Leaping for Greatness

The Fair Grove Middle School Track team has been preparing diligently for their 2021 spring season. The teams first track meet was held Wednesday, April 7th. 

To prepare for the upcoming spring season, Kayla Holt alongside Carrie Green has created practice plans with workouts to prepare the athletes for their track meets. Holt stated, “We communicate a lot about the expectations for athletes in academics and during practices or meets to keep consistency within the team.”

Most middle school track meets only allow for the entry of two athletes per event. Due to these restrictions many students feel unmotivated to continue to excel in the sport. Holt said, “Keeping students motivated if they were not selected for events they want to run can be a challenge, but we just keep emphasizing that they are not ready YET. We never discourage athletes from trying and push them to continue practicing, practice makes for proficiency.”  

Both coaches have made it of high value to make sure the students prioritize their school work over the sport. Holt commented, “We’ve made it a point with our athletes that school comes first. It helps being a classroom teacher so that I can have consistent and open communication with all of our athletes’ teachers.”

The middle school track team has made many improvements this season focusing around field events such as long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault, shot, and discus. Many of the athletes have never attempted the various field events. “…and with practice and coaching, they´ve improved tremendously,¨ explained Holt. 

The young athletes have gone out of their comfort zone to try new things to personally improve their performance. Not only does this prepare them for the high school level sport, but it also improves their mental strength as well. Holt expressed, “No matter what sport you’ve decided to do, do it to the best of your ability and never stop when things seem difficult.”