Jack Day leads the pack at Sioux Park with Jess Christensen hot on his heels.
Some students love the thrill of competition. Others enjoy the self-improvement or the bond that
comes from being on a team. Whatever the reason, many students at Stevens High School are
choosing to push their limits through track and field.
Track offers a wide variety of events, and each athlete has their own reasons and motivations for
choosing the ones they compete in. Senior Jess Christensen, a four-year participant, specializes
in long jump, triple jump, high hurdles, and sprints.
“I chose my events because they suited my physique best,” said Jess. “I don’t have the mental
fortitude for distance or the muscles for throwing, so it kind of made sense.”
While physical attributes area often big factors in determining what even each athlete does, other
factors come into play as well. Junior Tessa Torres said that track fits well into her schedule and
complements her training for other sports like cheer and rodeo. Senior Carsyn Richmond chose
hurdles over sprints simply because he was better at hurdles over sprints and enjoyed them more.
Beyond the competition, many athletes enjoy the social side of the sport. “My favorite part about
track is seeing friends from other schools at meets,” said Tessa. For Carsyn, the best part is the
bus rides and hotel stays during major meets like Howard Wood and the state meet in Sioux
Falls. Seeing old friends, making new friends, and making more memories is one of the best
parts about track.
“Bonding with people you’ve worked hard with is great,” added Jess. “When you’ve got others
who push you to be better, it makes the work more fun, and you all perform better.” Not only
does the social aspect make the sport more fun but it can make for higher performance and
bigger PRs for the athletes.
Despite the highs, track has its challenges. For Carsyn, “lactic days build lactic acid in the legs
through hard and far runs.” Tessa finds it discouraging to train hard without hitting a personal
record (PR). “Throwing under my PR that one sucks,” she said. Jess pointed to a challenge that
cannot be controlled, “My least favorite part is the weather in South Dakota. Particularly it’s
unpredictable nature.” Weather can make it really hard to compete at a high level in track
sometimes completely ruining the meet.
In the end track is a great sport that has lots of highs and lows and reasons to compete in. Each
Raider has their own unique reasons for choosing track and goals to complete. Whether it’s for
fitness, friendship, or hitting that new PR, the athletes at Stevens High are showing they’re on
track for success.
comes from being on a team. Whatever the reason, many students at Stevens High School are
choosing to push their limits through track and field.
Track offers a wide variety of events, and each athlete has their own reasons and motivations for
choosing the ones they compete in. Senior Jess Christensen, a four-year participant, specializes
in long jump, triple jump, high hurdles, and sprints.
“I chose my events because they suited my physique best,” said Jess. “I don’t have the mental
fortitude for distance or the muscles for throwing, so it kind of made sense.”
While physical attributes area often big factors in determining what even each athlete does, other
factors come into play as well. Junior Tessa Torres said that track fits well into her schedule and
complements her training for other sports like cheer and rodeo. Senior Carsyn Richmond chose
hurdles over sprints simply because he was better at hurdles over sprints and enjoyed them more.
Beyond the competition, many athletes enjoy the social side of the sport. “My favorite part about
track is seeing friends from other schools at meets,” said Tessa. For Carsyn, the best part is the
bus rides and hotel stays during major meets like Howard Wood and the state meet in Sioux
Falls. Seeing old friends, making new friends, and making more memories is one of the best
parts about track.
“Bonding with people you’ve worked hard with is great,” added Jess. “When you’ve got others
who push you to be better, it makes the work more fun, and you all perform better.” Not only
does the social aspect make the sport more fun but it can make for higher performance and
bigger PRs for the athletes.
Despite the highs, track has its challenges. For Carsyn, “lactic days build lactic acid in the legs
through hard and far runs.” Tessa finds it discouraging to train hard without hitting a personal
record (PR). “Throwing under my PR that one sucks,” she said. Jess pointed to a challenge that
cannot be controlled, “My least favorite part is the weather in South Dakota. Particularly it’s
unpredictable nature.” Weather can make it really hard to compete at a high level in track
sometimes completely ruining the meet.
In the end track is a great sport that has lots of highs and lows and reasons to compete in. Each
Raider has their own unique reasons for choosing track and goals to complete. Whether it’s for
fitness, friendship, or hitting that new PR, the athletes at Stevens High are showing they’re on
track for success.
