As the days get warmer, spring sports teams are beginning to practice and compete, including the track and field team. With a wide variety of events for athletes to compete in, track has one of the biggest teams in all of the sports at Conifer, and there’s a lot of training happening before the season actually begins.

   Members of the track team are divided into many different sections, and the competition is fierce, especially because of the vast number of competitors. Last year, Conifer placed fourth in the Colorado 7 League Championships for both boys and girls, and the team is hoping to take away even more titles this year.

   “I’m expecting this season to go well,” senior Madeleine Foster said. “I’ve put in lots of work in over the winter, specifically work to improve form and stride length. I want to qualify for state in the 2 mile and hopefully win leagues for the two mile as well. For the team, it would be cool to get as many league titles as possible, especially since so many distance runners are seniors. We’re hoping for a sweep of distance events, and winning the 800, mile, and 200 for both girls and boys in Leagues.”

   Track is an interesting sport in the fact that it’s just as much of an individual sport as a team sport. Everyone’s points are tallied for an overall score, and though there are relays, many of the events are done alone. This makes training that much more important; when working for a score that’s impacting a team and an individual, there’s a lot of pressure for success.  

  “This season, I’m hoping to train really hard and focus on my speed over my mileage, even though I’m technically a distance/mid distance runner,” junior Layla Smith said. “I want to break a minute in the 400m dash. I’m also going to be pole vaulting this year, thanks to Conifer getting a pole vault coach, and I’m hoping they’ll work well with me, because I’m hoping to vault up to 9’6 this year.”

   Track meets are often held on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and the team’s first meet is being held on March 9th at Jeffco Stadium.