Winter isn’t the ideal time to go on a run, but many students participate in winter Track and Field. 

While running in the cold, the coaches help the runners keep up with the motivation and stamina. 

“I think that athletes, even in my own experience, don’t realize the potential that we have until somebody pulls it out of you, somebody pushes you to see it for yourself,” said track coach and art teacher Robert Raeihle.  

Participating in different sports takes a massive amount of dedication. The runners have a schedule every day in order to get ready for their practice. 

“First we change and then do 2 practice laps around the track,” said sophomore Alaina L. 

Since track is a variety of different groups, there are many athletes that do different exercises. 

“We do stretches. After that, we break up into groups, since I am long distance we go onto the roads and run about 3 miles every day.” said freshman Vincent D. 

During these practices, all the athletes build their stamina and speed to help them succeed in running.

“Then we go into our what we call everydays, which is a series of exercises to work on speed, agility, some strength training, flexibility, and we go and the kids disperse into their events,” said Raeihle. 

Running could be a tedious sport but it pays off in the end. By running, athletes are making a lifelong dedication to the sport. When athletes bring dedication, change comes with it. 

“Track is beneficial to me because it strengthens my tolerance against the cold and increases my metabolism,” said Vincent D.

The coaches continue to support the runners.

“You want to get to that line where you know  what they’re capable of, you just need to show them what they’re capable of,” said Raeihle.

Some would expect running during the winter to be hard and would never imagine why people would want to do the sport. However, it takes minimal equipment, and after athletes try it a couple of times, it becomes a lifestyle.

“Running is a lot like life, right? It’s very hard to do at times, sometimes you’re going to face adversity, whether it comes in the form of plateauing, or reaching a point where your mind tells you it can’t go any further and life is a lot like that, learning perseverance through adversity sets up for success in our daily life as well as on the track,” said Raeihle.🔳