Getting to know… Sophie Pike – Edition 9 
We’re moving from the runners to a jumper for this next edition — meet Sophie Pike: long jumper, Aperol spritz connoisseur, and proof that stubborn determination (and a little sand) can take you a long way.
“I started out as an 800m runner in secondary school, and whilst I was okay at it, at one school meet I got put in the long jump for points and managed to break a long-standing school record on my first try. I didn’t really take up athletics too seriously until I went to university in 2019 and got exposed to that environment. Playing around in the sand has stuck ever since!” 
Athletics has given Sophie a lot — from friendships to focus.
“I’ve made so many lovely friends through the sport, ones I still see regularly despite moving away from where I met them. Moving to Woking reignited my spark for athletics — the team attitude is something else, and the fun side of the sport is encouraged and celebrated. Finally, athletics has allowed me to embrace my stubborn mindset — it’s a running joke with my coaches (past and present): if you tell me I can’t do something, I’ll go out of my way to prove otherwise!” 
Celebrations come with style — and flavour.
“A good Chinese takeaway and an Aperol spritz!” 
Her most memorable moment? A comeback for the books.
“Jumping my 5.33m indoor PB this year — just seven months after tearing my patella tendon in my take-off knee. I was told I wouldn’t jump much further than 4.50m in my first season back! At the time, I was fully coaching myself, juggling a new job and about to move house. I followed that up by jumping my overall PB in Malta this year and celebrating with my friends in the crowd.” 
And one fun fact her teammates might not know?
“I have unnaturally large feet. Both my trainers and spikes are men’s shoes — they don’t make either in sizes big enough in women’s!” 
(Editor’s note: from giant leaps to equally giant shoes — Sophie’s proving that nothing, not even footwear, can hold her back. And that’s before mentioning her other talents — she’s also a technical wizard, the brains behind Woking AC’s new website (coming soon!), and helps coach our younger jumpers. Between competing, coaching, and coding, there aren’t many people who contribute more to the club. She’s firmly in the running for WAC MVP — if we ever invent one!) 
