Through dedication to training and character building, the indoor track and field team sprints forward in anticipation for a record-breaking winter season.
Head boys indoor track and field coach James Stevenson has dedicated his tenure to building athletes that embody the characteristics of “selflessness, perseverance and professionalism.”
“It’s not just a physical sport. You have to train the head, the heart, the being, the person; and so much of that starts with who you are as a teammate, who you are as a young man,” Stevenson said.
Girls indoor track and field coach David Klein echoes the sentiments of his colleague.
“A big part of the sport is how you start a season versus how you end a season,” Klein said. “Seeing that self-improvement with all the hard work and dedication that you provided. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”
Beyond philosophy, indoor track contains many physical obstacles that are designed to challenge athletes.
Both teams utilize conditioning, endurance and agility training to strengthen their athletes.
Senior James Kudak has expressed his growing love for the sport and its daily challenges, both in training and in competition.
“I really just fell in love with running in general. Not even necessarily just the competitive aspect of it, just putting in the work every day and being able to see the results,” Kudak said.
According to senior Will Stover, indoor track trains one to entertain consistency on an individual training level, as well as on a group level.
“Track is not supposed to be fun, especially winter track, because it’s cold and nobody likes running, but going to practice, going to meets; It’s about something that’s more important than fun. It’s about putting in work and seeing results,” Stover said.
According to Stevenson, one must “own their why” and “know the purpose of their passion” to progress beyond just individual physical achievements.
“If you own that purpose, that’s a dangerous man,” Stevenson said.
Having started the indoor track season mid-December, both the boys and girls teams are reported to be on-track to set new school records, as well advance further into state-level competitions.
Junior Destini Smith has entered her third year of indoor track and field by nearly overtaking a 15-year-old school record.
“All summer, and even during the fall, I’ve been practicing nonstop, and I see myself breaking that school record,” Smith said.
Whilst both teams compete to topple school records, Stevenson has made sure to also emphasize that there is more beyond just breaking records.
“I want to work on those more intangibles that aren’t measured with a clock,” Stevenson said. “We’ve already broken 10 school records and we’re three weeks in this year. Records are meant to be broken.”