January brings a large mix of events: cooler weather, a new semester, and one sport that brings the Pine Crest community together- Track and Field.

Pine Crest’s Track and Field Team is a unique and popular sport, as it combines events like long-jump, pole vaulting, javelin, and discus. Track and Field meets also include sprint and longer distance running events.

Last year, Pine Crest’s track team consisted of many talented seniors, some of whom were recruited to compete at the collegiate level. With these seniors having graduated, the team certainly has big shoes to fill.

The Paw Print spoke to lots of younger runners on the track and field team to gather their thoughts on the upcoming season. Runner Arthur Costa ‘23 said,

“We are all working hard to try to live up to last year’s team.”

As usual, the team began training in early December. Training consists of visits to the weightroom, sprints, longer distance runs, and team-building activities. The team has gained some new teammates this year, including Vaughn Komorech ‘22, a new student at Pine Crest this school year. Komorech said,

“This is my first year running on a distance team and I am excited to be a part of a team at Pine Crest.”

Although students are excited for the new season, the coronavirus has caused a few hurdles for the team. To take safety precautions, the coaches have implemented tryouts and cuts for athletes in order to limit the number of team members for the season.

“The track season is definitely off to a different start this year,” Rebecca Adler ‘23 said. “But it’s been a really fun and rewarding experience. Athletes are going to show up to tryouts with positivity, effort, and give their all on the track.”

The school has also decided to renovate the track, so during pre-season, athletes trained at nearby parks, schools, and other locations. Still, the team is eager to test out their new and improved track at Pine Crest. Click this link to read more about the new and improved track!

The drastic changes that the Pine Crest community has faced this year are difficult to manage, but nothing the Pine Crest Track and Field Team can’t handle. They took the difficulties of graduating talented seniors and coronavirus by the reins and made the best out of a tricky situation. The track team is moving forward with determination, and we look forward to hearing about their meets.