Track season has recently started up for Athens track and field and the teams are excited for what’s to come this spring.
Summer Laskey, a senior and member of the varsity girls track team, has been doing track since October 2019.
“Some of my older teammates had suggested I try [track]… I kept doing it because I fell in love with track, the team, and the coaches. It’s something that I really loved and wanted to keep doing,” said Laskey.
An appealing quality of the sport to many is the diversity of events a person can do. Not only running, but additionally more obscure events like shot put, in which someone throws a heavy spherical ball as far as possible, are also included in track and field.
“There are so many options with the amount of different things you can choose from and the different events you can do,” said Laskey.
The team is working hard to prepare for the season ahead carefully, because it’s their first completely ‘normal’ season in years.
“It’s the first time that we’ve been able to come back fully and have indoor and outdoor seasons since COVID happened,” said Laskey.
“We have a total of 120 [members], about 40 girls and 80 boys. We have the most athletes we’ve ever had, and it’s a lot to juggle when you’re coaching multiple event groups, but we’re really excited about all the new athletes we have this year,” said Allison Cornelius, head coach of the girls track and field team.
The weather constantly affects spring track and field. With spring blossoming, pollen and unusually cold weather, this season has had some obstacles in terms of climate.
“It’s been very warm and very nice at our practices for the most part. We went to our meet and it was 40 degrees. That changes the events… It’s difficult because there is so much weather right now but we have to try our best and I think we’re still performing to the best of our abilities,” said Laske.
Cornelius agrees that the unreliable weather can be a challenge for the athletes, but they have been dealing with it adequately.
“We all know the spring weather is unpredictable, and that just makes practice and meets tough! We will still run in rain and cold, but it’s hard on the athletes. Overall though… we have been able to get in the work that we need to,” said Cornelius.
Despite some obstacles, especially weather, the team is working hard to pull off a successful season.
“I think we have the potential to do really well. We have a lot of seniors who’ve worked really hard the past 3-4 years…I ended up having one of the best seasons of my life [last year],” said Laskey.
At a meet on March 15, Laskey won first place in Varsity Girls Discus Finals and Varsity Girls Shot Put Finals.
“We’re all just ready to put in the effort, see it pay off…we’re excited to make it a really good season.”
