Running to the Finish Line

By: Hayley Pokornowski and Isabella Tomac, Staff Writers

As the indoor track season starts, Xavier and Maddie take a look back at the memories they’ve made over the past four years. These two seniors are having mixed emotions about leaving the sport they have dedicated so much time to.

    Senior Maddie Elmo is entering her last indoor track season. Elmo explains how she is both excited and sad that her last season is around the corner. Elmo hopes that by the end of the season, she will beat her personal records in her various events. Some advice that Elmo shares is, “Try your best and not care what others think. Even if you are the slowest on the team everyone is supportive of each other and it’s a judgment free zone.”

    Elmo is a leader that will be there for the team during the whole season. She gives advice for people who might want to join indoor track or decide what event the athlete would like to do during the meets.

    Senior Xavier Douglas is a long jumper and a sprinter that does a 55 meter dash and 4×200 relay. Douglas has been on this team for two years. He had gone to Nationals during the outdoor track season for triple jump.

    Even though Douglas only joined the team a year ago, he has built an amazing relationship with his teams, and is sad to see it coming to an end. Douglas’s favorite memory during his time on the track team was making the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) last year.

    Senior Joseph DeFreitas favorite memory from his time on the team was breaking three school records during his junior year. DeFreitas says “it’ll be hard to walk away from something that’s meant so much to me.”

    Junior Emily Maruottolo thinks Douglas, DeFreitas, and Elmo all bring different aspects to the team that is really helpful. Maruottolo thinks Douglas is a great teacher to the other athletes, while DeFreitas and Elmo both push the team to be the best they can.

    Coach Peter Jambor thinks that this year’s Indoor Track Team will have a very promising season. Jambor is proud of how Elmo, Douglas, and DeFreitas have changed from when they started to their final season.

    Jambor says, “These three seniors will be the backbone of the Indoor Track Team. They all have a wealth of experience and each one is extremely talented in their particular events.”

    The Indoor Track Team’s season starts December 1, the Thursday after Thanksgiving.