By DAVID WOOD, for The Democrat
As boys Head Coach Kirk Wrightsman puts it, “the hay is in the barn.”
The regular track and field season is over, the necessary prep is done, and now it’s time to perform.
“We have done the work since February, and for some, they’ve been training since cross-country at the end of the year. So, we’re there, and it’s time to get after it,” Wrightsman said.
His words followed the varsity track team’s final meet at home against Columbus East, the second-to-last of the regular season.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]While the team scores reflect a sizeable win for Columbus, they don’t show the entire picture.
“We’re going to have a lot of personal records (PRs) when we sit down and look at this. That’s what we want to see, the continual progression,” Wrightsman continued.
“Competing with a school that’s bigger than us, we stepped up and were winning some races. … I think we stepped up and had a pretty good showing,” girls Head Coach Jay Myers added.
Led by their seniors, Brown County swept multiple events and even created a large upset in the girls 4×400-meter relay. The team of Coralynne Robinson, Anna Fleetwood, Izzy Rygiel and Christy Sebastian set a new personal record and took first place with a time of 4:28.
“I think our 4×400-meter relay there at the end was a big exclamation point to the meet. I think it was pretty impressive to see those girls come out and compete the way that they did,” Myers said.
Competing alongside the varsity squad was BCHS’ unified track team consisting of student athletes from Barb Kelp’s Essential Skills classroom and partner athletes from the high school.
Unified athletes Connor Lehman and Rodney Walls competed in shot put, long jump, the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter run.
With multiple family and crowd members in support, the athletes remarked on how good it felt to be cheered on.
“It makes me happy when they say, ‘You got it!’ and ‘Keep going!’ I do the same and it feels pretty good,” Walls said.
Both he and Lehman finished the meet with future goals in mind. Walls wished to keep the season going and to get better, while Lehman said he wanted to be the No. 1 kid of the year.
Members of the boys and girls varsity squads left the meet with goals of their own.
“I want to end the year with a bang and PR everything if possible. I just want to finish strong,” senior Robinson said.
Likewise, senior Marino Dolph hopes for a strong end to his final year, but also to return Brown County track to its former glory.
“I hope I can do as well as I want to and get as many points for the team as I can. I’m going to try to make Brown County WIC champions. That’s what we were my freshman year,” he said.
However, while all athletes left with renewed dreams, many also left with ice.
With little rest to be found during the regular season, the aches and pains tend to pile up. Now that they’re in the home stretch, it was time for the athletes to recover in preparation for the conference meet and sectionals.
“I feel like we have training to do, but it’s not about building us up. It’s about getting prepared for what we’re about to do in conference. Right now for long distance, we’re taking our miles down and keeping our legs a little more fresh, so by the time we get to conference, we should be good to go,” senior Jackson McPheeters said.
However, for some athletes like senior Evey Crimmins, there’s no getting better until the season’s over. It’s about making do however you can.
“My shinsplints hurt before, during and after. … I’ve been in a boot actually to try and ease up on them a little bit, but you have to finish the year, you know. You have to make it your best,” she said.
