NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
The first interview for the Movers and Shakers series is finally here! Halfway through 2022 don’t even ask me how that’s possible but here we are and the grind doesn’t stop. Overcoming challenges and finding your lane is what life is all about. Our first athlete has done just that and has also proved that a sport that most people see as an individual is all about the team. You may have seen her on Instagram showing off her skills not only on the track but with makeup. We head down to College Station, Texas, and get to know Kennedy Smith.
Joe Cardoso: Take us back to the start, how did you discover track and field?
Kennedy Smith: I started running hurdles when I was 6. One day, my dad brought home a hurdle and put it in our backyard. Even on the lowest setting, it was taller than me, but I still tried to jump it! My dad had hurdles in college, and his father had hurdled too. It ran in my blood.
JC: Did you play any other sports growing up?
KS: I was a cheerleader from the age of 4, all the way until I was a sophomore in high school. I loved to cheer and performing, but I quit because track became my main focus.
JC: A lot of us see track as an individual sport, how do you still make it about the “team?”
KS: I have always seen Track as a team sport. The only time you ever really do it alone is if you compete in summer track individually. I tried that one summer and hated it. I think sports are at their best when you are working with other people towards the same goal. Although I am running my own race, it is the people around me who helped me get to where I am and vice versa.
JC: I have always wanted to ask a track athlete, how did you choose your event?
KS: As I said, hurdling ran in my family. I did try some other events like pole vault, but it became very obvious what was natural to me. If somebody can run full speed at an unmoving object and find it fun, it’s pretty obvious they were meant to be a hurdler.
JC: Some people think they know but really have no idea, what is it like to be a student-athlete? The balance of school, sports, and everything else that comes with it. Whew!
KS: I have always thought that the title should be athlete-student. Let’s be honest, people care more about athletics than the education side of the equation. I of course value my education a lot, but getting good grades was ultimately so that I could compete in my sport. Both of these things are full-time jobs, so having a social life outside of your team is really hard to obtain. I’m lucky I had such great people on my team to be friends with because I never really had time to make friends outside of my sport.
There is a weird level of guilt that comes along with putting value in things other than your sport. I have had multiple jobs in college that were for the benefit of my future career, but there was always pressure to make sure my main focus was athletics. If anything is taking your attention away from the sport, you feel guilt pursuing it. 
JC: Texas A&M is a MAJOR sports university how has the experience been for you?
KS: I chose A&M because the athletic department is so grand. On my recruiting visit, I took one step into the football stadium full of 106,000 fans and was starstruck. As I said, I used to be a cheerleader and I loved performing. Knowing that I could be an athlete on a stage as big as Texas A&M‘s thrilled me.
JC: A lot of people know you as the “track makeup girl” how did that come about? And for our female readers share some of your makeup go-to’s?
KS: I started cheering when I was four years old. My mom was never big into the makeup stuff, so I started doing my own cheer competition makeup at six years old. Track is a very individual and relaxed sport. I wanted to bring my personality into it and keep up my love of putting on a show. It started off with me playing around with different lipstick colors in high school, and each year I looked to outdo myself. I started putting glitter in my eyebrows, putting in colored contacts, adding diamonds into my hair, and doing elaborate designs on my eyes. It became a way to distract me from my own nerves and make sure that I was always enjoying the sport. I’m not afraid to say that I like standing out, so once I heard someone call me the crazy makeup girl, I took that brand and ran with it.
JC: Injuries unfortunately are a part of sports. You suffered a torn ACL what did that setback teach you about yourself?
KS: Success is never guaranteed in life. You have to make the most out of what you have. I was having a great collegiate career until my injury. After I tore my ACL, I considered retiring because I already had graduated. I decided to come back for a fifth year to get my master’s and run one more season. I knew I didn’t have enough time to fully rehab and get back to the level of hurdling I was at before my injury, but I wanted one last season to enjoy the sport I’ve loved my whole life. You have to appreciate what you have while you have it.
Bonus Questions:
JC: You are an up-and-coming content creator. What do you hope to bring to that space?
KS: And social media has become a fun thing that has shot off for me this year with all of my make-up and running videos. I don’t consider myself a content creator, because that is not my goal for my career. I do think it is a lot of fun though, and I hope that when people look at my pages they see someone who wants to bring positivity to wherever they go.
JC: When NOT on the track we can find you where?
KS: Hopefully a beach soon. Track is such a long season, and training practically lasts all year round, I haven’t had time in ages to just sit on a beach with no responsibilities. That’s where you will find me all summer now that I’m retired;)
JC: Who is Kennedy Smith?
KS: A crazy, confident, God-loving, fun-loving girl that wants to leave a positive impact on everyone she comes in contact with.
The next chapter for Kennedy will be a fun one. Keep up with her on socials and as always I want to thank her for making the time. Summer is in full swing and be on the lookout for the next interview coming soon. Find Kennedy on Instagram and on TikTok.
