Team Unity Brings Success to Skyline Track and Field

Team+Unity+Brings+Success+to+Skyline+Track+and+Field

Jade Fontenelle, Section Editor

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, spring sports were still in their beginning stages, making this year the first complete spring sport season in three years. 

Athletes are more excited than ever after a long anticipated return. Varsity runner and long-distance Captain, Luke Richardson shared an optimistic view towards the time apart.

“I think that we are a lot more thankful this year,” Richardson said. “We typically see a fade out as the season progresses, especially with upper classmen but this year we are more motivated than in the previous years which has made us an overall better team in so many ways.”

Recently, Richardson was one of four long distance runners that qualified into the Shoreline Invitational last weekend securing another win for Skyline.  

Skyline currently has a 6-1 record placing them first in all of Kingco, an achievement Skyline has not seen since 2016.

Despite quick times and newfound motivation, Richardson feels that this year’s talented athletes are not the sole reason Skyline is seeing positive results. 

“We have started to do more things together like going on hikes, eating meals together, and team hangouts.” Richardson said.

Richardson is a Captain alongside Alejandro Aguirre Ramirez, Cooper Rodocker, Norah White and Kate Morgan who have worked hard to make this year’s team more united.

“Before, because events are separated by gender we had always practiced separately but this year the team has been closer than I’ve ever experienced,” Morgan said. “At meets we have started to see guys and girls down on the field cheering for each other the whole meet.” 

Although this year’s track and field team shows promise as they begin moving towards the end of their season, the road to success did not go without its own struggles. 

Returning Seniors are the only class that has gotten to experience the entirety of a season and still, it was during their Freshmen year. Many student who would normally have one or two seasons completed are now still looking to Seniors for guidance

“[Cooper, Alejandro and I] noticed a lack of maturity, especially coming from our lower classmen,” Richardson said. “The Freshmen especially, missed out on their track seasons in middle school which is a time where you look up to the eighth graders and learn what it is to respect those above you and model how they train, as well as how to work hard.”

The long lasting effects that have come from Covid-19 are impacting students in ways that extend beyond the classroom. Despite this, with some tough love and assistance, major improvements are being seen among the runners.

“I have seen a lot of people start to take initiative in our practices and an increase in attendance and a dedicated work ethic that extends for the entirety of practice,” Richardson stated. “All of these factors have resulted in faster times.”

As Kingco championships are approaching this weekend, Skyline hopes to add another win to their already impressive record. 

Although an athlete must qualify in order to compete at the Kingco meet, due to the bond between the athletes more members of the team are expected to come and support their teammates.

Kingco were held May 11-13 results can be found here