With Selma High’s track and field season having begun, there is much excitement and goals to be met throughout the season. All track and field coaches are dedicated to making sure each athlete is seeing the results they want, while at the same time enjoying every part of this sport.
With track and field having so many events, there is an individual coach to each specific event. Sprinters will go with Coach Harshaw, distance runners will go with Coach Francis, throwers for shot put will go with Coach Domingues, and jumpers will go with Coach Weimann. A typical day of practice would consist of doing dynamic warm-ups as a team and then breaking up determining what events you do.
“Early in the season our practices were workouts for the entire team. As we have begun to dive into the season, practice is now more event specific for each athlete,” said Coach Francis.
Track practices have changed a little bit since the season has started, however the goal of improvement is always there.
“I have seen athletes who were new to certain events a month ago that are now having a lot more fun because they have more of an understanding of what they are doing and need to do in order to be successful,” said Coach Francis.
To see results or reach a goal there will always be improvement, which Coach Francis has explained how one of the biggest improvements he’s seen himself, is seeing athletes learn new things and becoming more confident in their events.
“Wanting to be the best version of myself has pushed me to work hard every day at practice,” said Mia Balderas.
Balderas has been running since middle school and is now a sophomore. Balderas’s favorite thing about track throughout the years is competing at meets, while seeing herself grow more and more as an athlete.
“The hardest thing about track is probably not getting discouraged when other people are better than you,” said Balderas.
Balderas explained how it can be difficult sometimes to stay positive when competing, however she has been learning that you should see those people as a motivation for yourself to improve. When athletes begin to feel discouraged the number one thing Coach Francis does is to motivate them. When stepping onto the track, Coach Francis’s goal is to make sure every athlete is pushing themselves as hard as they can, while keeping a positive attitude and just having fun.
“Communication is a key value for us,” said Coach Francis.
Coach Francis explained how one of the biggest values he has as a coach is making sure there is always communication between athletes and coaches. Communication allows there to be a stronger bond between athlete and coach. These bonds help every athlete improve individually and meet their goals, while still loving the sport.