North Hollywood has its own track team, and while the team doesn’t have its own track, the team has shown time and time again its skill and determination. One of the team’s first victories during this season was at the East Valley meet.
During this meet, Frosh Soph [Freshman and Sophomore] boys and girls have demonstrated their talent and hard work with the victories of Holly Sweeney (100 m), Isabella Batts (High Jump), Amelia Arlauskas (Shot Put), Paul Penson (100 m and the 4×100 m), Johnny Estrada (400 m, 4×100 m, and 4×400 m), Ezra Guzman-Lander (800 m and 4×400 m) and Connor Chang (4×100 m and 4×400 m).
Boys and girls varsity also reaped some victories with Anaya Balarman (800m), Catalina Howells (High Jump and Long Jump), Chase Gullory (Long Jump), and Eli Gonzales (Triple Jump).
“After I made the first jump, I was happy—of course I wanted to place, but I really just wanted to land a jump in competition,” said Catalina Howells, City Champ for girls varsity High Jump.
Coaches Rondini, Rebulard, and Weaver trained the team, with Rondini training sprint and shotput, Rebulard with long distance, and Weaver with jumps and hurdles. With the coaching received, many members of the track team had felt sufficiently ready to tackle other events.
However, the team faced more challenges than just beating the opposing team. At the Cesar Chavez track meet on March 7th, trouble brewed in the air when a thunderstorm formed and it started to rain. Due to this, the meet had to be canceled and our team was unable to showcase their full potential.
Despite the rain, the team continued to train. They carried on with their practice, and continued to train for their future events.
Luis Bernal, video manager for the team, said,“Track was really fun, I got to meet great talent, I made great friends and I built a sense of community with the members who competed.”
I am also a member of the track team, and I, as a shot putter, was able to see the effort that both the team and Coach Rondini put in order to make sure we were ready for the meet. The amount of time and work it took wasn’t just showing up for the practice, but we also have to train our bodies, such as lifting heavy, and making sure to eat more to put on as much as mass as possible.
North Hollywood’s Frosh Soph team had seen great success with many short-distance events and field events such as shotput and the high jump. The varsity teams had seen success with a variety of short-distance events, field events, and the 800 m in the girls’ varsity team.
As the season carried on, the team’s struggles eventually culminated in the city championships meet. Catalina Howells managed to get the first-place title in High Jump, and Anaya Balaraman won third place in the 800 m event.
By the end of the season, the members of the team had built a bond with one another through their shared hard work and perseverance.
Of course, the team had its ups and downs, but the coaches were always there to bring the team together. The season ended on a successful note.
