AISJ Senior Track and Field Team Reflection

AISJ Senior Track and Field Team Reflection

The AISJ track team competed on Wednesday, 25 September against Dainfern and De La Salle at Heronbridge. Speaking as a team member, our team is getting stronger with every practice and every meet. Camaraderie and teamwork are consistently displayed between team members. Each track competition unifies our team. I continuously see great support from other team members coaching on their peers. My challenge on joining the track and field team is that it takes great discipline between balancing studies and homework.

My biggest challenge is reserving all my energy for sprinting the 100-meter and the 200 meters. I am learning to get more sleep and eat nutritious meals to prepare myself for the physical exertion it takes to compete. Also, I am breaking in my running shoes. Each track practice and competition I feel my body is stronger and my speed is faster. Keeping my eye on my opponents drives me to sprint faster and reach for my goals. I keep my insights focused while I’m sitting on the bench waiting for my turn to sprint. Using mental preparation to drive my enthusiasm. One specific learning moment was when I was continuously experiencing a thigh cramp in my left leg. I knew this could hinder my performance so I have learned to always thoroughly stretch before and after each sprint. Now, I know how important it is to keep my legs warmed up for each run. Each practice helps me eliminate my limitations. Therefore, on competition days I have much smoother and defined runs. 

I can relate to my leg cramps and I can identify the slightest discomfort. Thus, I add more stretches both dynamic and static to my warm-up. When I began track I didn’t know about fatigue and keeping one’s form throughout the run. Now, I have learnt new lessons on how to keep my body posture when running. A straight back and head, running on my toes, and keeping my arms inline and in rhythm with my stride enhances my performance tremendously. I feel these changes have definitely improved my overall running ability. I have come to the conclusion, to make time to practice running outside of school, eat well, and sleep. These are no longer outstanding issues. My future goals from this incredible experience are to keep these strong exercise ethics, proper running techniques, and team camaraderie in future sport endeavors.