After a warm Winter, we put the cold behind us and were looking forward to hot and sunny days. We couldn’t have been more wrong, and this week Mother Nature struck and we were faced with snow and wet windy conditions that unfortunately led to our first dual meet getting postponed until May 2, another dilemma since the MSTCA Lou Tozzi Fr/So Meet is the day after, and with a young team it’s expected that many of our athletes will be racing back-to-back days. Nevertheless, we’ve been faced with these circumstances before and will be attacking both meets with as much power as we can.
Despite these chilly days, our team managed to get outside all but one of the days last week. Monday was a shake-out practice for our Tuesday meet, Wednesday consisted of recovery runs and stretching, Thursday we were stuck in the halls because of the treacherous snow and slippery conditions before Friday, when we headed back to Arlington High’s track. Because our Saturday meet got canceled, this day consisted of harder workouts and more time spent on field events. Everybody worked hard, knowing that the weekend was just a step away, and it was a fun day, especially once the sun started to peek from behind the clouds.
This season, we have had five girls hurdling, three returning athletes, and two who decided to give them a try. Contrary, our boy’s team has only one returning sprint hurdler and one 400m hurdler who decided to try the event out for the first time this week.
When stuck inside on Thursday, we put up a few hurdles in the hallway for both short and long hurdlers. This was the first time that our 400m hurdler, junior Andrew Airasian, went over a hurdle. After catching on quickly in the warmup drills, he started to clear hurdles put at the lowest height to familiarize himself with it. After just a few run-throughs, it was evident that he was a natural. The hurdle height went up, another one was placed a few strides from the other, and he ran through them with ease.
The next day, after doing a distance workout, he joined our two female 400m hurdlers and the three of them did 200m hurdle repeats. Not only was Andrew sprinting through them after taking part in a grueling workout prior, but he was able to clear the hurdles efficiently and cleanly, matching up his steps to the hurdle and already using both legs. The few times he hit a hurdle or stuttered, he managed to gain his rhythm back to finish strong.
Similarly, we had throwers who had specialized in the javelin or shotput join our discus throwers. By the end of practice, some athletes who had barely touched a discus before that day were starting to spin and get comfortable with the technique. A few new athletes also tried out the long and triple jump, being led by our team veterans and returners.
The best part of being a small team is that athletes are encouraged to try out new events and can compete in them at meets at a high level, especially in field events and the hurdles where our rosters are not filled. There’s an event for everyone in track and field, and in a supportive atmosphere, newcomers are welcomed and our athletes are always offering a helping hand. Mistakes are learned from, techniques are taught and perfected, and everyone always has fun. Teammates help teammates reach success, and this is a very important aspect that we stress on this team.
Right now, we look forward to Spring Break next week where we will be practicing most days, whether as a team or small groups meeting up at neighboring tracks in the area, and will be competing at a meet in Lynn that Saint Mary’s is holding on Tuesday. #rawrcougs
