For Tamara Moore, track and field has always been her passion.
The senior has been involved in track and field since she was in elementary school before having her career put on hold in junior high.
“They didn’t have a big enough track team in middle school, so I just didn’t run,” Moore said.
The psychology major did run again at Central High School in Carrollton, winning the State Championship in the 100-meter hurdles in 2007 as a sophomore and finishing as the state runner up the next two years.
Moore was a three-time recipient of the Most Valuable Runner award at Central High School.
“There were a lot of younger girls, so they looked up to me,” Moore said. “To have them look up to me, I wanted to be good so they could have me as someone to emulate.”
When it was time to leave Central behind, she examined her many options, including Albany State and the University of Georgia, but eventually settled on Georgia State.
“My high school coach was very influential,” Moore said. “He knew the coach that was here previously and thought he was a great coach.”
Her beginnings at Georgia State did not go as she expected. Moore did not compete for the school the majority of the 2010 season due to a stress fracture in her tibia.
“The injury was very disappointing, especially being a freshman, but the next year was great,” Moore said. “I was tired of being home and I worked really hard to come back.”
When she returned to the track, she did it in strong fashion as she posted Georgia State’s top nine times in the 100-meter hurdles.
Also, Moore won the event at the Colonial Athletic Association Championship with a time of 13.842 seconds, which helped Georgia State clinch their first women’s track and field championship.
In 2012, Moore maintained her winning ways as she won both the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles at the CAA Championship, and was named the conference’s Most Outstanding Track Performer.
Current head track and field coach Chris England sees Moore’s practice and work ethic as a testament to her success.
“For some on the team, the goal is just to make the team,” England said. “Others just want to travel every weekend. Some want to contribute and score points. For those like Tamara, they’re gifted and can win. She gives the others something to aspire to.”
Moore is looking forward to how she and the team can build on the past few years as the team enters a new conference.
“Since we’ve entered the Sun Belt, I would definitely love to win an indoor conference championship,” Moore said.`
“I’ve seen her beat the best in the CAA Conference and now we’re in the Sun Belt, and I want to see how she’s going to handle the new competition,” England said. “Will she repeat as 100-meter and 400-meter champion for the Sun Belt Conference? I know that’s always a goal for her and it’s just a steppingstone to the NCAA Championships as well. There are a lot of unknowns, but there are by no means any goals out of reach.”
