Malden boys running. Photo taken by Ana Pirosca.
BY FALYN KELLEY & ANA PIROSCA
With the indoor track athletes now adapted to certain challenges, the team is tunneling full steam ahead. Foreseen in the beginning of the season, there was a lot of promise in many of the new additions to the team. Sophomore Mattheus Farias, on
his second year of track, is ecstatic about the team that has formed this year. “The season so far has been exceptional, with some of our new members making quite an impact in races,” Farias states.
There are many athletes in plentiful events that are gifted in what they do. Freshman Nour Chouiki, participating at a varsity level, is a 600 meter runner. Chouiki expresses that since the season started, she’s gotten a lot faster compared to the first time when she ran the 600, considering that the “season isn’t over yet, and there’s lots of room for improvement,” as returning member junior Amanda Santorelli pointed out.
During practices and meets, Chouiki records her time like many of the other runners. This way, over the course of the season, she can compare how fast she has gotten, notice her good days from bad days, and what she needs to do to perform better. Chouiki also explained that over time, her first and latest running times had an overall change of 10 seconds, this could potentially have a dramatic change in placement.
Although it’s never just how fast you run that changes, junior Kylie DiMaro, a distance runner states that as a team, work ethic is improving every season. She states, “everyone continues to work hard every day in order to run faster. We continue to put our best foot forward.” Farias had come to the same conclusion about the team, having dedicated much effort to accomplish their individual goals. After all, without good work ethic, talent is meaningless, as expressed by many athletes at the start of the season.
It is also noted that support, confidence, and good advice worked its way to all the athletes. During races, everyone is working together and cheering each other on. Most indoor track athletes refer to their teammates as family. Farias states that, “back during try outs it was completely different” because everyone was just trying to get in shape and get used to the environment. The progress the team has made since then “is surprising because no one would expect almost 100 teenagers to be such a family to one another.”
As a result of the strength and unity throughout the team, many athletes are gradually achieving their goals. Some, such as Santorelli, have been aiming to improve speed and endurance. Since she started track a year ago, she’s learned how to push herself “trying hard whether it is in workouts or just doing cores and strengthening.” Like Chouiki, her times and speeds have also improved. Other than physical capability, she feels as though she has improved her confidence as well.
Because big opponents are coming up, Farias believes the next few weeks will be “a thrilling few weeks.” Farias finds it difficult to keep up with everyone during meets and finds that he needs to focus more on running than on cheering his teammates on. Though with a winning streak not yet broken, it’s hard not to be excited.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to put your best foot forward if there’s an injury. DiMaro explains that one of the biggest challenges in running is when students get injuries. When an athlete is hurt, another athlete has to take their place. She also states that “every runner is important and plays a key role in our success. When one person is injured, the whole team is affected.”
