It has been a great season so far for the UHSSE Indoor Track Team. We’ve had four meets so far, two at Hartford Public High School, one at Yale, and another at Glastonbury High. All of the meets went incredibly well, with many people achieving new personal records and some runners even making States. “The season’s going well; everyone seems ready and motivated to improve as much as they can, especially after our first meets,” said William Pape ’27. Our next meet will be this coming Wednesday, and it will be the CRAL Championships. All of our runners are excited to compete, gain new personal records, and earn points for our school. 

We’ve had many new runners join this season, hoping to find a passion in this sport or just expand their horizons. Many athletes join indoor track because they can get to know so many people; without even realizing it, you can find your own group. People who you look forward to training with every day and can encourage you in the process. “Even though we’ve only had practice a few weeks, I feel I’ve gotten to know and become friends with so many teammates, whom I hadn’t even met before the track season,” said Pape. As runners continue to pursue this sport, they can find a solace in the sport itself. Along with determination and adrenaline, it can give them a way to better know themselves. 

Many of our runners will get to compete at the CRAL Championships this Wednesday and hope to come home with the trophy to prove it. We have runners competing in many events, from the 55-meter dash to the 3200-meter to shot put. Some of our runners are aiming to qualify for states while others are just excited to help get our team closer to winning championships. It’s amazing to both compete yourself and watch your teammates compete. You get to push yourself past your limits and prove yourself wrong. At the start line, you can be more nervous than you’ve ever been before, and somehow it’s also the most focused and peaceful you’ve ever felt. You get to see your teammates’ faces light up when they achieve a new PR and watch all of the work they’ve put in come to fruition. “My favorite thing about indoor track is the meets. There’s so much going on. I love to see athletes compete in the races that they have practiced for and see the excitement on their faces when their hard work has paid off,” said Coach Amy Baldyga. 

For some athletes, this sport can be just a fun season, but for most it’s something that they’ll come to pursue for much longer. Many athletes hope to compete in college, run for a club, or run recreationally. One of the best things about this sport is that it doesn’t have to end when the season does. “I definitely think I’ll continue doing track in college. If not professionally and on scholarship, recreationally because I don’t think that I’d ever drop track, or sports, or being active in general,” said Victor Wilkins ’26. Soon enough, runners will be gearing up for outdoor track season, and we can’t wait to see them reach all of their hopes and goals. We’re very excited to see how the rest of indoor track season transpires.