As warmer weather wipes away any remnants of winter, the Hamline University track and field team are lacing up their shoes and getting ready to head outside to compete in the first home meet of the season.
Taking place on Saturday, April 5, several teams made the trek over to Klas Field to participate in numerous events ranging from distance running to pole vaults to hammer throws.
Junior thrower Brooke Tracy spotlighted just what having a home meet means to her.
“I really like our home meets, they are super fun. It is nice to compete in a place where you practice and it feels more comfortable and familiar. It’s a great way to open up the season,” Tracy said.
With the beginning of the season remaining indoors, the Pipers are looking forward to a change of scenery as they begin to make the transition from indoor events to outdoor events. Along with changes in event locations, the preparation and training for outdoor events also change. For throwers, the distance and weight of the ball you can throw changes. For pole vaulters, the height you can vault from varies.
Sophomore pole vaulter and sprinter Savannah Brown highlighted how she has been feeling with the transition and going into a home meet.
“Honestly, [I feel] more ready than I was prepared for indoors. With the way things have changed, like our warmup dynamics have changed, the routine in which we‘re doing has changed. I honestly feel like it’s helping our bodies recover a lot quicker on top of improving ourselves,” Brown said.
For throwers, the type of training is different in comparison to an event like distance running. They have to prioritize their strength and conditioning to make sure they are able to fully compete in their event.
“We do a lot of heavy lifting, like Olympic lift styles. We also focus on having a technical throws practice, and then we also have biometrics practice during the first week,” Tracy said.
Of course, the physical preparation and training is a major aspect of improvement for every event, but the mental side of things is just as important.
“Every member of our team has been training, whether with track or with another sport, since the Fall semester. So with that, we are prepared to compete to the best of our abilities. Another thing we talk about is being able to ride the waves of excitement/joy and disappointment/frustration. We tackle that by emphasizing that each meet is an important piece to our development, regardless of the result,” Head Women’s Track and Field coach and assistant Men’s Track and Field coach Vaughn Tackmann said.
Regardless of the outcomes of each event, the Pipers are well prepared to tackle anything and everything.
“This is the beauty of this sport. From sprints to distance, hurdles to jumps, vault to throws, there is action happening at all times. Of course, there are challenges that accompany that, but that is what makes this sport so much fun,” Tackmann said.