Today I will be highlighting the girls outdoor track team! The team has had a tough season, with a total of two wins against Salem, and Salem Charter. After a defeat to Danvers last monday, the team is back for redemption, tomorrow, versus Saugus. 

The team is coached by Nicole Diaz, Colleen Irvine, Nikolas Beashere, and Warren Macphail. As a member of the team myself, I can confidently say It’s always a pleasure working with the coaches. All coaches have an immense background with track, and Crossfit training (thanks Ms. Irvine!!), which makes our team so special. Between practicing every day, and our outstanding coaches, it’s safe to say that regardless of the amount of our wins, the team as a whole has improved tremendously, as everyone is working harder and harder each day.

Junior April Ferguson says, “The season has been going very well. Our win-loss record does not represent all of the outstanding personal performances done by everyone on the team. Everyone has improved since the beginning of the season and it shows through our times and field statistics.”.

I think that pretty much covered everything… But seriously, I agree. Our winning record does not accurately reflect our effort, and overall improvement that the team has made, and regardless of how many wins we end up with, we have still improved greatly. 

One of the unique aspects of outdoor track that I admire more than other sports, is the wide variety of events to compete in. This allows for our team to become more comfortable, and better suited to the events that present themselves to the best of their ability.

Senior captain Delia Parco says, “To try every event because you’ll never know what you end up loving”, in response to advice for underclassmen. As I previously mentioned, there is a vast variety of events to choose from. Like Delia stated, you never know what you will enjoy, and exceed in, until you try, so you may as well just give it a try. It’s no joke that trying new things can be a bit frightening at times, especially if you’ve never jumped over a hurdle before, or jumped into a sand pit, but it never hurts to try.

Senior captain Libby Carney says, “A piece of advice to underclassmen is to watch and learn from those that have been doing track for a few years. Practice makes perfect, and you can learn a lot from upperclassmen. Everyone on the ram is very willing to help with any questions so do be afraid to speak up!”. Although I am only a freshman, I totally agree. This being my very first year on the team was not only fun, but a little nerve wracking at some points. However, having the upperclassmen serve as such great role models to look up to and learn from was awesome. Oftentimes it’s easier to connect with other members of the team rather than coaches, and having such supportive team members and captains makes it feel like a breeze.

Overall, the girls outdoor track team has been having a memorable, exciting, and fun season! Having good sportsmanship, and putting in 100% effort are some of the many things the team values, which is far more important than winning. 

Make sure to try your best and support the girls outdoor track team this Friday, May 12th at 4:30pm at Saugus High School!