On Wednesday, May 18, 2021 was Pottsville Area’s Triple A track and field district championship. Districts were held at Blue Mountain this year with most events being canceled last year due to COVID-19.

In addition, the stress of keystone testing weighs on students. While, COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, runners face plenty of challenges. When asked here’s what runners had to say about competing in Triple A.

Runners competing for Pottsville include Bobby Walchak, Livia Hable, James Bell, Greta Snukis, Billy McGowan, Adra Schell, Lexy Maccarone, Brynn Nagle.

Senior Bobby Walchak had a lot to say about competing against other runners. 

He says, “ Competing against other teams was fun, because it was some of the best competition I’ve faced all season. I don’t really stress about exams and sports, I make sure to get all my work done at school at home. Working hard on the track isn’t something to stress about for me. My favorite thing about track is going and meeting new people in these big track events as well as talking to everyone. They had some restrictions for invitationals, a lot of them ended up being cancelled. We had to wear masks during the season but were allowed to take them off when we ran which was nice. But overall the track season went well.“

For some students, running is used as a coping mechanism or a way to ease the stress of daily activities.

Senior Lexy Maccorone says, “Sometimes, it makes me feel nervous competing against certain teams, especially ones I know have fast girls. it’s not super hard to balance exams and track with my nerves, track definitely makes me super anxious whereas i don’t get stressed for exams at all. My favorite thing about track is all the race depends on is you and your mental state. Restrictions weren’t super strict with the runners, we just had to wear masks while warming up which isn’t so bad.”

Senior Billy McGowan says,  “Competing against other schools in the district was challenging. It really tests your strengths on your mind and body to push yourself harder than you ever thought possible. Being able to pole vault, in general, during this time of year was a good way to handle the stress of exams and the season. It puts my brain in a relaxed state and relieves all the stress I had. It was a great coping mechanism.

My favorite thing about track is being able to pole vault during meets. During meetings, you get tunnel vision once you step on the runway and runners have that objective to get over the bar. It is an amazing feeling before and after the vault.”