Track | Sang-Bender back from injury, aiming for NCAAs once again
By Heather Crowley
Posted: 4/24/08, 11:53 PM EST Section: Sports
Sang-Bender is currently not an American citizen, and if she raced professionally would therefore be running for the Congo. As of right now, she is unsure whether or not she will attempt to compete at the professional level after her stint at Syracuse concludes.
Sang-Bender has yet to return to the Congo, but she plans on making a trip back to her home in the near future, perhaps after graduation next spring. The childhood she experienced in the Congo was completely different from her life in the United States. Learning new fashion or speech wasn't hard, but exams were.
"It's very different," Sang-Bender said. "The education system (in the Congo) is completely different from what you guys have here. Here you have multiple choice in the classes, and I never learned that. That was one of the hardest things I had to adjust to in the American system. It was really hard for me, but it's completely different country and a different culture.
Sang-Bender starting running track her junior year of high school and felt she had a slight disadvantage to those who had been running since the eighth grade. When it came time for Sang-Bender to decide which college to attend it was a no-brainer. After leaving her former home she was not about to pick up and leave all over again. The proximity to her home and family - Sang-Bender attended Onondaga High School - made Syracuse the logical choice.
Her recent return to running ignited the dormant competitive nature of Sang-Bender. Her time last week was impressive to the staff, but Sang-Bender felt differently, feeling she could have turned in an even quicker time in her first race back.
The fact she was restricted from running for months has made her eager to make the most of the limited qualifying opportunities she has left. The months on the elliptical, in the pool and on the bike have all led up to these final moments on the track.
"Always, just go after the people who you know are better than you," Sang-Bender said. "Those who are better in terms of how long they have been running, in terms of their times and if their time is faster than my time. ... Maybe one day I will reach that level where all the people will look up to me and say, 'Oh she's a great runner and way ahead of me.'"
hscrowle@syr.edu
Sang-Bender has yet to return to the Congo, but she plans on making a trip back to her home in the near future, perhaps after graduation next spring. The childhood she experienced in the Congo was completely different from her life in the United States. Learning new fashion or speech wasn't hard, but exams were.
"It's very different," Sang-Bender said. "The education system (in the Congo) is completely different from what you guys have here. Here you have multiple choice in the classes, and I never learned that. That was one of the hardest things I had to adjust to in the American system. It was really hard for me, but it's completely different country and a different culture.
Sang-Bender starting running track her junior year of high school and felt she had a slight disadvantage to those who had been running since the eighth grade. When it came time for Sang-Bender to decide which college to attend it was a no-brainer. After leaving her former home she was not about to pick up and leave all over again. The proximity to her home and family - Sang-Bender attended Onondaga High School - made Syracuse the logical choice.
Her recent return to running ignited the dormant competitive nature of Sang-Bender. Her time last week was impressive to the staff, but Sang-Bender felt differently, feeling she could have turned in an even quicker time in her first race back.
The fact she was restricted from running for months has made her eager to make the most of the limited qualifying opportunities she has left. The months on the elliptical, in the pool and on the bike have all led up to these final moments on the track.
"Always, just go after the people who you know are better than you," Sang-Bender said. "Those who are better in terms of how long they have been running, in terms of their times and if their time is faster than my time. ... Maybe one day I will reach that level where all the people will look up to me and say, 'Oh she's a great runner and way ahead of me.'"
hscrowle@syr.edu
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