Runners take their mark seconds before the starting gunshot fires. They race to the finish, sometimes only to win by a foot. Others compete by putting heavy disks and vaulting over hurdles. However, all these games occur “away.”
Students who walk past Palmetto’s athletic field can see it for themselves: Palmetto does not have a track. Over a year and a half ago, the district considered utilizing the school’s large field by building a track. Meetings and appointments concerning the potential “loop of pavement” took place, but c o n s t r u c t i o n never occurred.
“The money set aside for the track was redistributed by Capital Construction to other projects in our facility, specifically the school-wide renovation of bathrooms,” Principal Howard Weiner said.
The absence of a track to use for practice and competition hits Palmetto’s runners the hardest. This inconvenience forces them to practice at Coral Reef Park. Even though progress halted, track and field teammates, including all around runner and junior captain Rashe Boynton, hope for the construction plans to resurface.
“When we practice at Coral Reef Park we have to wait for the other team to finish, usually around 4:30,” Boynton said. “It sucks, especially on Fridays when I just want to go home and relax.”
Students like senior Thomas Green find a home field beneficial, but not essential to training hard.
“With a home field, you are more prepared for special events and you are more team oriented, field events especially,” Green said.
As Green would agree, a track-less field does not “stop” the team from reaching its full potential. According to sophomore Samantha Haus, the team executes rigorous “weight room” exercises and “lunges” on weather-permitting days. They also run up and down flights of stairs when the weather prohibits use of the field.
“It’s a ton of training,” Haus said. “The first week or so we usually can’t walk up stairs easily.”
The track and field team had a meeting in December, as they do annually, to initiate the season. At these meetings, prospective athletes become acquainted with new teammates and practice schedules. With so much training, however, students in the past have dropped out or simply chosen to skip practices. This year, even without a track, progress seems hopeful.
“We’re really good this year, at least compared to last year when everyone at the meeting didn’t show up to practice,” Haus said. “The meetings really help us get a good idea of who’s playing.”
Boynton, in spite of Palmetto’s track dilemma, seems excited for the upcoming season.
“We’ll probably have around five girls and over five guys make it to States this year, compared to the few we had last year,” Boynton said.
Overall, having a field that seems useless with regards to competition does not affect the team’s investment of time, energy and effort.
“We don’t need a track for practice; as long as we are putting in the work, we can practice anywhere,” Green said. “It doesn’t stop us.”
