GRYFYS SPEECH

If you would have told me three years ago that I would be running track, I would’ve said you’re crazy. And if you would’ve told me that it would grow to be one of my biggest passions, I would’ve probably laughed in your face. You see, the concept of running for fun never appealed to me, but I soon learned that LMP track & field is so much more than that. Sure, we run “for fun,” train everyday, religiously do drills for field events, & try to not remind Darnell of the other workout we were “supposed to do” when he forgets, but more importantly, it’s about going beyond your limits & bettering yourself & your body. Even more importantly, here at LMP, track is a family. As I’m sure you all know, what makes a team great, besides the coach, is the teammates that are on it. I am not lying when I say our track & field team is made up of some of the most athletic, motivated, passionate, & kind souls at LMP. We have fighters like Ellie Erikson, who came back strong & fearless from a nasty concussion, & Ally Peeples who was out for a toe injury, but ran on it despite the pain to help her team out in districts. People like Ryan Campbell who came to all of the meets just to hangout with all the girls. We have dedicated spirits like Sierra Brooks who was able to take time out of her busy & might I had successful, golf career to get 4 meets in and compete at districts, & Khloe Hosley for never missing a practice or a meet & improving incredibly. We have competitors like Jack & Judah who had an ongoing shot and discuss competition going on at both practice & the meets. We have girls like Syriah, Evie, & Lizzie who even though we’re blessed with natural track ability, work hard everyday to go beyond that. And the we have the rest of us, who started track to better ourselves & our bodies, and have accomplished that and more.

This year we came runner up in districts. Syriah lottimore finished 1st in the long jump, making her district champ as a sophomore & after only starting the long jump approximately 2 weeks before that. Overall, 6 of our girls are going to regionals this year. Syriah lottimore in the long jump, 200, 400, & 100 meter dash, Evie Erikson in the 300 hurdles & triple jump, myself in both the 100 & 300 hurdles, Lizzie palenzuela in the high jump & pole vault, which is a huge deal given this was her first year on the track team, Mackenzie forest in triple & pole vault, & Nina Karlinsky in the high jump.

Now yes, this was absolutely a reflection of our own hard work, but we could not have gone the places we have without the enormous help from coach Darnell. The reason track and field produces results is because coach darnell not only cares about how we do in track, but also cares for each & everyone of us as a person. Throughout my entire high school career, that is not a quality that I’ve seen in many coaches. I feel so blessed to have found it through track & coach Darnell. He taught us to have the mentality of champions on & off the field. He taught us how to work hard, set goals, strive for them, and also reach them. He taught us to get back up when we get knocked down. But most importantly, he’s taught me and every single person on this team life lessons that we will never forget. So in closing, thank you to my teammates & Coach for not only helping me become a better athlete, but also providing me with memories & lessons that I will hold onto forever. Thank you