Competitive runners and field athletes focus on individual events remembering perseverance, the key to endurance.

“Endurance is a mix of aerobic with a little bit of anaerobic exercises,” coach Steed Welch said. “Endurance is more of a rhythm you run.”

Junior Xavier Anderson said the coaches push runners to their limits. Coach Keith Zeise said athletes who compete at the state level practice all year. 

“We practice so much, our athletes have to get as much rest as possible,” Zeise said.

Senior Sha-Ron Simmons went to state as an alternate both her freshmen and sophomore year. Simmons sprints and jumps hurdles. Each meet she listens to music to stay focused on doing her best. 

“When I was a freshman and sophomore, I didn’t think I could do it,” Simmons said. 

Senior Raven Stevens’ workout includes jumping in order to make it over high hurdles. She said she also spends time working on her form.

“You have to have a lot of time and patience to get things right,” Stevens said. 

Stevens recognizes that track requires preparation and dedication. 

“You have to push yourself towards the last lap,” senior Larisa Alvarez said. 

Athletes begin practice each day doing warm up exercises such as running two 800-meter laps, eight skip lunges, high skips, karaoke drills and stride drills to work on all muscle groups. 

Sophomore Cherif Sow, 100-meter dash runner, describes practice as intense with the coaches’ methods. 

Sow said his workout includes participating in team drills and running for two hours one day every weekend. 

“You have to make sure you stretch,” Anderson said. 

Welch said the warm up prevents muscle spasms and injuries such as tendinitis, but each event has a specific workout geared towards the muscle activity. 

Sophomore Sydney Grant does girls shot put and prepares by doing squatting exercises to help with her power stance. She conditions by working on leg strength and doing overloads to work on her form. 

“Even though you’re throwing a ball you use your whole body,” Grant said. 

Grant said when she joined the team she thought her event was about strength and nothing else, but she now knows her field event deals with much more.

“When you don’t condition properly, you don’t throw as much as a person who has,” Grant said.

Grant, Stevens and Simmons all believe practice makes perfect.  

“You can’t win everything, so I just try my best,” Simmons said.