With the district and regional competitions officially concluded, the indoor track season is almost wrapped up.
However, junior jumper and sprinter Miles Lanham will be the lone runner representing the Atoms at the state competition.
The meet will be held on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 at the VB Sports Center in Virginia Beach.
The two events Lanham will compete in are long jump and triple jump.
“My goal is to be state champion in both of these events,” Lanham said.
His preparation for the state competition has been going on since the beginning of the season. As the Atoms’s strongest jumper, he has followed a detailed training program and has stayed consistent for the past few months, which led him to a new school record in the triple jump earlier on in the season with a distance of 46’ 8”.
He also earned several medals at the regional championship, including first place in the triple jump and long jump.
“To prepare [for states], we have just been focusing on maintaining my ability and not overusing my body,” Lanham said. “We did a lot of strength training early on, now I just need to apply that to my jumps.”
Since he is the only runner from AHS competing at states, Lanham has been able to receive more direct coaching and training, which has improved his preparation for the upcoming meet. “We are maintaining conditioning, flexibility, and grass drills,” sprinting and jumping coach Julian Scarbrough said. “We want him to be consistent with form and speed to jump.”
Once the state competition is complete, the runners who participate in spring track will begin their preseason training.
A handful of distance runners have already started this process by going to morning training sessions before the school day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
However, many of the indoor track runners need some time to recover after such an eventful season.
“The indoor athletes are resting and the others are doing short runs, conditioning, and stretching to prepare,” Scarbrough said.
In addition, the arrival of the spring track season brings many favorable changes for the athletes. First, the weather is not as cold as it is during the winter track season, which makes it more comfortable for practices and meets, as well as decreases the risk for injuries.
Also, the lineup for the events changes slightly, with some races added and some dropped from the winter season.
“I am looking forward to warmer weather, new athletes, and maybe the return to the Penn Relays,” Scarbrough said.