ISU Bengal

Issue date: 3/30/05 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Lavanya Vasudevan Paul Hoffman runs with teammate Saheed Khan earlier this season in Holt Arena. Hoffman received the only bid to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Arkansas.

This week's Student Athlete Spotlight is Paul Hoffman. Paul is a senior from Urunga, New South Wales in Australia. He is a distance runner on the ISU track team. He is working on a major in physical education with a minor in sports management. Paul carries an impressive 3.7 GPA.

"I believe in hard work," Hoffman says. "I always put 100 percent into it when it needs it."

It takes hard work to stay on top of the busy schedule that Hoffman has. Paul says that the key to his success is no secret.

"I'm a bit of a procrastinator," Hoffman says. "But I get stuff done when it needs doing. I think playing sports has helped me with time management."

Managing his time is essential for Paul to keep pace on an average day. Paul's typical day starts with a three to five mile run. Then, after a little stretching, Hoffman rushes off to class. After class he heads to practice for about three hours everyday, followed by a relaxed evening of homework for the next day.

When you combine a schedule like that with a part time job at Mocha Madness, it doesn't leave much free time. When Hoffman has free time, he likes to spend it outdoors.

In his home in Australia, he likes to fish and surf. Here in Idaho, he spends his free time relaxing inside with a movie or a nap, or on outdoor sports like disc golf. Paul is also learning to play the guitar.

Despite being so far away from home, Hoffman credits his family for helping him to succeed.

"They've been very supportive," he said. "I can't even begin to thank them enough."

Hoffman has always been an athlete. Growing up in Australia he was an active participant in sports. Paul tried soccer, rugby, swimming, cricket, and baseball.

"Every season I did something," Hoffman said. "I've tried just about every sport."

Paul is a disciplined guy that works hard, but that doesn't mean he is in a hurry to settle down. His vision of the future is to be a "free bird for a while and go where the wind blows me." His ultimate dream would be to travel the world while running.

For Paul, running just came naturally. He started participating in fun runs back home when he was about five years old. At the age of 15 Paul began to get more serious about running.

"I was always active in other sports," he said. "I've always been good at running. It came naturally. It chose me, if anything."

Joe Williams is a junior majoring in journalism. He can be reached for comment at bgsports@isu.edu.

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