“I try to talk to myself nicely, and remind myself ‘It’s just running. You do this every single day. You know how to race,’” senior Jonah Diehl said, when asked about his pre-race rituals.

While I strongly despise running myself, Jonah’s answer about pre-race rituals and the rest of our interview about track were very revealing. While I’d rather spend my time on the stage belting a high note, Jonah taught me that the lessons you learn in track are applicable to all facets of life.

“I can see just how much I’ve grown,” Diehl said. “That’s something I really like.”

Indeed track is all about beating past times, racing yourself, and the constant pursuit of your best potential. While racing against others, the true competition in track is yourself and your past times. Track is truly an individual sport, with the opponents being your mindset.

There’s something else special about high school track though, Diehl explained to me. The connections forged with those who value the sport as much as him are special, and even applicable to the rest of your life.

“The thing I’ll miss most is the connections and friends I’ve made,” Diehl said. “I know every single person’s name on the cross country team and most people on the track team too. I’m gonna miss having the connections at least here.”

Diehl explained to me that these connections greatly benefitted him in his high school journey as they offered him a space to not only push himself in his independent pursuit of improvement but also experience valuable social connections. Diehl even feels as though these connections will help him for the rest of his life. 

“I feel like I’ll be able to make those connections wherever I go now, because I practiced that with the team.”