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Track and Field

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Track and Field: Left in the Dust?  

By Alexis Lomeli and Itzel Jimenez  

 

Track and field has been around since 776 B.C., originating in Ancient Greece. The competition was created for religious events and celebrations for the Greek gods where men could show off their athletic abilities. This competition includes events such as sprint races, long jump, discus, shot put, and javelin. All these events are still played to this day. It was widely known in Greece; however, Track and Field competitions were not popular in Europe. Gathering intel from, “The History Of Track And Field” (2020), by Jessica Todd, up to the 1860s, track and field was not widely known until 1866, when England held its first championship for men amateurs. This allowed track and field to become well known in other states such as the U.S. in 1887 (founding of The Amateur Athletic Union). The Olympics began in 1896 with track and field alongside other athletic events. Most people think that due to its history Track and Field is a well-attended sport. However, Greenfield High School’s own Track and Field team does not receive the attention that it deserves.

Track and Field InfographicDifferent Events at a Track Meet 

The track is separated into three categories: sprinters, long-distance runners, and jumpers. The sprinting events are the 100-meter dash, 200-meter, 400-meter, the 4x1, and the 4x4. These events are full-out sprints, pushing oneself to their limits, running these distances as fast as they can. When asked about her events, Alejandra Villegas, a sprinter here at GHS, “Compete[s] in the 100-meter dash and the 4x1,” and claims that she even, “might try doing the 200 this year.” One must go through a long, and tiring training regimen, to perform at your absolute best, when doing these events in meets.  

    The jumpers have many events, starting with hurdles. Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle while running a race against opponents. The hurdle events done at our school are the 100-meter, 110-meter, and 300-meter hurdles. There are other jumping events at track meets such as the long jump, triple jump, and high jump. The long jump is an event requiring strength, speed, and ability. The event measures the distance that an athlete can cover in one jump from takeoff. The triple jump is like the long jump, instead of one jump from the takeoff point, the athlete must complete a hop, and bound, and then jump into the pit. The high jump is jumping over a horizontal bar, measuring how high the athlete can jump. Another event performed at track meets (not here at G.H.S.) is the pole vault. The athlete gets a running start, to clear the high bar, using a pole to vault themselves over. Now we get off the track and enter the field.  

    The “field” events consist of mostly throwing events: shot put, discus, and javelin. All three events involve throwing the object that the event is named for as far as possible. Sounds like an easy sport, right? But these events require hours of technical work and brute force. Throwing a 12lb shot put or a 4lb discus puts the shoulder at risk of injury, which is why these events make up a very competitive section of Track and Field. These may be lesser-known events but we hope more people will acknowledge them. It is of note that Javelin also requires a lot of technical skill but is not an event against here at GHS or other competing high schools in our area.  

 

 

Track and Fields Infographic

 

 

Why You Should Join Track and Field

There are many reasons why you should join this amazing sport. One of which is the health benefits it can provide. Some health benefits include burning body fat and speeding up metabolism which helps athletes reach and maintain a healthy body weight. Maintaining a healthy body weight can allow you to be faster especially if you are sprinting. Track and field can also promote a healthy heart rate, and it can elevate your cardiovascular fitness which then balances moods and behaviors. It is an effective way to gain balance in the body. This sport can also give you something to do. Mr. Angel Villagomez is GHS’s very own Track and field coach. He’s been coaching here since the school opened in 1998. Villagomez also claims that when he was in high school, track and field was the sport that helped keep him busy, but it also challenged him in more ways than he could imagine, and he is hoping it can do the same for students here at GHS.  

    Joining track and field is also a fantastic opportunity for self-improvement. When interviewing Jesse Ramirez, G.H.S. Junior Track and Field runner, he said, “An advice I got from a friend of mine told me  ‘if you want to see the result then you must put the work in to get those results you are trying to reach’ this quote is amazing and yeah some people are naturally fast but that doesn't mean you can't get fast you just have to put the effort in and you will see.” Villegas states, “If you join track think of it as a race against yourself. Don't think of beating other people, [instead] think of beating your p.r.s (personal records). Winning a race is just a plus [and] you'll eventually get to the point where you're capable of doing both.” After all, Villegas adds, unlike some other sports, “with track, you can take it slow, progress on your own, and focus on only you.” As our reporters who are track and field athletes can vouch, many people who attend practice start slow. In contrast, towards the end of the season, these same athletes accomplish remarkable things that one could not imagine them doing based on their performances at practices at the beginning of the season.
    It’s true what they say, Track is a sport that only one can improve on with dedication alone. There is no “being the fastest runner on the track” there is only “How can I improve?”