Co-Authored By Sarah Pataniczek
Sophomore Aidan Lawrence has been a pole vaulter on the track team for two years. His time on the team helped him create close friendships with the other athletes.
Lawrence says the team is closest at meets because during practice the team is only together for warm-ups before breaking up into their separate events.
Practices for field events look different than the runner’s practices. Each runner has a certain amount of runs that they have to complete and once they finish, practice is over.
But practices for field athletes can look different. “[We] just jump and if we feel good around the time practice ends then we stop,” Lawrence said.
Team members in each event get closer because they spend more time together, but at meets they get to know each other a lot better and bond with everybody.
“At the meets we’re spending sometimes 9 or 10 hours together and we really get to talk to each other,” Lawrence said.
All of the events are challenging in its own way, and the teammates really try to cheer on and support everyone.
Sophomore Hannah Albertson decided to try something new this year and join the track team.
Albertson runs 300m hurdles as well as participates in the field event of high jump.
Although she is new to the sport, she has taken a liking to it.
“I like the team, it’s laid back and it’s just a fun sport,” Albertson said.
To her, 300m hurdles is one of the harder events. During the race, a runner has to sprint almost one lap around the track (400m) and then jump a total of eight hurdles along the way. This race takes a lot of energy and Albertson is usually “really tired by the end”.
Since she is just learning the ropes of the sport, Albertson found races frustrating at times when she didn’t do her best. But her team was always there to help her up when she got down.
“The cheering is really important because it’s easy to get down on yourself,” Albertson said.
Albertson is glad that she decided to run track this year and recommends the sport to everyone.
“The people help a lot, it’s really tiring, but the people make it worth it,” Albertson said.
Junior Devin Scott has been running track for three years.
Scott was born a distance runner. He ran the 1600m and the 3200m during his freshman and sophomore years. But this year Scott is taking on a new challenge: running middle distance.
Mid-distance consists of the 800m (2 laps around the track) and 1600m (4 laps around the track) races. The races are much shorter but involve more effort because the runners are sprinting.
“Compared to sprinters, [mid distance runners] run at similar speeds, but for 2-3 times the distance. Super high intensity runs for long periods of time,” Scott said.
Despite the races being more challenging, Scott enjoys running the shorter distance better. There is more cheering from the team, which makes the races easier.
“People will cheer on the 100m dash but you don’t see people cheering on the 3200m. The longer runs are harder to cheer for and harder to run because you are running in utter silence,” Scott said.
Scott defines track as an individual sport but, like any other sport, “we all cheer each other on.”
The track athletes aren’t apart of just one team, but instead is made up of many groups. Sprinters, hurdlers, and distance runners. Boys, girls, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Coaches and students. Thinking about it, the team seems divided, but it’s anything but that. They all come together in the end to support and cheer everyone on.
The distance, field, and sprinting sections are split even further into individual events. The players spend the most time with their event groups, but they still try to support everyone.
“Track has such a high social aspect. It is one of the only sports that is co-ed. There’s a lot of interaction on a daily basis between genders, between students and coaches, and all those things are very important,” head coach Dion Charity said.
At the beginning of practice, the team warms up together. They do basic runs and sprints to help them get ready for practice. Then the players split up to better themselves in their specialties.
“It’s not about winning the race, it’s about racing against the clock and trying to better yourself and looking to improve,” Charity said.
The team members are also willing to fill in for other events. Even though each athlete has their specialty, if an event needs to be covered a player will step in and do it. They train not just for their events, but to broaden their skills so they can fill in at any time.
Track also helps for other sports. Many of the players are more passionate about other sports and aren’t just track athletes. They do it to better themselves and keep themselves in shape on the offseason when their sport isn’t offered.
At meets, the team has a lot of fun. They spend the whole day together and cheer on their teammates, perform their best, and bond. The athletes have a chance to really interact with each other and become better friends.
Overall, joining the track team is a great way to form relationships, get better at the sport, and get connected in the school.
