For many athletes on the girls track team, this season marks a fresh start in terms of opportunities for improvement. After a season of uncertainty, the program is heading in a new directions. With new coaches, clearer expectations and a more professional approach, the group is focused on improving and reshaping the program both on and off the track.
Two seasons ago, the previous head coach for the team retired, leaving a new head coach, Trevor McKeown, to step up and take the lead. McKeown also teaches eighth grade science and coaches junior varsity football. He is most excited about the opportunity to continue leading the girls team this season.
“I was definitely taken off guard at first when the last coach left, but in general, I was excited about the opportunity,” McKeown said. “Having been with the program for a couple of years and witnessing our potential, I was excited to see it advance further.”
After losing two coaches last season, the team recruited new coaches for sprints, long distance and pole vault. Other coaches switched to other events, like Doug Ecker, who switched to sprints after coaching long distance last season. He appreciates the effort being demonstrated by the athletes on the team this year.
“So far, I’m very happy with what they’ve done,” Ecker said. “So many of them show up when they don’t have to, and they’re all listening and trying to work on things, which is all I can ask.”
Ecker is not the only coach who has recognized the efforts of the team so far this season. Another coach who joined the team this year is Averi Heintzelman, who used to be the boys track team’s high jump coach. This year, she coaches sprints and high jump for the girls team. From preseason alone, she has recognized the girls’ efforts as well.
“Talking to [McKeown] before I got here, he told me that there would be around 10 girls for preseason,” Heintzelman said. “I showed up and there were about 20 of them. Seeing them want to put that effort in made me realize that it is going to be a good season.”
Heintzelman tries to instill her resilient mindset in the team and encourage athletes to accept the losses that come with the sport.
“I think it’s important to understand that in order to win, you have to lose sometimes,” Heintzelman said. “Most athletes don’t want to lose, but understanding that growth comes out of failure and hardships is the most important thing for them to be able to grow.”
While Heintzelman aims to improve her athletes in their sport, she also strives to improve them in other areas outside of athletics.
“My biggest goal is to simply transform some of these girls into better athletes, better people and better students,” Heintzelman said. “To me, athletics is not just about the athletic part of it. It’s about being a team and seeing growth all the way around.”
The adjustments in coaching this season are evident to the athletes, and some are already noticing a big difference.
“The coaching is definitely the biggest noticeable difference this year,” junior Chloe Parker said. “I can already see a difference in the coaching just through preseason.”
There were quite a few challenges that the coaches and athletes faced last season that the program aims to improve this year. One of the biggest challenges they faced was finding an identity.
“We had a lot of individuals trying to figure out what they wanted to do, and towards the end of the season, we got to a point where we came together more as a team,” McKeown said. “I think we’re definitely carrying that into this season and hopefully getting better as a whole group, as well as individuals.”
Creating a collective identity was not the only challenge that the team seemed to face last season. Some athletes reported that they felt last season was a little inconsistent with things like communication and timing.
“Last year, the timeline was a little uncertain,” Parker said. “A lot of things that we needed, like important information, came out at random times.”
However, some things that the team never seemed to struggle with were community and inclusivity. The girls on the team are all very welcoming and encouraging to every athlete.
“The culture of our team is very inclusive,” McKeown said. “I want them to feel empowered to do what they need to do and go out there and compete. At the same time, we also have a team that wants everybody to do well and helps each other out.”
The welcoming community is one of the great qualities of the girls track team and makes it helpful when new athletes join the team or think about joining.
“For newer people, it’s easy to feel like they’re coming into a new place where they might not have a lot of friends or they don’t know how it’s going to be,” Parker said. “Although, with our amazing coaches and girls on the team, they will definitely immediately feel at home and not as intimidated.”
Along with the girls themselves being very friendly and welcoming, the coaches are very inclusive and understanding in terms of everyone’s different goals that they’re working towards.
“There are some girls who have State ambitions, where they want to go to Sectionals, compete and be the best of the best,” McKeown said. “There are also some that are here for the camaraderie and being around others, and that’s perfectly fine.”
