The Portage High School track teams are focusing on more than just winning races. Athletes and coaches are working hard, improving their skills, and trying to figure out the things that work best for them in general — both on and off the track.
Coach Haas has been coaching boys track and field for about 17 years. He has previously coached football as well, but decided to stick with track. He now works with sprinters and hurdlers.
“I do really enjoy coaching track and like working with the kids,” Coach Haas states. “It’s a great sport to build athleticism.”
He explains how he doesn’t stick with the same drills every year because there are new things showing up all the time, which is why he’s always learning new techniques and training styles he could try so that his athletes get the best results.
Coach Trader, who works with girls’ long-distance runners, also has experience from when she used to run track during high school and college. She always tries to make being with the team a place where everyone is comfortable and motivated. “
If you don’t enjoy the people you’re around, you’re not going to want to stay,” she says. “So we try to make it more fun rather than just running laps.”
Her team practices six days a week with a reasonable mix of strength training, hard workouts, and recovery days. They do other things like band work and sand pit drills to avoid injuries. Coach Trader believes rest is just as important as workouts that they do.
“People don’t always value rest, but it’s part of the process,” she said.
Freshman Bonnie Usher runs the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes and has been running in track since seventh grade.
“A normal day starts with a mile warm-up, then we do block starts sometimes or 300 meter runs, things like that,” Usher expressed. “Some days are tough, some are easier.”
Coach Trader said one of her big goals for this year is to get the girls’ 4×800 relay team to qualify for state finals — something the school hasn’t done in over a decade.
“I reserved 7 hotel rooms,” she discloses. “It would be great to fill them all.”
While some are aiming for state and others are trying to improve their time, but in general everyone’s main focus is getting better — whatever fast looks like for each athlete.
For a complete schedule of this season’s track and field meets, visit https://www.goportageindians.com/.
