Whenever you hear the final bell of the school day ring, there are many students who don’t immediately go home, and instead head straight for the track.
Right after ninth period, student athletes are already training for their next meet, competition, or invitational, to not only be a helping hand for their team, but to beat their personal records and push themselves to their limits.
If these students were noticed, then it could probably be guessed that they run track, but what probably isn’t as obvious is that this is how they spend their whole school year.
Even as early as July, they’re training for cross country season, and right when the year begins, they have their first meet, which isn’t easy for freshmen athletes in their first high school cross country season.
“It was kind of hard, I had to get used to going back to school, while also running a lot.” said freshman track athlete Jack C.
Freshmen athletes also must get used to the more rigorous training and meet activities, as they no longer run only one mile.
“The cross country meets that had the highest miles you could run was like 3, and that was for varsity, but yeah you run way more than a mile.” said Jack C.
After cross country and the postseason for the more athletic students, freshmen start their first ever winter track season. The freshmen have to undergo some major changes with how they run, as athletes have to wear layered clothing at practices.
“Yeah it’s very different because it’s harder to move your body with a bunch of layers. Also when it’s cold your muscles get a bit tighter too.” said Jack C.
These athletes range from freshmen to seniors who run together, despite different skill levels.
“You would generally expect a freshman class coming in would have as much physical development to compete alongside seniors but in track the field is pretty level when it comes to that:You find in track and field that it’s not always about your age, it’s more about your effort, your physical ability, your commitment to the sport…” said boys and girls track assistant coach Robert Raeihle.
Many athletes who commit their time to track for all three seasons show the most growth by the end of the year in their personal records.
“Generally, those committed to three seasons of a running event are our stronger runners. Their bodies are accustomed to the training, they’re accustomed to the distance, the speed…” said Raeihle.
Freshmen and seniors running together also form new relationships that they’ve never had before, such as when upperclassmen graduate,
“Having them graduate and move on, created a void within our athletes as someone they looked up to. But what we see now is they now want to achieve their own goals, their own glory and so they are working hard towards that. When there are big shoes to fill, sometimes people just don’t want to step into the shoes, not with this group.” said Raeihle
These relationships aren’t just inspirational however, most of them are from camaraderie and friendship.
“When you’re in sports it’s a lot different from your classes, as a senior I spend time with Juniors, I spend time with Sophomores, I spend time with Freshman, I don’t do that in school and that’s just another way to get to know more people:It’s a good way to get connected to the entire school.” said senior track athlete Sam B.
Track for seniors also holds its own challenges in terms of when you can get your school work done.
“We took the bus to the city and we got home at about 10 o’clock, that’s about the worst we’re going to get, so I would say definitely it affects the amount of time I have to study and get my homework in.” said Sam B.
And after running track for three seasons for four years, a new season becomes a normal part in a seniors life.
“At first it was kind of hard to get accustomed to it, obviously it’s a whole extra part of your life that you need to prioritize, but at this point, with me doing it for so consistently these past four years, I’ve noticed it started to get into a routine now and it’s just part of my regular day.” said Sam B.◼️
