As the snow melts on the ground, Track and Field Athletes pound the pavement and prepare for the new season. Practice started Monday, Feb. 25, with new coaches David Lamb for distance, Brandon Gregory for sprints, and Mike Castro for jumps, as well as a great number of fresh faces. Many look with optimism towards this new season.

“I feel like we have good potential and we are going to have a better season and go further because of our new coach, Lamb, who is more experienced,” sophomore Jon Haug said.

For the throwing team, this season brings a greater number of throwers than last year, even with only one returning senior. The increase of athletes will enable the team to fill all the spots at each each competition level in meets, something that has not happened in the past couple of years.

“I liked it better when there was less people because it was more personal,” Junior Alex Heigl, who throws both discus and shotput, said. “With more people it’ll be more cluttered and there will be less close relationships.”

Pole vaulting is an event that almost everyone has to learn from scratch their freshmen year, as it is not a sport that the opportunity often arises to try before high school. Freshman have to work hard to learn the new sport with help from coaches and upperclassmen. Junior Kyle Pratt feels good about this season and thinks the team will do well after working with the incoming freshmen, as the team has a good background and usually places high in meets.

“I want at least one guy and one girl going to state,” Pratt said, “Michaela Randolph did it last year, now we need a guy.”

Some like to concentrate on one Track and Field event, others like to explore and compete in multiple. One such multi-tasker is Haug, who plans on competing in both distance and pole vaulting for the first time this season. Athletes are able to split time between practices for two events, sometimes running at home and practicing the field event at practice with the team, allowing them to meet personal goals.

“My goal for the first meet is to run 2:07 in the 800 meter and 4:42 in the mile,” junior Brandon Chac said.

The first meet scheduled is a dual meet against Holt on March 19. The first Varsity meet, Friday Knight Relays, will be held at North on March 28.