As the winter sports seasons are winding down on the AHS campus, spring sports seasons are quickly approaching. Many spring sports athletes’ seasons were cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Now this year, these athletes will still face the challenges of the same virus that abruptly ended their season last year. The Blue and White interviewed members of the track team to discuss their hopes for this spring season.

  Senior, Jaelyn Pearson, who runs the 100m, 200m, and 4×100 relay. When asked how she felt about everything this season, she explains that, “This year is so much different than two years ago, and it is like we are playing catch up because we did not even have a season last year.” Track teams around the county have had to cut their numbers significantly due to the virus, so that teams are able to keep up with contact tracing if there was to be an outbreak on the team. The thing that makes track such a high risk is that both the boys and girls season is at the same time meaning that there will be a greater number of people in contact with each other, which is how the virus spreads so easily. Furthermore, Jaelyn added,“The main difference is the social distancing, following the protocols, and wearing a mask which is the most difficult because of it being an outdoor sport. Last season being cancelled hurt my progression, not allowing me to show my potential into this year and my main goal this season is to be the best I can be in everything no matter the circumstances.”

Next, we hear from another senior Curtis Spivey, who participates in field events such as shot put and discus. Curtis also detailed his frustration of missing an entire season last year due to the virus. He said, “It was really disappointing for me because I felt like I had everything good going for me going into 2020. Finishing off as a state runner-up during football season and placing during the boys weightlifting meets. Where I got stronger so that it would allow me to throw the shot put and disc farther than my sophomore year.”  A lot of people do not know that it is not all about strength when it comes to the field events when participating in track, it is all about technique. Shot put and discus both have the same fundamentals where the athlete has to have a strong low base to generate power to throw the ball down the field farther than the other athletes, while also keeping in mind that they cannot cross the throwing line. That would cause the athletes throw to not count out of their three throws. When The Blue and White asked Curtis about how far he wanted to go this season he said, “I want to at least qualify for districts and end my senior year with a bang.”

Lastly, we hear from a junior, Tiana Roberts, who runs the 100m, 200m and the 4×1 relay. She tells The Blue and White, “I was very disappointed that our season was cancelled because I felt that our team was in our prime as a whole and would be able to place all across the events.” This year, the track team is rebuilding. With only a small percentage of the runners being seniors, the underclassmen are carrying the load, and looking to make a name for themselves this season. Tiana feels that the cancellation of the season last year gave her the opportunity to get stronger and faster in the off season to work on her craft. Essentially, having a free year to take a step back, focusing on the things that she wanted to accomplish when track would resume again in the near future. She ended by saying, “Although these times are rough and everything this school year is far from normal, we will get through it by cherishing the time we spend with not only loved ones, but other people as well. You do not know what impact you will have on someone else’s life until the circumstances change.”