The indoor track teams will be having their first meet at Thomas Jefferson Community Center on Friday, Dec. 11.

The girls team has been preparing since Nov. 13 and is excited for this year’s season.

“I’m excited for winter track starting,” senior  Shaneya Wichard said. “I’m glad to be back around all my track ladies.”

Starting a sport after a long break can be intimidating. It is hard to stay in shape during the off-season, but junior Arianna Ward is confident she is ready for the start of this new season.

“I am excited to see what progress I made over the break,” Ward said. “I have strengthened myself so I can get faster.”

There are many returning runners, this year’s team has increased greatly since last year. Almost 200 runners attended tryouts on Nov. 17 and 18. In the past, the indoor track team has only consisted of around 100 to 150 runners.

Although the new mass of runners can be overwhelming, assistant coach Ivy Roe is hopeful that there will be new talent among the newcomers.

“Hopefully we’ll get new runners who are ready to compete along with returning runners who will want to improve their past records and challenge themselves to be the best they can be,” Roe said.

The team is focusing on training the newcomers as well as the returning runners.

It is important to help the first time track runners, but it is also important to continue improving the returning runner’s times.

It should be the goal of every team to achieve the best possible times as well as compete in the best meets.

“My goal for the season is the same as every season,” Wichard said.“ Which is to be able to go to states.”

In order to achieve this goal, a lot of training and effort is required from the whole team. It has been a while since the girls have been to the states competition as a team. The team has a lot of time until the states competition so they are now focusing on the upcoming meet at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

The first meet will give each runner and relay team a good idea of what their times are. It will also allow the coaches to spot the top runners.

As well as helping them learn their times, the meet will help give perspective on how much each runner needs to work to improve.

Coach Roe is confident the girls can improve this season and believes the girls can be successful this winter as long as they put in effort and strive to be better.

“Attendance for practice every day and commitment to be the best athletes they can will take the girls really far this season ,” Roe said.

Some of the girls have even been preparing and working to improve before the season even began. A lot of the girls get in shape by participating in other sports.

“I feel like I am prepared for the season because of running so much in soccer which helped my sprinting and endurance,” junior Gabby Jordan said. “It definitely helps my explosiveness for starting off a race.”

Similarly, other girls use track as an opportunity to strengthen themselves for other sports.

“Winter track helps me get in shape for the spring and soccer,” sophomore Genesis Lara said. “Being with everyone is really fun.”

The girls team has a lot of hope for this season.  The excitement is high and the preparation for the first meet is tough, but the girls are excited and ready for the new season.

“We have a lot of great girls running this year,” Lara said. “I’m sure it will be a good season.”

Not only the track team is ready for the season, but so are the coaches.

“The girls get along wonderfully!” Said Roe, “They are very supportive of one another during practices and meets. They build each other up especially if a workout or race didn’t go well and are always thinking of fun team bonding activities which is what really makes athletics fun.”

The girls team has  a lot of hope for this season.  The excitement is high and the preparation for the first meet is tough, but the girls are excited and ready for the new season.