As the track season comes to an end, the team is at an all-time high. Athletes are not just training harder; they are sharpening their skills and growing together as a team.
“I think practice doesn’t get more intense throughout the season, but more refined,” said senior Scott Ivey, who broke 11 seconds in the 100-meter dash. From clean starts to better form, practice is all about technique, while junior Will Thill simply said, “I like to run fast.”
While many see track as a sport for offseason training, it has proven to be helpful because many other sports benefit from it, and athletes and coaches see a difference afterward. “We work on the same strengths for sports like basketball and football that kids don’t realize use the same muscle groups,” said throws coach Megan Savage.
The stress of PRs has always been one of the main factors affecting athletes at track meets. An inch or a millisecond can determine when your season ends.
Freshman Adam Dana said, “I really think a factor for not throwing far is the pressure of PRing.”
Senior Will Aisthorpe said, “It’s always you against you, and the level of pressure depends on the person.”
Most people don’t recognize that PRs are one of the main motivations in track, but each PR comes with encouragement and motivation from teammates.
“I stressed more my sophomore year because of the pressure from PRing, but I think the help from teammates and everyone else made it less stressful,” added junior Ella Williams.
“Do the best race you can. There’s always so much encouragement when it comes to racing,” said junior Max Grant.
Many others also see track as a place of community and true team bonding, from pole vault to the 100-meter hurdles.
“I love track because there are so many opportunities you can’t find anywhere else, and it brings so many people together,” said junior Liv Cartsones.
State will be held on May 11 at the University of Georgia track facility. Congratulations to the following teams and students who qualified: Girls 4×100 (Noa Rollins, Ashley Twiner, Emery Harris, and Liv Cartsones), Girls 4×200 (Noa Rollins, Riley McElroy, Ashley Twiner, and Liv Cartsones), Boys 4×800 (Bosun Ayeni, Tommy Swartz, Jackson Dorris, and Elijah Huffman), Boys Shot Put (Daniels Stribbling), Girls 1600 and 3200 (Madsen Smith), Boys 1600 (Luke Lorenzo), Girls 100-Meter Hurdles (Liv Cartsones), Girls 100 (Noa Rollins), Boys 100 (Scott Ivey), Boys 200 (Max Grant), and Boys 400 (Bosun Ayeni).
