Jump, sprint, throw. Track is a sport where you have to wear 4 layers just to stay warm and have to sit in the bleachers waiting for your event to start. It’s full of overthinking, doubt and being unconfident about what is about to happen. The Wildkat student-athletes are giving their best ability to represent Willis at their track meets. Junior Varsity track runners competed last week against College Park High School, winning Willis first place in every relay.
The track team travels to Conroe today for the Tiger Relays. The team will be back at Yates for district in April.
Track in middle school may be hard, but track season in high school is a whole new level of difficulty. As a freshman, he won first place in the 400 meter run. By putting in the hard work and dedication, he will continue to grow each meet, pushing for a new personal record each time.
“I chose track because I love to compete and challenge myself,” freshman Gage Felix said. “It keeps me disciplined, and I like seeing how much faster and stronger I can become. Winning first place in the 400 against College Park as a freshman feels incredible. I’ve put in a lot of work, so seeing it pay off like that really boosts my confidence and pushes me to keep getting better.”
Sports don’t always have to be fun, but when an athlete genuinely enjoy doing it and has success, then it’s easy to have fun. The teammates, coaches and supporters always give you the boost that you need to have a positive attitude during practices and the meets.
“When you’re good at a sport, it becomes more fun and important to you,” sophomore Kaden Swartz said. “Being in track can help you gain confidence when you do good, and doing good leads you to bigger and better opportunities. When I reach my personal record, I get a feeling of an overwhelming accomplishment. It gives me the chance to set new goals and continue to grow in the sport that I love. Although it can be very challenging when I get in my head about it, I always remind myself that I am my biggest competitor and I have to overcome that. I love track and it helps me become a better version of myself.”
Throughout all of the tired nights, exhaustion and mental blocks telling you to stop, being on the track team helps the athletes set goals for themselves. When you start in the beginning, it’s hard to picture how much your life will change in the future, and it’s hard to understand that anything is possible if you try to make it.
“Track has pushed me to grow not only as an athlete, but as a person,” sophomore Sydnee Parker said. “It has taught me discipline, resilience and confidence through every moment, especially during the times I felt like giving up. I’ve learned how to accomplish goals I once doubted were possible, proving to myself that hard work truly pays off even when mental blocks try to convince me to slow down. There are exhausting long nights that make you second guess everything, moments when doubt creeps in, and days when you dread going to practice, but pushing through those thoughts has become one of my greatest strengths, and one my teammates share with me. Even with all the downs that come with it, there are so many ups. The bond I share with my teammates has become one of the most meaningful parts of my journey, turning a sport into a family, from the moments we’re all together dying of laughter to watching someone close to me accomplish something great. Above all, the greatest reward is the progression, the determination, and the pride of knowing I didn’t quit even when I wanted to most.”
All of the people around watching the racers see are just a few kids running races hoping to win, but they don’t understand that everyone has a meaning to it. The athletes who run do it for special reasons that push them to keep going.
“Track pushes me to always achieve my goals no matter how hard they get,” sophomore Avery Atchison said. “I do track for my dad who passed away in 2020. He believed in me the most and I constantly remember that when I’m running for him. Track is a very mental sport with a tone of emotions but you learn so much from all of it and it continues to shape me into the person I am. Once I put my spikes on, all the bad things in life go away and I feel at peace.”
Getting into a sport is life changing, it changes the way athletes talk to themselves, the way they see things and the goals they have planned out. One coach can change everything.
“I absolutely love track and I believe joining has really changed my life for the better,” junior Lauryn Kimble said. “Before joining my sophomore year I just went to school, talked to the same few people, went home and did homework. I remember thinking I wanted to do something more before I graduate but I always had anxiety about doing a sport I had no clue I had a chance at being even half decent at, and having a bunch of eyes on me while trying something new scared me A LOT. Coach Breed really helped boost my confidence because even when I expressed how I felt I was no good he always guided me to take the next step, he and the other track coaches are amazing.”
