Hi, my name is Carol Rodriguez.
I am a sprinter.
I do the 200 and 400, and we're here in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
It's kinda like my alter-ego.
Like, C. Rod is--she's just--she's just crazy.
I mean, she's not afraid of anything.
She's a beast.
Like, she just goes in at all times.
Like, C. Rod on the track--and people always say on the track I look a lot different than
how I am now.
Like, right now, I'm kinda like just, you know, relaxed.
On the track, I'm like focused.
That's C. Rod.
That's like, I'm ready to go.
Like, at all times.
Like, I feel like, you know, if you're gonna beat me, you're gonna have to run your best
to beat me, because I'm gonna be there.
Like, it's regardless, I'm gonna be there.
So yeah, C. Rod.
I was in high school, my senior year--and my last name Rodriguez, I was running really
fast.
I started running really well.
And the Puerto Rican Federation contacted my high school coach and was like: Is she…
Where is she from?
Her last name is Rodriguez.
She looks like she could be…
They wanted to know.
They wanted details.
And I had, you know, sat down with my high school coach, talked to my parents--talked
to my mom, talked to my dad--and had a lot of thinking to do.
And I was just like: You know what, I think I am gonna switch.
That's pretty cool.
I didn't know it was an option.
So, I ended up switching my senior year of high school.
So, by the time my freshman year in college came around, I was running for Puerto Rico,
so…
The Ponce Grand Prix.
Yeah, it's the Ponce Grand Prix down here in Puerto Rico.
This is gonna be my first 200 meters of the season, and I'm a little bit nervous, because
I've been running the 400, and the 400 is obviously a different race than the 200.
And I have to remember: me and my coach had a discussion earlier today, and she's like:
Remember, Carol, you have to get out.
It's a 200, not a 400.
So, you have to attack that first 40, like, it's almost like if it was a 100.
You have to be aggressive, you gotta attack, you gotta keep your technique, you gotta stay
forward--a whole bunch of different things.
So, I'm a little bit nervous, but I'm really excited.
Because, like I said, I've been doing these 400s, and I'm running something short.
So it's like, okay, I get to go fast.
I get to turn my engine on.
It's different--it's a different race.
But I'm really excited.
We're here at the University of Southern California, at the track.
This is where I train.
I went to school here for four years.
This is where I kinda got my start at running really fast and running world-leading times.
I'm here today to do kinda a light practice.
I'm competing on Saturday.
So today, I'll just be doing 400 meter block starts as well as race visualizations.
Like, I'm probably gonna do maybe about two 30 meter ballistic blowout sprints in my spikes,
to get my body turned on, to get into my blocks and do race-pace 400 meter block starts.
So, that's what I'll be doing today on the track.
Yeah, I have the record here in the 400--51.39.
But that's what I'm mainly focused on this year--the 2 and the 4, mostly the 400, so…
Have you run in competition this season already?
Yeah, I ran 52.40, which is a good time.
This Saturday, I'm hoping to run, I don't know, fast--I don't wanna put a time on it.
I just wanna run fast.
Really, really fast, Mark.
I'm capable of running really fast, because the way I've been training in practice, it's
been going really well, so…
Technically-wise, I ran the first 300 good.
I just need to work on my last 100.
And I was on pace to run, like, 49 pace, which is like--it would be world-leading right now.
So, the first 300 was definitely on pace for 49, just the last 100 I need to work on.
Today was a lot better.
Different event, but a lot better.
This is actually a harder race, but a lot better.
Hi, my name is Randall Polk.
I'm Carol's high school coach, back when she was at Western High School in Anaheim--back
in 2003.
2002, 2003.
She's been family ever since.
I just feel that if you can help someone with their goals--and she had the talent and the
desire.
It's just keeping her focused.
And she's taken that, like, my mentorship and coach Fernandez's mentorship, and, you
know, she's on her own now.
I mean, she-- at 17, she was already running for Puerto Rico and traveling around the world.
It's been really, really cool.
Having a great time.
Checking out all the new games.
Looking forward to seeing all these things come out in the fall.
It's really futuristic.
And they did a really good job, like, with the visuals.
Like, it's really, really cool.
Oh, and I'm really excited about some of the games, such as Dance Central 3, because I
love Dance Central 2 and 1.
And also, NBA 2K13, looks pretty dope too.
I took some screenshots of the whole, like, mural they had going on over there.
I'm excited.
I'm really excited.
I'm gonna go over to Monster--they're one of my main sponsors.
I'm gonna go over there and checkout some their cool headphones they have.
They have some really neat headphones, and I'm desperate to see.
Hi, my name is Elbert Lee.
I'm product area manager for all Monster headphones, and we're here at E3.
Carol's a phenomenal athlete.
I was talking to her earlier--she races to win.
And it's no doubt, she's gonna come in first.
And that's awesome, because part of our DNA, the Monster attitude, is just that--play to
win.
The program called the iSports for Athlete, Get Fit Program, and Carol is really gonna
be joining that.
And we're excited that she'll really be the face of what that is–especially, with this
upcoming summer 2012 Olympics.
I definitely feel like taking on the job to be a role model--something that I'm made to
do.
For one, I feel like most kids don't have anybody to come back and speak to them really
about being a role model--things to do, what not to do.
Distractions, to not let it get them.
And, I definitely take full advantage of that.
Anytime I get a chance to talk to anybody who's growing up, especially in an inner city
area, it's important--I feel like it's really important for me to go back and give them
some type of, you know, outlet or maybe some type of, you know, just anything.
Anything that I can provide, I'll try to do.
And, as well as other up coming sprinters.
I get a lot of Facebook messages from up and coming track athletes who want to, like, USC
or different--other PAC 12 schools.
And now I've talked them and given my experience, my personal experience, of what I went through,
and just any advice, you know, to try and help them along their way.