Several athletes on the Track and Field team are improving, and many are passing their current personal records. It is junior Austin Mckinley’s first year on the varsity team, and he participates in the 400m relay and the 800m relay. McKinley felt excited about beating his PR, and why he enjoys track so much.

“Obtaining a PR is a great feeling! It’s the self accomplishment that feels great,” Mckinley said. “The thing I like about track is the personality you get to develop as a person because it is an individual sport.”

While pole vaulter Emma Campbell, who has been on the team for two years, agrees that the feeling of self accomplishment is an amazing feeling, she also appreciates the aspect of recognition.

“I’ve been doing really well this season already; I’ve cleared my old PR of 9 feet already and I’ve been really close to 9’6″ so hopefully that’ll happen soon! PR-ing is honestly one of the coolest feelings; it feels so good knowing that your hard work is actually paying off and people are proud of you because of that,” Campbell said.

Although pole-vaulting might get a bad rep from some, Campbell says it is a great activity to participate in. She also notes the overall positive feeling in track.

“I love my event because it’s one that a lot of people think is scary, but it’s actually so much fun,”  Campbell said. “And I love track as a whole because everyone is so supportive of everyone, no matter the event we’re in.”
Working on getting better in an event comes into play when you are trying to pass your personal best or beat an opponent. Campbell is planning on practicing on technique for her next meets.

“The next meet I’m in the St. Charles meet on Tuesday and then a Timberland meet next Thursday, and I’ve been trying to do as many drills as I can to try and improve my technique,” Campbell said.

Team captain Ashley Roland competes in three events: the 4x400m relay, high jump, and triple jump. The team has a certain practice schedule to help them for their next meet.

“We prepare by working on our individual events as well as preparing as a team with tough workouts,” Roland said.

Roland is not a beginner, as this his her third year on the team. The struggle she faces, as a returning athlete, is having time to focus on herself while also helping others. As a team, their biggest competition motivates them to do better.

“Personally, my biggest competition is myself because I’ll need to push myself while also helping the younger ones to learn the ropes. As a team, I think our competition is the McCluer schools because they have really good programs and push us to want to get better,” Roland said.

There is one thing that all three of them can agree on: PR’s are a great component of track.

“PR’s are amazing. It’s nice to see how far you’ve come and that all of your hard work has paid off,” Roland said.