Track and Field has gotten off to a slow start this year, at least competition-wise. All meets this month have been postponed. On Saturday, March 21, there was an invitational, a competition where competitors are invited. Noah Chaousy (12) and Landon Palka (11) were both specifically invited to this competition. On March 30, there was also a meet at South Side. Information on the meet was not available at the time of publication.
Despite the delays on meets thus far, practices have continued as usual. The team practices Monday through Thursday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Initially, the practice was scheduled 30 minutes earlier, but due to difficulty in reporting on time, coaches decided to move it to improve punctuality. Friday functions as a day for optional practice. Attendance for practice on Friday is up to the coach’s discretion for each event. If the coach thinks that their team needs more practice, they can make Friday mandatory.
During practice, all members warm up together, doing stretches and then a lap around the track. They then break up according to their events to focus on specific skills, and the coaches lead the training program. Each practice is different, concentrating on whatever skills the coach deems need to be improved for their event. An example of a day of practice for a distance runner would be warming up with the rest of the team, running a mile then working on racing techniques and calisthenics.
There have been some adjustments this year concerning coaches. Coach Antonio Powell, also known as “Coach T,” who previously coached sprints, has been replaced by Mr. Casey Keisyer. Coach Dr. Lindsay Perko, who coaches hurdles, now also coaches javelin.
Additionally, Mr. Chris DeLong coaches distance, Ms. Allison Hickenboth coaches jumping and Ms. Kelly Emes coaches pole vault. Officer Greg Pullen coaches throwing, including discus and shot put. Mr. Dave Badamo also assists in coaching.
On the track, there is sprinting, which includes the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, and a 200-meter relay race. There is also distance, which has the 800-meter, 1600-meter, and 3200-meter races. The relay for distance is what’s called the 4×8, where four runners take turns running 800 meters. Hurdles are also on the track, with 100-meter races for the girls and 110-meter races for the boys. The 300-meter hurdles are for both girls and boys. Mid-distance consists of the 400-meter regular race and the 400-meter relay race.
“I’m mostly excited for the 4×1 relay because I want to go to WPIALs or even states again … I think the relay team will be good this year, so hopefully we can go far,” Mackenzie Mohrbacher (12) said.
On the field, there is throwing, which consists of throwing javelin, discus and shotput. There are also various forms of jumping, such as high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault.
“I think that we’re pretty solid and that we will get a lot more points in the throwing category than we did in the past couple of years,” Trinity Vojtko (12) said.
Gus Hickenboth (10), a student who is homeschooled but does athletics for Freedom, competed in the Adidas Indoor Nationals over the weekend of March 21 and earned 18th place overall in long jump. His current personal record is only a foot short of breaking the current school record, giving high hopes of breaking that record this season.