Shipman poised for a final great run at Hawaii state meet

By Ian Tsang for DyeStat

Ava Shipman of Seabury Hall is well-known at track meets meets throughout Hawaii. The senior has a long history of winning races on the islands and her final state meet is this weekend on the Big Island.

Shipman's days reflect a typical lifestyle in Hawaii. She lives on Maui, a paradise of lush forests ringed by crystalline beaches. She was born into this unique environment and has made the most of it. 

Her running has been honed on the trails in the Makawao Forest Reserve and also the steep slopes of the Haleakala crater. More importantly, it was a combination of a childhood wrapped up in athletics and hard work.

In fourth grade, her family decided to take a break from school and travel the world. She left the bubble of isolation surrounding the Hawaiian islands and soaked up the culture of far away places. One place she visited was Nepal, which transformed her views of life and made her thankful for the opportunities she was given.

It was an experience that motivated her to take full advantage of her gifts and to work hard in everything she did.

In 2015, Shipman stepped to the starting line of the state championships 1,500 like any other race. When the gun went off, she ran the majority of the race conservatively and tucked into the chase pack about five meters behind the lead. With approximately 300 to go, she kicked and took to the front and powered through the home stretch, beating the next competitor by nearly 20 meters. To this day, it is the highlight of her running career.

Fast forward a year and she was unsuccessful at defending her title when she was out-leaned at the line by Phoebe Kirk of Sacred Hearts Academy by a 4:56.61 to 4:56.80 margin. Shipman then finished third and fourth in the 800 and 3,000, respectively, with times of 2:24 and 11:02.

This year, her performances are on an upswing. Competing primarly in distance events, (800, 1,500, 3,000, plus the 4x400) she has piled up 27 first-place finishes.

“I think I’ve gotten a lot better this year since I trained over the offseason," Shipman said.  "I think I’ll be up there at states and it will be a really good way to see how I can do with a lot more competition.”

In the 1,500, she trains with teammate Veronica Winham, who won the state cross country title in the fall (Shipman was second). Their friendly competitive rivalry transferred to the track where Winham frequently takes out the races from the gun but is overtaken on the last lap by Shipman’s superior kick.

“It’s been really good having Ronnie to push me this season. In practice we push each other through hard 1k repeats and on long runs," Shipman said. "I think weightlifting has also helped me improve a lot this season.”

Shipman has run state-leading times of 4:47.08 for 1,500 meters and 10:51.48 in the 3,000. 

Heading into this season Shipman had one goal in mind: to win another state title. Fueled by the memory of her narrow loss in 2016, she trained with more determination.  

In her free time, Shipman has focused her attention on helping in the community. She tutors elementary school students in math, and does the same for middle schoolers in Spanish.

In addition, she was the organizer and director for “TEDxYouth@SeaburyHall” a fully student-run event which finds the best speakers on the island and allows them to speak to the public about their stories (the event is the only one of its kind on Maui.)

For fun, Shipman frequents the beach with her friends and surfs.

In the classroom, Shipman holds a high 3.8 GPA at Seabury Hall, a college preparatory school. Keeping her academics in mind, Shipman has committed to Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she will further her education and compete for the school in cross country and track at the NCAA Division III level.

She was drawn to the all-girls school because of the east coast vibe and friendly edifying environment combined with the rigorous academic program. 

“I decided to go to Wellesley because I liked the atmosphere of a women’s college. It feels empowering just to be around the students and professors. Also, the coach is super nice, so it seems like a good fit," she said.

Shipman plans to major in neuroscience, with the intent on researching the brain’s functions and reflexes, which fascinate her.

“One thing that is interesting about me, that I want people to know, is that I am a superstitious person. I knock on wood for jinxes, use pendulums to help me make decisions, and even read tarot cards sometimes to get a sense of a situation or conflict,” Shipman said. 

This weekend, she will find out what's in the cards at her final state meet.