On April 15, Park had their first home track and field meet of the season for both boys and girls varsity and junior varsity. Park competed against Jefferson, Southwest and Washburn. Several Park athletes made personal bests during this meet, while others raced for the first time this season.
According to junior Yusuf Yusuf, he and his four-by-eight team didn’t give up and continued to push even through the most taxing parts of the race. He said he was happy about what he himself did and getting his team a better placement.
“My team did well with not giving up,” Yusuf said. “The last lap could be pretty tiring, but we didn’t slow down that much. I went pretty fast, and I think I brought my team up two to three places. I’m just happy I did that.”
Junior Cesar Wood, who ran the mile and four by four, said he felt the team, both boys and girls, had great energy and team camaraderie.
“The team’s doing really well,” Wood said. “There’s a lot of positive energy here. A lot of guys are cheering each other on, and a lot of girls are cheering each other on, too.”
Assistant track and field coach Chris Nordstrom said the meet went well because of the weather, and the Park athletes did a great job pushing themselves.
“It was a great day,” Nordstrom said. “The weather was just about perfect, and I think the Park kids just came out and competed. They got better today and just had a really good day overall.”
According to Wood, he really enjoys it when Park has a home track and field meet. He said he enjoys the ease and closeness to home of hosting.
“I like (home meets). I have a lot of fun when we host. It’s a lot easier for me because I don’t get out of class super early, and I’m close to home,” Wood said.
Nordstrom said hosting meets splits his attention between coaching the athletes and organizing the meet itself. He said it still can have many benefits, especially for the athletes.
“As a coach, (a home meet) takes away from being able to coach a little bit because you’ve got to make sure the meet’s moving and flowing,” Nordstrom said. “For the kids, it’s a great opportunity. They like to compete at home, and their friends and classmates can come. So, for the kids, I know they love it.”
Cesar said he is eager to see how the track team does. He said several athletes could have a future state position.
“I’m excited for the rest of this team,” Wood said. “We have a lot of guys who could be threatening a state position, so I’m curious to see how they do.
Yusuf, who is new to track this season, said he enjoys it because of his friends on the team and the small community he is now a part of. He said he likes how it encourages him to push himself athletically.
“I like track a lot,” Yusuf said. “I like doing the workouts with my friends, and I have a little group that I run with. They motivate me to keep running because I feel like if I were by myself, I wouldn’t.”
According to Nordstrom, the meet was a pretty big moment in this season. He said they still have much to learn as the track teams now get closer to championship season.
“Today was a big step. We got a nice day,” Nordstrom said. “We have our big home invite on Monday, and so we’ll learn a lot of things there. But with track, it’s just trying to get a little bit better every day and just really getting ready for May, which is championship season.”
