Juggling activities no problem for student

What does cross-country running, video games, art, the National Rifle Association and tae kwon do all have in common? Alexander Cox is involved in them all.

Cox, an Advanced Technologies Academy junior, doesn't let an hour of the day go to waste, he says. If he isn't camping out in the woods or competing in triathlons, he's playing "Halo" and doing art design for a video game. Recently, Cox sat down with R-Jeneration.

Question: How does a cross-country star and tae kwon do black belt also be involved in video games?

Answer: It has to do with time management. I space out my day. It sounds really anticlimactic, but it's that simple. I set myself goals for the day and achieve them. Of course, sleep deprivation doesn't hurt. I just make sure I am never doing nothing. I can't sit still. I have to be doing something at all times.

Q: Did you always have all these interests from the start or want to have this many activities?

A: Not at all. They (hobbies) collected over time. I'm a hobby pack rat. My hobby is getting new hobbies.

Q: What's the most vivid accomplishment of your life?

A: I have no idea. There are so many things that are so different, picking one that's above the rest is nigh impossible.

Q: What are some of your biggest achievements?

A: For starters, I completed the half Iron Man triathlon in 2008. That was my favorite athletic moment because I won a free pair of shoes. Those were pretty boss shoes! Another thing I'm proud of is my lifetime membership to the NRA. I'm also a perch angler. I once caught a 13.75-inch perch in Nebraska. That doesn't sound like much, but most perch are the size of fish sticks. So a foot-long perch is a really big deal. No, seriously.

Q: Which hobby are you going to make your career?

A: Video game art and design.

Q: You seem sure about it. Why?

A: That's my passion. The passion that outweighs everything I ever do. Whatever I have going on in a day, there is always time for art or video games or both.

Q: Where have you been in your lifetime?

A: I have been to every state west of Nebraska, to Florida and to Japan and Thailand with my dad.

Q: What took you to Japan and Thailand?

A: My dad was on a business trip. He's a hydrogeologist, and he was inspecting water samples at the United States Air Force base in Bangkok.

Q: What has inspired you to have so many diverse interests?

A: I do not like repetition. I don't like doing things over and over. It's not like ADD. I focus on something until it becomes boring, then I move on to the next thing.

Q: The question that is probably now the biggest in mind, is, who is Xander Cox exactly?

A: Who am I? A cross between Marty McFly and Bear Gryls. I'm modest, too (laughs). No one would vote for me if I ever ran for a public office. I'm also not attractive. My looks aren't bad, but I'm no Edward Cullen.