Catalina Holliday, known as Cali by her inner circle, is a junior here at Nottingham High School. She is involved with many activities, including FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) Bible Club, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), and the football team. However, what she is most known for is her impressive shot put career. This year on Sunday, March 3rd, Holliday placed 2nd in the 2024 Meet of Champions. This was no easy feat even for her; Holliday said she had been working all spring, all summer, and all winter, and this determination paid off big time. “Last year I was hitting around 30, 31 [feet] and I didn’t make it to Meet of Champions,” says Holliday when she reflects on her progress. “But this year, I made it to Meet of Champions. I placed 2nd, and I also hit a personal record of 41 feet 10 inches, meaning my PR went up by 10 feet since last year.”
This impressive achievement was not something Holliday achieved on her own. Her Christian faith has played, and continues to play, a huge role in her success. “To stay motivated and focused, I put my faith in God. I let Him lead. I kind of let Him take over my nervousness and all my stress away, and I let Him guide me and remind me that I know what I’m doing because I have been practicing and working hard all week and all season,” Holliday reflects. “When I am going through hard times my faith is really what keeps me pushing because without my faith I wouldn’t even be doing track and field now. When I didn’t have faith I was kind of stuck on a plateau, I was upset with myself, and I was mad at myself for performing badly. But now with my faith, even on a bad day, I know I could do better and just put in the work and practice and let God guide my path.”
In fact, when she was asked to advise other Nottingham athletes, faith was something Holliday highlighted: “My advice is just to work hard, to believe in yourself, and put your faith and trust in God because even if you’re going through a hard time as an athlete.” She says that knowing God is especially important and helpful when you feel stuck on the sidelines. During these rough patches, Holliday advises other athletes to “have faith in God and believe in yourself and that you can do it and put in the work in at practice, and even in the off-season.”
The future is bright for Cali Holliday, and she has no shortage of goals she’s striving towards. “I’m really hoping that next year or even this year during the spring I can get first place at Meet of Champions,” she says. Next year, Holliday says she hopes to get first in the nation. “That’s going to be pretty hard but I think I can do it because if I increase by another 10 feet then I’ll be at the mark of the person who is number one in the nation right now,” remarks Holliday. Overall, though, her main goal is “just hoping to improve myself in general.” If she keeps working and believing the way she is now, Holliday can achieve those goals and beyond. Congratulations Cali on your achievements; Northstar Nation is proud of you!