by George Angelidis and Yohwan Cha, staff reporters
As the student queues up, and gets ready for the race, he is anxious for the long run. He is on line with the other students waiting for the race.The line slowly gets smaller, and as he gets closer to the front, he gets more nervous. Finally, it’s his turn to run.
Each athlete took part in two out of the four events: the 200 meter, the long jump, the mile run and the shot put.
“This is the second straight year we are participating in this event. The first year was a great success. We have some returning athletes, but also a lot of newcomers, which is always a good thing,” Mr. Angeles said.
However, this track meet was only a developmental meet. A developmental meet is when schools gather and their athletes try to improve their performance in preparation for the finals. This year, the finals will be held at Icahn Stadium on June 1st. There will also be two other developmental meets on the 13th and 29th of May.
All the athletes must try to stay in shape in order to be ready for these upcoming events.
“I try to run when I’m not in school to stay fit, I think that it’s very important that you stay in shape. I’m running the 200 meter today and I’m pretty nervous,” 8th grader Peter Moldonado said.
Nerves are something that everyone experiences; it is a natural occurrence. It happens to professional athletes all the time. Athletes must find a way to push this uneasiness aside and do the best they possibly can. Once the race starts and the runner takes a couple of good strides the nerves slowly evaporate, and the athlete will become much more comfortable.
“I’ve been doing this for two years now and is a great form of exercise, as well as competition for the athletes taking part,” staff instructor Daniel Parker said.
The middle school athletes train very hard to become the best at what they do. They are training to do better the next time there is a meet, so come support the middle school athletes in their next two developmental meets, which will also be held at Astoria Park. These meets all lead up to and prepare the athletes for the upcoming championship meet. The championship track meet will be held on the first of June at Icahn stadium in Randalls Island.
