Training Camp Visit: Inside Priya Natarajan's Austin Regimen
June 20, 2024 · By Dana Whitfield, Staff Writer
Priya Natarajan trains three mornings a week in a converted Austin garage, timing herself against a metronome she says helps her keep a consistent cutting rhythm under pressure — a habit she picked up from her years as a competitive swimmer before she ever touched a Council-sanctioned pineapple.
Ahead of the 2024 National Championship in her home state, Natarajan said she'd specifically studied footage of Michael Salomone's spiral cut, though she stopped short of trying to copy it outright. 'I don't have the two-handed coordination he's built over five years,' she said. 'I have my own speed. I just need to trust it under the clock.' She'd go on to finish second to Salomone that September — her best Championship finish to date.
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