The Track Experience

By: Labib Mahmud

It is a cloudy, cold day in Van Cortlandt. The fact that it rained an hour ago also doesn’t make my situation any better. At the starting line, I lined up with multiple different schools, with my team next to me, and we all cheered ourselves on. It began to rain. However, it was race day, so I couldn’t back off. The gun goes off, and I immediately cut to the front of the pack. It was a fierce competition between the runners as one tried to pass the other. As I went up the hills, the slippery road made me want to stop, but I continued. I ran like this for 22 minutes, as I hopped over tree branches, avoided fallen runners, and tried my best not to slip on the path. However, I was feeling confident because I was ahead of most of the other runners. As I finished the race, the cheers of the coaches and parents drove me to run faster. I finally saw the finish line and crossed it gracefully, as one of the referees handed me a medal. I got 10th place among 80 students.

Sports are an integral part of many high school students’ lives. Whether they do sports because they enjoy it or to stand out as a student, it’s common to see many students join different sports teams. I joined track at the beginning of junior year because I joined for the fun of it. As the 2023 school year comes to an end though, I’ve learned from my achievements and mistakes, which I hope to improve on next year. This article is dedicated to those who are interested in joining any sports team, or anyone who wants to know how it feels as a junior to juggle sports and academics.

Joining any sports team is a commitment you should be willing to make. You need to consider the amount of practice you have to put into the sport, and how to manage your social life, internships and academics. I had a very tough time managing sports and academics. There were too many internships, too much homework, too many races. Over the months, I’ve learned tricks to organize my life. I started using a planner to organize my schedule, I’ve learned to prioritize the important things, and save relaxing, but unimportant moments later. Overall, if you want to join a sports team, you’ll need to sacrifice many things to be able to focus on your sport. For those who are interested in tackling multiple extracurriculars, I highly suggest buying a planner and staying organized.

Cross-country was my first taste in serious running. Your mindset plays an important role in the sport. Running 5 kilometers isn’t easy for everyone. There was one freshman who tried running the basic 1.5 km race. However, by the end of the long run, he was puking in a trash can. Needless to say, he was dropped from the team. Not everyone is suited for this sport. In addition, the weather that we run in may be unpredictable. It could be as freezing as 30 degrees in October while it’s raining and you are expected to run the full course. While I also joined indoor track after cross country, the same mentality applied regardless. There is no luxury in playing this sport, and you must learn to endure.

Are there benefits to joining any sports teams? Yes. I’ve made so many friends, learned to train with them, and helped to keep my mind away from academics. In addition, seeing our growth is so satisfying. A friend that I interviewed had a completely different experience from me. He started the cross country season with terrible luck, where his appendix inflamed and had to get it removed. He wasn’t able to run throughout the cross country season, so he joined the indoor track season. One event that we both tried running was the 200 meter dash. When we sprinted that entire length, we almost collapsed at the end. We were not used to sprinting such a long distance. What’s amazing is that after months of running and practice, the 200m dash became easy for us. Regardless of which sport you choose, pushing yourself and setting personal records is satisfying.

Wrapping it up, my advice to potential athletes who want to join sport teams (or even track) is to not get discouraged because you can’t do it. Everything is a learning experience. Even though you might not be able to run a 5K in a reasonable amount of time on the first try, take a moment and congratulate yourself because you just ran your first 5K. The important part of any hobby or sport is practice. Make sure you are consistent with practice. One thing I regret is not being consistent with my running schedule. Additionally, please make sure to organize your other extracurriculars, internships, and exams because your schedule will get messed up sooner than you think. I hope my experience encourages others to join track, or gives a perspective about joining a sports team. If track isn’t your forte, there are plenty of other sports in the world. The advice is interchangeable. Good luck joining your sports team!