As with every sport, athletes are lost on the course of the years. And though athletes are lost every year, new faces are gained.

“Not only has the long distance team been doing excellent this year is doing amazingly but everybody has really stepped up since cross country. They are all fighting hard for their places. I can tell this is going to be a good year.” Senior Christina Shackelford Said.

It is definitely true that sports build leadership but also strong friendship and bonds between coaches and athletes as well.

“Track is a good experience and helps you make some new close friends and challenges your strength. Running in the sleet sucks but the meets get you out of class. So it all works out evenly” Freshman Francisco Juarez said.

The success of a team overall derives from the improvement and perseverance from each individual. Though track is seen as an individual sport, it is more than that. Northtown’s coaches encourage their athletes to the very end to make each season as successful as possible.

“Well the team is really performing well this year. Everyone has been practicing very hard and that hard work is evident when we go to meets. I am really excited to see how the rest of the season goes. I know the whole team will go far” Senior Daren Woodward said.

There’s nothing more admirable than showing commitment to a sport by sticking through for their team for the entire high school career. With graduation just around the corner, maintaining a balance between school and sports can become quite a challenge.

“Track has been so fun the last three years. I’m really looking forward to my senior year and after the first couple of meets, it already seems like I’ve made progress just in the first couple of weeks of practice. Last year we had state competitors and this year I think we’ll have more people make it to state” Senior B.J. Smith said.

Though it is very early in the season to predict the outcomes for those athletes participating in districts and state, the track and field team is definitely demonstrating their winning perseverance and progress that is exactly needed by the coaches to send them off to higher competition.