Athlete Spotlight: Max Chern

Take a glimpse at Max Chern’s transcript and you’ll find a long list of rigorous courses beside a long list of As. This Baron has never settled for anything less than an A; moreover, he manages to maintain a soaring GPA whilst being equally remarkable in the other notable activities he participates in. As one of the top runners of our cross country and track, his personal records are athletic feats that the rest of us can only dream of achieving. His junior year is coming to a close, so I decided to interview him about his plans for a future in athletics, college and beyond.

Baron Banner: What schools are you looking into?

Max Chern: The two main schools that I’m thinking of right now are UCLA and Stanford. Stanford would be an awesome school to go to, but it is incredibly difficult to get into. Also, their athletic programs are amazing, which means I would have difficulty getting onto their cross country and track teams. UCLA is another great choice and I would have more of a chance to get into the running program. However, I’m not limiting my options. If another school gets my attention, I will give it some thought as well!

BB: What factors do you take into consideration when looking at your prospective schools?

MC: To be honest I have not yet looked at many schools, but when I am considering them, I mainly look at the reputations of their academics as well as their athletic programs. An ideal school would be very successful in both areas, and location and tuition are also very important as well.

BB: What are your records and what is your proudest achievement thus far?

MC: My PRs (personal records) are: 15:21 in the 3 mile run, 10:10 in the 3200 meter run (approximately 2 miles), 4:29 in the 1600 meter run (approximately 1 mile), and 2:03 in the 800 meter run. My proudest individual achievement so far is making the First Team All Sunset League, which is a team consisting of the seven fastest runners in all of the schools in the league. My proudest team achievement is making it to CIF Finals in cross country this last season, placing our team in the top 16 teams in the CIF Southern Section, which is the largest and most competitive section in the state. Our Boys Cross Country Team also swept the team titles this year, as we were Sunset League Champions on all three levels (Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Frosh/Soph). This was also a big accomplishment, as we had not been league champions since 2003, and the fact that we swept shows that the whole team was excelling together.

BB: Where do you think your sport will take you and what do you plan to do with it?

MC: I am hoping that my sport will continue to allow me to have a lot of fun and make my college years great ones. I plan to compete competitively until I graduate from college, but we’ll see. You never know what will happen in the next few years!

BB: Do you have any goals in mind for your future in cross country/track?

MC: I definitely have a few goals in mind. One of them is to make it to the CIF State Cross Country Championships. Our team made it to CIF finals this year, and I am really hoping that our team will be strong enough next year to go even further. I am also going to train very hard and try to take down the school records for the 3 mile and the 1600 meter run. It will be very difficult, but I think I will have a legitimate chance if I put in my all. I am hoping to finish off my high school career with a great senior year. Beyond that, we’ll see! I am definitely aiming to run well in college, and hopefully be an important part of the team at whichever school I end up going to.

BB: What will you miss the most of your high school cross country/track career?

MC: I will definitely miss all of my teammates and coaches the most. Running with the team these past few years has been an amazing experience and I am really going to try to make the most I can out of the last year that I have left. It is the countless friends and memories made that matter the most in the end.