776 B.C. was the first recorded account of track and field events held at the Olympics. Before them were the basic locomotives that kept our species living for millions of years. While there are many events in modern track and field, the main three include running long distances, sprinting and throwing. The sport of track and field highlights these necessities of life and has evolved immensely since its birth in the distant past. Figures like Jesse Owens, Usain Bolt, Ryan Crouser, Yemisi Ogunleye, Steph Cook and Igor Novikov only scratch the surface of some of the legends this sport has produced. Now at Ida B. Wells High School, athletes such as Nick Uber, Casey Miller, Avery Coker and Lucian Ma are training harder than ever to engrave themselves in the history of track and field.
Senior athletes like Uber also train to engrave newcomers into the history of track and field. “Really, the best you can do is just encourage them to be consistent,” says Uber. “Show up every day, fall in love with the sport and the events they like to do. It’s just like forcing them to do it and, y’know, telling them to show up and be with their friends. As a result, they’ll adapt to the environment and enjoy themselves more often.”
Coker coincidentally backed this up when reflecting on her experience as a freshman starting club track in the off-season. “I remember being a scared little freshman, intimidated by all the older kids because they were so fast,” says Coker. “But now I get to be that older kid who helps others. I hope I’m not intimidating, I hope people have said that and know they can talk to me when it comes to advice.”
Ma is planning to sharpen their craft this year by practicing foundational skills., “[I’m hoping to] better my spinning technique and lift more often,” says Ma. “That’s about it.” Uber, Miller and Coker agreed with the goal of improving fundamentals but also have other things they want to work on. “We’ll see how well I do in the state [competition] this year,” says Uber. “I just have to put the pieces together and improve myself.”
“I built a pretty good aerobic base from the cross-country season, but I’m planning to get on the track and get my speed back up for the 800 [meter race],” says Miller.
“Right now, I’m trying to stick to the plan, and my foot being messed up, [has] obviously been a wrench in that sequence,” says Coker. “However, by adapting to this wrench, I can work around it and follow a splinter plan to piece [myself] back together into the original.”
Regarding IBW students’ future relationships with track and field, ambition and promise are the only adjectives to describe their succeeding years in the sport. Miller is already a Division one commit to Seattle University and Coker has committed to Azusa Pacific University. No matter where they end up going, it’s clear that all of them will engrave themselves in the history of track and field.
The sport of track and field has produced some of the most famous athletes ever. From Ryan Crouser to Usain Bolt, these amazing athletes have branded themselves in sports history. The track and field team at IBW plans to follow suit, already getting a head start by putting themselves in the fixed mindset of ambition, grit and positivity.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the mindset that you have,” says Coker. “And I’ve found that by having a stronger mindset, you’re likely to find success.”
