Fresh faces and veteran runners alike begin to reflect on the track season as it winds down.

For exchange student Claudia Nunes, 12, who hails from Portugal, running for a school track team has been an entirely new experience.

“I had never run [track] before actually! … I didn’t know what I was putting myself into; at first, it was really hard, but as time passed, I started to get used to it. Even though I get out of every practice with no energy, [I leave] feeling proud of myself because I tried my best,” stated Nunes.

Many students find the team environment motivational. Combined, boys and girls track has over 40 members.

Running with other people really pushes you to keep up. You can do a lot of things you might not do [running] by yourself,” said Junior Annie Cao.

Some of the runners are new to Freedom but not to high school track.

“The team here is a lot smaller! Literally everyone at my old school ran. But I like the tight-knit community. Thanks to cross country, all the distance runners are really close so we have a lot of fun together,” shared Junior Miranda Berlin, who recently moved from Michigan.

Participation in school athletics programs can be grueling, but students choose to join for a variety of reasons.

“I wanted to get in shape and track seemed like the best option at the moment; also, I wanted to meet new people and make new friends, and everybody always told me that joining a team was the easiest way to do so,” explained Nunes.

Though people may compete in different events, such as sprints, distance running, long jumps, shotput and discus, the hours of afterschool practice and weekend meets have united the team.

“The other students are so encouraging – everyone’s saying ‘good job’ even as you’re dying on the field,” noted Annie Cao.

Many students will end this season with new friendships, healthy exercise habits and improved time management. Some will also come away with physical reminders of hours spent under the sun.

“I got really weird tan lines” Jessica Cao, 10.