![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
As the runners speed by, sweat pouring down their faces in the harsh glare of the afternoon, all that is audible are the crunch of spikes on the dirt surface of the track and the coach yelling in the distance.
The track and field season is in full swing this year with many new faces on the team, training hard to break personal records and aiming high for the league championships.
For the first time, many players are participating in a wide variety of events ranging from the fast-paced 100 meter dash to the grueling 3200 meter run.
According to the coaches, optimism is soaring, with school records already broken in the shot put and 1600 meter relay as well as the 100 meter, 400 meter, and 1600 meter runs.
As a whole, new freshmen have had positive reactions to the experience of being on the track team.
“I have been on the middle school track team and [the high school team] has more [meets] than the middle school. The coaches are all really nice,” Calvin Kocienda (9) said.
Freshman Connor O’Neill agreed, describing the sport as fun, “mindless” running.
Nevertheless, freshmen are not the only new additions to the team. Senior Rebecca Liu joined the team to try out a new sport but worried if endurance running would be tough. She discovered, however, running was much more enjoyable than she assumed it would be. Trying a wide variety of events enabled her to realize her specialty was hurdling.
“I’m really enjoying it so far. I think for me it’s just trying out something new,” Rebecca said. “I had some preconceptions about it, but it was different from what I expected; it’s a lot of fun. Something about hurdles really clicked with me.”
Many others had similar preconceived notions about running which were dispelled after practicing with the team.
“I’m starting to like it now that I’m on the team. I think I’ve just been getting better at it; I’ve been trying new things,” Calvin said.
His main event is the 65 meter hurdle, which he had never attempted before.
Although some believe that track is a solo sport, the team chemistry, energy, and adrenaline that are displayed at meets say otherwise. Similar to Rebecca and Calvin, Eric Wang (10) changed his view on the sport.
“It’s been great, I enjoyed having the companionship of friends; it seems like an individual sport but there’s also a lot of teamwork involved,” Eric said. “Initially I didn’t really like [running], but I did cross country and after that I started to enjoy it.”
Another area of agreement is the coaches’ tremendous effort to help the team out.
“Coach always morally supports you and [during races] he’s cheering,” Eric said.
The track and field team has already participated in five meets, one of which was the first West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) meet. The next event is an invitational on March 23 at Gilroy High School.
