Carlmont High School’s track and field teams train for the rapidly approaching spring sports season. Despite challenges and fierce competition, the Scots are confident in their abilities for the incoming season.
“I think we’re doing a lot better compared to last year. We’ve done a lot of work in the offseason, just training and conditioning to get ready, and I couldn’t be more thankful to our coach for helping us with that,” said junior Sean Conley, a varsity runner for the team.
One of the main obstacles the team would have to overcome is the immense competition from other schools, which historically have matched, if not surpassed, the Scots in ability.
“It’s definitely going to be difficult. The biggest challenge is the competition. There are a lot of fast people in the Central Coast Section (CCS). People have run under 4:20 in the mile and 1:52 in the 800, which is just insane. Again though, that’s just a goal we’ll have to meet, and I’m up for the challenge,” Conley said.
Additionally, many of the veteran athletes who played a crucial role in the team’s performance have graduated, leaving it up to the new waves of runners and throwers to pick up the pace.
“We lost two of our seniors who won Athlete of the Year last year for track. So, that will be a challenge for us, but we have a large incoming freshman class. Some will run JV, and our junior group is now firing, so I feel like we’re going to do great,” said Josh Schaefer, the head coach of track and field.
Regardless of the many challenges that await them, the team has primarily set its sights on sending more athletes to the CCS and Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) finals. In turn, this motivates them to work harder towards their goal.
“Focusing on how many kids we can get to CCS is kind of our motivating factor. I think we got about 10, and one that went to state, which was great. But I want to get three times that goal there. It’ll be a struggle, but to us, really pushing that number from 10 to 30 is what’s motivating us,” Schaefer said.
Members of the team also express their desires to improve their performance beyond what is expected of them. They also seek to push themselves not just to win their events but to go beyond their limitations.
“This is a sport where you get a number and push yourself past that number, and it’s really enjoyable to see yourself improve and push yourself beyond what was previously a boundary,” said junior Warner Baker, a varsity thrower for the team.
Despite what is waiting for them at the start of the season, the Scots will confidently hit the ground running with hopes for CSS and PAL.
“In general, I’m really happy with where we are as a team, and the sprint, distance, and field events look amazing,” Schaefer said.
