With the high school track season recently starting, many Harrisburg students look forward to running and competing. Mr. Genrich, who serves as the distance track coach, states, “We have roughly 80 freshmen and sophomores signed up for the team already and just over 130 kids in total.” Because of the rise in numbers from previous years, Genrich hopes to qualify as many athletes as possible for State and place well at the ESD meet. Along with these goals, Carolyn Haar, an HHS senior distance runner, hopes to “try and break 2:20 in the 800 and earn a spot on a successful 4x800 team that has a chance to place at both ESD and State.”
Last year, track faced cancellation due to Covid-19; thus, Mr. Genrich explains, “That impact will be seen as we learn the athletes’ strengths, their level of commitment to staying active in the extended offseason, and the extent of their sharp, competitive edge.” Although some worry about competing for the first time in two years, Amarise Okken, a freshman at HHS, looks forward to “going out and proving to my coaches, teammates, and family that I deserve a spot on the team.” She also aspires to make it to State and become a top competitor in the 400.
For the first few weeks of the season, no meets will take place, which allows the athletes to get in an adequate amount of practice time. Okken says that she will “prepare by doing my best during practice and focusing my mind with a good attitude. I have seen negative results whenever I go into a race thinking bad about myself.” During this past cross-country season, Okken faced adversity when it came to injury, but she hopes for a fresh start mentally and physically this track season. When it comes time for the first meet at the end of the month, Haar states that she will “get a good warmup and stretch in, so I can get the most out of practice and be fully prepared for competitions.” With a positive outlook for this season, Tiger fans can prepare to see the runners both compete and place well amongst other AA schools. The team’s first meet is the Aberdeen Indoor ESD competition, taking place on March 30th.