SOBAN FAISAL
Special to The Leader
It has been a year hiatus for track student athletes at Fredonia.
Senior and captain, Ivan Torres may have been the most excited when he realized he would be able to participate in the sport he loves. He was at the gym and jumped up, trying to hold back a scream of joy.
Going into his last semester, he plans on putting it all on the line to help his team compete at the highest level. Even though this is his final semester at Fredonia, he has set aside going to the bars to keep his teammates and season safe.
Torres is the perfect definition of leading by example.
Junior jumper, Maddie Sohl has missed a whole year. Sohl is graduating this coming fall and pursuing her career by staying in Fredonia for her master’s degree. Thankfully, she plans on using the available fifth-year option to continue the sport she loves.
Athletes such as Torres and Sohl have been consistently hitting the gym to stay in shape.
Promising freshman, Jason Winston takes a slightly different route as he continues to work with his high school coach saying, “He’s been basically incontact with me ever since I came up here just to make sure that I’ve been staying right.”
Winston also knows that he has a whole new group of teammates ready to go to work and help, saying, “…I [have] my team to support me at the same time. It feels good to have that support system around you so it gives you inspiration to actually put in the work.”
Coach Thomas Wilson has started his players with conditioning drills. He is trying to start them off slow to cause minimal injuries for those who have not been training over the offseason.
During this crazy time with a dangerous disease going around, Wilson has made the necessary calls to ensure his team and players are safe.
The most significant step Wilson has taken is having the players practice in smaller groups of 11 called “pods.” Not only that, but before any players may enter the building for practice, they have to go through a symptom tracker.
If you are thinking some athletes may infect others by going to the local bars, have no fear. If they do, they will have to remove themselves from practice until they get a negative COVID test.
As the team’s only coach, Wilson sometimes runs four practices a day to get these student athletes up to speed.
Practices last between 60 to 70 minutes. After each pod finishes with practice, all equipment is cleaned with an electrostatic spray to ensure everyone is safe.
Because of all this, the track team is poised to have a terrific season.