I’m passionate about track because I did it for all of my middle school years. I made it to City Champs, which was very fun. I got to meet people from all around Illinois. Track was very hard on me, but it helped me stay fit with friends. Track is also one of the hardest sports I have ever played. It’s a very challenging sport that requires a lot of training and time. It also takes a toll on your body. If you do decide to do track, you must stretch. It may seem like a little thing, but it is so important. You must stretch before your run, and you stretch after running to avoid getting any injuries and to not get sore. People like your coaches, parents, teachers, brothers—they’re all gonna tell you to stretch, DON’T IGNORE IT. Another reason I like track is because of the adrenaline—you feel like everyone is counting on you, especially during a relay. Track makes you push yourself to your limits. You feel like you can’t stop running, or you will let everyone down.
I once had an experience with a friend—I convinced him to join track for his first time. He agreed, and he ran with me and my team, and he kept up and never got left behind. At his first track meet, he was super nervous; he didn’t know if he would do well. He got up to the line on the 400, got into position—BANG!—he was startled by the sound of the gun shooting. He ran and he ran and he ran… Last place. He was so disappointed in himself and felt like he had let everyone down. But nobody cared, nobody was mad at him, and the coach wasn’t mad at him. Are you a coach? Let him know that we would’ve only been mad if he didn’t cross that finish line.
Track also feels so rewarding—to cross that line at the finish, or the adrenaline dump on the last lap of a 1600, or pulling ahead of someone on the last lap. Track is something I’m very passionate about. Anyone can join track, no matter where you are, who you are, or how fast you are. There is so much variety in track. You can do short races, you can do long races. That’s why I believe track is a sport that anyone can join.
Because I joined track, I created so many memories before I left my school. Many people from the school would come to the meets—coaches, clerks, principals, and family. Track is one of those sports where you meet so many people who are just as good as you or even better. Track has helped me build connections that have lasted as long as I’ve been doing it. Since I have built these connections, I am able to run outside of track with the people I have met. Sometimes I like to go for runs in the forest preserve, or I like to ride my bike around the city. These are all the reasons you should join the track.
Janiel Colon – Saint Patrick High School – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Jesfr – Wikimedia Commons