The wind blows harshly as runners jog around the track. Field athletes throw and jump their way to first place. Track consists of track and field events, each scored differently. The sport supports 150-180 kids on both track and the field while simultaneously functioning as a team. However with the number of participants, some people question how such a large team is able to exist.

“It’s more nerve racking because there’s more competition,” sophomore Alexa Keiser said. “When the teams are larger that have a greater chances of having more people that are faster. So when you have a really big team there will be fast people to compete against.”

Many participants on a singular team can bring both challenges and benefits, such as trying to keep up with everyone else and making new friends.

“It’s a good opportunity to make new friends,” junior Tristan Foster said. “It really brings the team together as a whole. There are certain coaches for different events and they usually try to keep in contact with us all throughout the season.”

Coaches use communication tools to keep the team in sync during practices and meets.

“I’m the head girls coach so I don’t have to manage everyone,” Coach Melanie Hall said. “I have many assistant coaches to help with that. We all work collaboratively and each of us has a job to do at practice. We have a variety of ways. I have group chats that I designate for each group and I can communicate with them that way. I also communicate with all of the parents on the team via a weekly email. This enables the parents to know what is going on for the week and what to anticipate.”

Coaches also check in with the runners and make sure they are prepared, in both their mental or physical state, to race.

“I primarily walk around and check in with most of the girls before they run to make sure that they are ready and warmed up,” Hall said. “It’s more about mentally preparing them for the race then anything. Physically, we practice everyday. I try to break the workouts into sets so the workout mimics the track meet. They will do multiple events and have to find some mental toughness in trying to get through each segment. It teaches them to focus on the task at hand for that time period and then move on to the next.”

The next track meet is on Wed. May 2, against Holly at Fenton High School at 4:30 p.m.