Track and field sets their pace to success

For the first time since Head Coach José Marquez started coaching Track and Field, the team won against the La Cañada Spartans on March 23. Additionally, the team faced the Blair Vikings at its first home track meet of the season on April 6. Blair had only a few athletes at the meet, which the Rams used to their advantage to attain their victory against them. For the Blair meet, the Girls Varsity team scored 98-15, while the Boys scored a 116-0.
“A long term goal would be to be league champions as a team and eventually win CIF,” Coach Marquez said. “I want to get everyone where they need to be, making sure we have the right students and coaches where they need to be. I would say I can train a student’s body by how their body reacts to the stresses through training, but I can’t get into each student’s head. A lot of it has to come from students doing the workout that they are supposed to.”
One of the team’s greatest strengths is the athletes’ commitment.
Due to strict attendance standards, many athletes regularly attend practices. By practices, they can improve in their events. Not only that, the team’s large size makes earning points easier. Coach Marquez can move students into events where there are less participants in order to earn free points for the meet. These additional athletes have played an essential role in the team’s recent successes.
“If I work hard, not only me but the shotput and track team will benefit from it,” Sophomore Janna Elhawary said. “Track is an enjoyable sport, especially since I am able to do it with my friends.”
Off the field, Coach Marquez and the athletes are working hard to raise funds for new equipment, which include uniforms for the boys and other necessities. They also asked for sponsors for their Jog-A-Thon, bought different foods at Ono Hawaiian BBQ and shoes from A Snail’s Pace Running Shop.
“What I really enjoy about track are the moments that I share with my fellow athletes, and I’m very grateful that I have this opportunity to lead and grow with them throughout the season,” Senior Steven Quach said. “However, there are a lot of issues we have at the moment. We’re all trying to work together to fix each other’s problems and we are struggling mostly on getting personal records at meet. It can be really hard to do better at each meet and it’s even harder to stay consistent.”