Senior year is the beginning of a lot of “lasts” for students. The last first day of school, the last homecoming dance and the last football game are only a few examples. However, there is a particular “last” that can be seen in senior track athlete’s lives.
Sports take up around 21 hours per week for student athletes according to Verified Athletics. Track athletes at CHS have one and a half to two hour long practices five days of the week. This time commitment only makes it natural for seniors to have bittersweet feelings about their last season. With 26 seniors on the roster out of 145 total athletes, track is the winter sport with the most seniors.
“I’m going to miss spending a lot of time with some of the guys on the team,” senior three season track athlete Tristan Thurneysen said. “You get to spend a lot of time with people on the team whether you’re stretching, doing agilities or on the actual run, so you and your teammates develop a good relationship.”
Though he will miss his team once the spring season ends, Thurneysen is going to enjoy more freedom over his personal life during the off-season. While Thurneysen is also a spring track athlete he still has some time in between seasons.
“I am looking forward to being able to eat like a regular person and not having to center my meals around when I’m running and worrying about that,” Thurneysen said.
Winter track assistant coach Andrew Tramel has seen many senior seasons throughout his time at CHS. Watching these students bond during their last season is one of his favorite things about coaching the team.
Last year the team dealt with many injured seniors which led to the team bonding even more according to Tramel. The team last year also saw success in the boys team since they reached the district tournament. This year the team is hoping to see a different outcome from the season, especially for the girls, in terms of how far the team reaches in the playoffs.
“ I would hope that the guys could place, win a couple individual titles, districts, regionals and states, and on the girl’s side, try to get as many girls in the region as possible,” Tramel said.
Another senior winter track athlete, Eubin Kim, has been on the team for three years. She is a distance runner and has running routes around the Greenbriar community during practice.
“I look forward to after school everyday because, although it’s just track practice, I get to spend time with my friends and enjoy a break from all my other responsibilities,” Kim said. “Track really improves my mood and I know I’m going to miss the team so much when I graduate.”
The team’s first meet was on Dec. 6 at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, with four senior boys placing in the individual events. Their next meet is on Dec. 21 at the CHS outdoor track.
The track seniors have many traditions to look forward to this season, such as special team dinners, overnight trips and customized track merchandise that is just for them. Along with these traditions is the assurance of life-long memories.
“This sport will change your life forever if you commit to it,” Tramel said. “It will change how you eat, sleep and approach challenges.”
