Danielle O’Malley, Sports Editor
@domalley_
In 2021 students constantly heard about the stars of the girls track team. Whether it was seeing athletes on NCTV or seeing their names in the top ten for events, girls’ track was a frequent topic of conversation. From short distance, to long distance, to throwing, the girls showed domination across the board. The key to this team’s success was largely due to a group of underclassmen whose accomplishments led them to stardom.
Sophomore Charlotte Moor, a phenom on the team last year, had a lot of training before entering high school. “I started track in seventh grade because I wanted to get in shape for other sports during the off season. I used to run for a club middle school team called New Canaan Blazers which helped prepare me a lot for high school.”
Elizabeth McLaughlin, now a junior and one of last year’s standouts, had a different upbringing in the track world. “I signed up for track in my freshman year just because my friend was doing it, and I thought it might be fun to have something to do after school with her.” Despite having a lack of training, she still found success through hard work and practice. “Even if you have no prior running experience, when you start out in cross country or track, you will dramatically improve.” During practice, the team lifts and does a lot of interval workouts and long runs once a week.
This intensity of work is hard on the body, leaving players sore and tired with bumps and bruises everywhere. In order to prevent injury, a recovery process is necessary to stay healthy throughout the season. “Outside of school, I make sure to stretch to reduce injury,” said Elizabeth.
Charlotte and Elizabeth both feel a weight is on their shoulders to constantly perform well. “There can be a lot of pressure with racing because racing can be really painful mentally and physically,” Charlotte said. Though, the relationship she has with her teammates are both uplifting and motivating during tough times. “Our team is very supportive of each other and we work very hard together. Every race and every workout we’re always together and we’re always in pain together but we get through it.”
Freshman Delia Bakal works with Charlotte and Elizabeth often because they run many of the same events, and she has formed great friendships with the both of them. “Charlotte and Elizabeth are both such amazing runners and teammates. I look up to them in more ways than just racing. I love how they handle practice and school as well as their positive and fun attitudes everyday.”
The relationship between coach and player is also important for success in track where it is more individualized. Head Coach of the girls track team, Jeffery Brenston, has worked with Elizabeth and Charlotte for four years each. “They have to be able to trust me and I have to be able to trust them,” he said.
The girls have strong bonds with one another, although the drive for success can possibly get in the way. Nevertheless, thanks to great leadership, the girls want nothing but the best for each other. “Something I absolutely love about our team is that every single person wishes for the successes of others, and we all push each other to achieve our best. We all hope for everyone to achieve a PR and have a good race, which I think contributes to a positive team atmosphere,” Elizabeth said.
Charlotte and Elizabeth use their achievements to guide freshmen who are new to the process. Delia said, “Advice I have found when training with Elizabeth and Charlotte is not to overtrain and to stay calm during races. They have taught me to enjoy practices and workouts rather than stress about them.”
The positive environment under strong leadership creates a bright future for the girls track team. “The future of the team is all about the young athletes. Hopefully we keep building with young talent,” Coach Brenston said.
