and get in some decent road races during the summer under Ocean State. But as of right now I am just enjoying the ride and motivated to get better each and every day!