As we are entering spring, many of Bard Queens’ very own students have taken up spring sports! While some of us struggle to get out of bed, thanks to daylight savings, some students at Bard have been up and ready early in the morning, lacing their shoes for practice, and at the track nearly every afternoon as well. The names of the students on the track team were put up in front of the elevators on Monday, March 10th. Many people were ecstatic! Coach Garcia was the officiator for the four tryouts the week of March 3rd. The first tryout was a mile run at McCarren park on Monday, otherwise known as four times around the track, many athletes running it all in under eight minutes! Jonah Fox-Chmielewski, a male freshman, shockingly impressed many people by running a 5.20 minute mile! The second tryout took participants to Astoria, and was an 800 meter and two mile run and in addition, some hard workouts. The third tryout was on Friday, once again at McCarren, this time a one mile sprint. Last but not least was an 800 meter run as well as workouts once again, and this tryout took place on Saturday in Astoria.
The decisions were based upon time per mile and dedication. Many made the team and have already begun practicing at Astoria park. Like tryouts, practice is normally four times a week. Some students are already facing sore feet and legs. It’s certainly a commitment, but everyone on the team knew what they signed up for. “It’s a lot, but I’m excited,” said Isabella, a freshman. Emily, another freshman, agrees and says that it’s “hard work” and “requires a lot of dedication.” Many freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors ended up making the team, both on the girls and the boys team, and most of all, everyone is in it together. Beatrix, a senior, has played on the track team for around 4 years. She explains that “the track team is a great community — it’s very difficult and a lot of work, but the shared struggle really brings everyone together.” From the perspective of someone on the team, track is great for building friendships and getting to know others. The track season will last from the second full week of March to the first week of May, with around four main meets. The team participates in PSAL, the Public School Athletic League, and has meets all over the five boroughs.
If you’re wondering what track is, track is the athletic practice involving running, racing, jumping, and even competition. The sport mainly targets muscles such as glutes, calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and it requires core strength. Coach Garcia adds that “the more training you do, the more strength you put in your muscles and bones”. As the sport has a variety of healthy benefits, it also has a variety of practice exercises such as hurdles, sprints, mile and meter runs, long distance, and short distance. Garcia explained that the Bard track team mainly focuses on long distance, sprints, and mid range, but students on the team “also have the option to participate in field events”. He also added that there’s a “specific type of training for each event.” Sprinters use more “aerobic training” because they need to have more “immediate energy explosiveness” and “better acceleration.”Back to the health aspects of it, it benefits your cardiovascular health, immune system and even mental health. By running you improve your heart function, blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Not only this but it has serious positive mood boosting effects. Track is extremely beneficial and even helps many people’s mental health. According to Beatrix, she often feels “really accomplished after” track meets. Track is undoubtedly stressful considering the meets, events, and hours it involves, but the thrill of “running around, organizing last minute relay teams, deciding to run an event last minute that you hadn’t thought you would and doing well” is well worth the stress, as Beatrix comments.
Track is thought to have started in the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece in 776 BC, and is one of the oldest sports in the world. The track field itself actually used to be longer, running around 600 feet, but over time it has changed to the usual 400 meters it is today. It didn’t gain much popularity until the 1860s when England held its first championships for the male runners. Track consists of both outdoor and indoor sprints, ranging various distances. In addition to this, there are also hurdle and relay teams.
We all have our own hobbies and activities with and beside school. Many people are asked: what do you do? This small report on Bard’s very own track team can help us understand the dedication of our fellow Bard students and what track really is. Not all of us may be running with track this season but now most of you are up to date with their journey!