Dashing through the snow
Though the girls track team battles with weather cancellations, the athletes aren’t letting a little snow stop them from improving individually and as a team.
Captain Sophie Epps is racing towards the finish line
A rush of adrenaline overcomes a track athlete as she obeys the orders of the person wielding the power to commence the race with their amplified voice and starter pistol. The words “on your marks,” “set,” and then the long anticipated bang of a gun ring around the grounds signifying that the race is underway. Unfortunately, the Bomber girls track and field season did not start off with a bang because Minnesota did what Minnesota does best: dished out some more unpredictable weather. Mounds of snow, pouring rain, and frigid temperatures, which resulted in the cancellation of three track meets haven’t stopped the squad from working hard and pushing themselves to improve every day. The weather may have wreaked havoc on the early part of the season, but as temperatures have steadily risen, the girls have had more opportunities to display their talents.
Running at the indoor meet at Rochester Community Technical College to open up the season is a favorite of many athletes on the team. This year, the team took home second place, losing out only to Byron, a school traditionally considered a track powerhouse in the area. Since that first meet of the season, the Bombers have gone on to finish second both in Faribault and Lake City, and third in Ellsworth (their not so low, lowest place of the season). Victory is not out of the ordinary for the team either, as the red and black secured first place finishes in Stewartville, as well as in front of the home crowd twice.
Despite all of the successful results, senior captain Molly Bowen alluded to the fact that this is a bit of a rebuilding season because of the loss of many talented seniors from the prior year. Being a rather young team hasn’t kept the Bombers from tasting success though. Bowen pointed out Jaci Winchell, a long and triple jumper, as one of the standout performers of the season. Full of praise for her teammate, she said, “she is only a freshman, so she has a lot of potential.” Considering that this is a rebuilding season, with so many of the younger athletes having to step up for their team and act as if they’re grizzled veterans, the near future of the girls track program is looking remarkably bright – especially when the team has been more than competitive.
As the invitational season winds down, the nitty-gritty period of the season begins, with the conference, sub-section, and section track meets fast approaching. Eager to continue honing their abilities for these paramount meets, the girls will be able to run faster, jump higher, and throw farther.
Chris Baszuro, now a Sports editor, is a senior and has been involved with the Lantern for two years. Soccer, speech, MHS, band, and jazz band are a few...