by Blake B. and Austin B.

Track is a fun and enjoyable sport with elements that you don’t find in most other sports. Track isn’t just one event that happens every track meet, it’s many different events that each require their own unique skill sets. It seems like track, whether it be the running events or the field events, has something for everyone.

However, even if you think you have the skill set needed to perform a certain event on track, you need to make sure you’re one of the best in your event, because the amount of people taken to each meet is slim. “For each event the coaches take 3 of the top performers of that event to go to the meet,” Coach Hannah expressed.

 Whether or not you made the meet, you can keep practicing to improve. Coach Hanna States “ We encourage that because it will help you get better at all of your other sports and just because you miss one meet doesnt mean youll miss the next meet.” This shows that the Alamo Heights coaches believe that everyone has room for improvement throughout the season.

There are a variety of schools that compete in a track meet Coach Hanna states,“ Usually they break it up where four schools go to the track meet and then at the district track meet at the end of the year all seven schools go to compete with their top performers.” This shows that the track meets are filled with many great athletes that compete against many schools.

The scoring system in track is different from the scoring system of most other sports, as all the points scored in each event contribute to one final team score. Coach Hannah explained how many points each place gets for each event. “If you place in the top six, first through six, then you get points. First place gets ten points then 8,6,4,2 for each place after that in the top 6 then for 7th place and after you receive no points, and relays are double the points.” This implies that if you want to help your team gather points, then you need to be able to place in the top 6.

In track you are an individual but you are competing with your team. Coach Hanna expresses, “ You are a part of the track team but you are also an individual. You are going against the other teams, but your points go toward your team points. So I think that it is unique in that way. You are competing against your times but it is going towards your team.” This conveys that everyone is competing for their points but at the end all of the points matter for your team.

In conclusion, track is a unique sport with many different aspects that you don’t see too often in other sports. In track, the 3 best performers from each school in each event go to the meet. For each meet, you are competing against multiple other schools in certain events to attempt to rally up points for your particular school, but you are also trying to do the best you can in your individual event. In order to receive points, you must place in the top 6, otherwise you will receive 0 points. The most points you can get from one event is 10, unless it is a relay, in which points are doubled and the maximum you can receive is 20.