Track and Field – the Sport That Teaches More than Athleticism

“Success is defined differently for each kid involved in track,” notes Head Track Coach William Johnson.

Learning to run well or excel in field events is truly a journey into one’s inner athlete.  Track and Field demands a lot of competitors in the “self-knowledge” department to win, and that requires a growth mindset and time.  Knowing when you can push yourself, how hard you have to train, and how to measure personal success are all key components in this sport.

Belleville’s Athletic Director Wayne Fell says, “Track and Field is one of the more successful and higher participation sports that Belleville offers through its co-op teams.”

Coach Johnson was excited to see initial turn-out high with numbers in the upper eighties – about fifty boys and roughly forty girls signed up for Track and Field this spring.  For committed athletes as the season continues, first-timers begin to look to the upperclassman who lead by example and learn from them what it means to strive to give their personal best.  If one learns to improve oneself, finding one’s own success leads the team to benefit as well.  Coaches see their young athletes learning how best to improve themselves as they watch the progress of their older teammates and see the results of their commitments in their own events.  As a result, they become more responsible with each day.  This is a sport that really helps produce productive citizens as each student athlete sees how giving their all helps build a strong team and get results.

As track and fielders make the next lap in their spring season, their coaches are excited to see their team shaping up and embracing the chance to compete.  April is finally providing some great weather to prepare as a team and coaches and competitors are enjoying seeing the snow gone and clear skies.  This change of season also brings with it a change of attitude in the Midwest for high school sports enthusiasts.

“We are seeing a renewed energy from the athletes with the change of the weather and getting outside for practice.  It’s nice to see the focus to detail and efforts from the kids at practice.  We’ve recently competed in our first conference dual meet, and it was great to see all of our athletes competing.  There have been some pleasant surprises with athletes’ results, which is good for us to see so we can put together the best, most competitive roster on the track for our meets,” says Coach Johnson.

After hurdling the first conference dual meet, Coach Johnson is smiling over his team’s “A-ha” moments.  He truly believes that you don’t have to be the “best” in your event, but encourages his athletes to learn to “best” themselves – this is how you “ready” a team for competition, and frankly it’s how you teach life-long skills as a coach.  With this in mind, Johnson is excited and feels his athletes have a great chance in the Southern Duals in the Capitol Conference.