Will the students on the Proviso East Track Team improve from last year? The team is pushing through great lengths this spring to improve from last season’s turnout. Returning seniors from last season—Angel Hernandez, Keivon Walker, and Otto Monzo—said they went through conditioning last summer to improve their time from last year.

Monzo said, “Some workouts we’ve been doing this off-season are running the field or going to the gym and doing miles on a treadmill.” He also said himself and others have improved from last year.  He said, with real confidence and pride, that this could lead to the improvement the team has been talking about.

Before official team practice started, players have been doing their own workouts, including going to the gym in small groups or running around their community. Some players, like Walker, play two sports to help them train.

Walker plays track and basketball, so he gets cross training from both of the sports. When asked about the difficulty in playing to two sports he said, “Sometimes it is hard to manage them but playing two sports helps me with both.”  This implies that cross training is perfect for students conditioning and trying to improve.

When Walker was asked who inspired him to run track, he stated it was his little sister. “My sister inspired me to pick up track because she’s doing cross country in middle school.”  It’s amazing to see how somebody younger can be such an inspiration for Walker.

Hernandez mentioned that he thinks the team as a whole improved.

Players also have to manage and maintain their grades. Worrying about grades and focusing on the sport can be difficult. Many students faced this problem with other sports this year.