No longer confined to the hallways by endless snow, the AFS track team is springing into action in the great outdoors. Practices started in early March, busying students with a combination of cardio drills and strength training to prepare them for a hefty slate of meets and invitationals.
Track athlete Calvin Cannon ‘29 said that this season presents a “greater challenge” compared to that of the winter. According to coach Masai Pines-Elliott, the volatility of spring combined with the increased risk of outdoor running creates this difficulty.
“Monday, Wednesday, Friday, it was seventy degrees and sunny, and then you got the next three days’ worth of rain,” Pines-Elliott said. “That’s…my only concern because the rapid shift in weather can cause a lot of issues. …With practice, it’s like ‘okay, I gotta shift inside because all of a sudden it started raining’ or ‘okay, we go outside because it’s warm’. …I know I’ve dealt with that… I’ve run in meets where it’s hot, where it’s raining, [or where] it’s thirty degrees outside [and] I can’t feel my hands.”
Additionally, this season will hold athletes to a more rigorous schedule of meets and practices than the winter season did.
Despite these downsides, athlete Yassmine Wardigee ‘27 remains confident. “I think our team is really prepared…” Wardigee said. “Even though we don’t have a track, I think we work really hard to make do [with] what we have.”
When asked about his goals for this season, Pines-Elliott said, “I want to win states. I want to do all of these big things, but for me, what matters is that the kids are happy… That’s all I care about… like, I don’t care about losing a single race…like, if you’re happy with what you’re doing, then that makes me happy.”
Sharing her coach’s connection-oriented approach, Wardigee said that her goal for this season is “bonding with the team.” She elaborated, “I hope that the team becomes a little more close-knit…track is a really good environment to make new friends. I hope new people come out.”
Pines-Elliott, too, wants to “see new faces” on the team. For athletes and coaches alike, the priorities are clear as the track team heads into spring: winning is nice, but community is crucial.
