Track is almost at an end. It has been an exciting season for all those who have tried so hard. A couple weeks ago, it started getting more serious. The track team had districts and then last weekend they had regionals.  Most of the team ended up not making it, but the select few going on to state are now more focused than ever.

Aaron Castle, our top thrower, got first place at districts and regionals. He is now moving onto state and is hoping to be in the top. Don Burns, the next top thrower, got third at districts and second in regionals. He is also moving onto state. When asked what else they are doing to prepare, Don said “Just practice practice practice!”Jake Wiley, one of the top runners, placed in all of his events at regionals and is going to state too. Arielle Walden says that she is eating healthier and stretching more. She predicts she will do very well in state. I asked the top throwers how they felt with it being their senior year going to state. Don replied with “Well I’m throwing against Aaron so ehh…” and Aaron said “ Yeeaahhh!!!”.

Adrienne Seger, a senior, got first place at districts and moved onto regionals. She ended up not placing to go to state but she tried her hardest. Many other track athletes also didn’t make it but accomplished personal goals throughout the season. Everyone beat their own personal records many times. A lot of the underclassmen hope to come back next year and beat their personal records from this year.

Overall, the school itself has been very good at teamwork and cheering for their fellow students. During all of the track meets, the team gets together and runs back and forth to cheer on the runners. This helps the team to believe in each other and want the best for one another.

As the sunshine rolls out of the clouds, athletes start to prepare for the spring season.  Everyone agrees this will be a great season for all sports, but track athletes are psyched for their season.  With not much time left to prepare for the season, some athletes are cramming. Running as much as possible and practicing their skills is their way of feeling more ready for the competition that they may face this year.

“I run every day and do poly metrics to jump higher. I expect to win!” says Senior Kiara Zorica (also known as Kiwi). There are many ways that people get ready for the season. Some have been working out for track since winter, some have been working the whole school year.  Adrienne Seger, a senior, has been working out for quite a while to get ready for track. “I’ve been working out after school and tanning so I’m not super white in those short shorts” says the senior.

After losing head coach Barry Sartz, most of the athletes believe the season will be very different from before. Athletes are excited to have a new coach and they think it will be a fun experience, though many are going to miss Mr. Sartz and his way of teaching on the field. Arielle Walden, a junior, states, “I think it will go well. I think a lot of kids will miss Sartz, but we have a lot of strong athletes.” Many students are repeating track this year, and the team expects a strong freshman group to bring in the new season.

A few new students are trying out track for the first time this year. All the “veterans” are excited for the new athletes. Overall, people are expecting this to be an amazing season. There will be a lot of hard work put into the season and a lot of winning.