It is officially the spring of 2019, and the FHC girls track and field team is up and running. With three meets already under their belt, their season is well under way. Very notably, Shante Hanna, Alise Grogg, MAckenzie Ryan and Alesha Shockley placed 2nd in the 4×800 relay at Fort Zumwalt West on March 23. According to senior Alise Grogg, a captain of the team, so far they have done very well, as many girls have started off by going beyond and already reaching their goals.
“We keep on getting PR’s, which are personal records, so we just keep on getting better,” Grogg said.

The three meets the girls have competed in have been successes thus far, and Grogg attributed this to the team being supportive. She believes it gives them inspiration to keep going.

“We’re really working as a team, which is good,” Grogg said. “We have to stay positive with each other and encourage each other so that we perform to the best of our abilities.”

Another reason the team may be doing well is because of better preparation than in previous years, speculates Grogg.

“Personally for me, the season has started out much better than last year, just because I have practiced more and I’m giving more effort,” Grogg said. “And I think that’s all around with our team, everyone is giving more effort.”

Even the newer members have pulled their weight in order to be active members of the team. According to freshman Zoe Grumich, she prepared by running for weeks in advance.

“Whenever they said that practices started in a month, I started running every day,” Grumich said. “I tried to spend as much time possible outside of practice, working out and sprinting.”

Not only do the girls practice ahead of time, they are also supposed to prepare their bodies by eating well and hydrating in order to be in optimal condition for the season.

“We have to drink lots of water, that’s very important,” Grogg said. “We should try to eat as healthy as we can because whatever you put into your body, that’s what you’re going to get out. So if you’re putting junk in your body, you’re going to compete like that, and we have to give 100 percent at practices.”

The team may also be benefitting now because of their willingness to support new members. Grumich says that the other girls were very helpful as she learned how to do the pole vault, and now has been able to compete several times as a result of their kindness.

“It’s been fun, everyone’s really welcoming… everyone’s been really nice about teaching me how to do stuff, it’s been really nice,” Grumich said. “I’ve done a couple events. I haven’t done many, but … it’s pretty laid back.”

By making goals at the beginning of the season, many have been more compelled to reach higher and really focus on their training and events, according to junior Maddie Bennett.

“Mrs. Baize had made us write down our goal for the beginning of the year which helps us towards our end of the year goal, which is already going pretty good,” Bennett said.

Bennett says that not only does it give the runners encouragement, it also helps them not be so scared as they compete in front of so many people.

“At the beginning of a race, everyone is like, nervous,” Bennett said. “Writing down the goals really help us focus on what times we should get instead of like, ‘oh, I need to beat this girl’, but really she doesn’t matter.”