As winter thaws into spring, the girls track team is warming up to break personal records as well as school records.
“For three events, we’re trying to take down the school record,” head girls track coach Joel Carrillo said.
Two of these events include junior Gabi Tederman, who is looking to break school records in both the 800-meter race and 4×400-meter relay race.
“I’m excited to see what I can do in the 800. I want to make it to state and do better than I did last year,” Tederman said. “For the four by four, we’re gonna have a little bit of a different team this year, but I think we can still get the school record.”
Another athlete looking to make an impact this year is sophomore Kylie Kraijcek. As a freshman last year, she already earned the school record in high jump and is hoping to make it to state again this year.
“I’m hoping to qualify for state in high jump again…but also keeping myself healthy is another goal,” Kraijcek said.
Although both have big goals for themselves, they share aspirations of helping the team reach success overall. This is especially true for Tederman since this year she’ll be one of the six upperclassmen on this young team.
“Now I’m getting older and I have more of a leadership position on the team, and I’m taking it more seriously,” Tederman said. “I have a lot more experience, so I know what to expect.”
Part of how they’re going to help the team make strides this year is by creating a competitive team dynamic. Whether it’s practice or meets, the team is pushing each other to reach their full potential.
“I think the inside friendly competition and being like ‘I wanna be better than that person’ is helping others to get better…and then that as individuals is helping us as a team,” Kraijcek said.
Even with big goals in mind as individuals and a team, one priority for the season is to always have fun and enjoy the experience.
“The good laughs we have during a hard workout keep them coming back,” Carrillo said. “You can have a good work ethic and have fun at the same time.”
