The scene at an indoor track meet is like no other: nervous athletes congregating in teams, coaches and officials throwing out terms like “PR” and “8 by 500” and runners trying to catch their breath at the finish line. Even without a “hype squad”, the events give basketball and football a run for their money as far as intensity goes.
Many athletes use the indoor track season as a means to stay in shape and better their techniques for the outdoor track season, but that does not make it any less serious. The team races on Friday evenings, usually at Thomas Jefferson High School, from just before Thanksgiving to mid February. Then, individuals move onto the Regional, State and possibly even National meets, depending on how they do in their event. Last year, the team sent a girls relay team all the way to Nationals after they set a county record. This season, ten strong runners and field athletes qualified for Regionals, which took place on February 18:
Senior Sophie Banchoff, and junior Bridget Hart each ran the 1000 meter and the 500 meter races, respectively. Juniors Dante Walker and DJ Isaac each competed in the boys’ high jump, while junior Tyler Stowell participated in the triple jump event. Sophomore Dina Liacopoulos also competed in the girls’ high hurdles event.
Sophomore Kate Cressey and junior Christian Cleveland competed in the shot put events, with Kate coming in first place in the Liberty Conference.
Senior Ryan Lesmez ran in two events: the 1000 meter and the 3,200 meter races. He won the thousand meter event in Conference A, and came in second place in the 3,200 meter event, qualifying him to move on to represent Yorktown at States.
Julia Carroll, a senior at HB-Woodlawn, also qualified for Regionals, but was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.
The team is known for its casual atmosphere, where all can explore their interests.
“There are many events to try so everyone participates, and no one sits out,” said Coach Mark Stripe.
Combined with a lack of cuts, the team attracts newbies and hardcore athletes alike. Sophomore Kate Cressey thinks that the sport is easy to embrace, even with no experience.
“I honestly didn’t know we had a shot put team until this winter. Mr. Smalley asked if anyone wanted a varsity letter [by participating in track and field], so I decided to join,” said Cressey. “If you just want to get involved and be in extracurricular activities, it’s definitely a fun thing to do.”
The perfect combination of intensity and excitement surround the sport, creating a team atmosphere that is hard to beat. Track and field tests the athletes both physically and mentally like no other sport, which only adds to the excitement.
