Run Fast or Be Last

On your marks, ready, set, Go! The 23-24 Track and Field season is off to a start for Ridgeview High School with a whole lot of new runners, dedicating their time to become the best version of themselves. Many adjustments have been made for the wolfpack track team to improve for success as well as determination to show out as an underdog team that’s yet to show what they are made of. 

Jovarie Hayden, senior track runner, plans to compete to the highest level this season so far. Although actions are stronger than words, Hayden is determined to put in the amount of effort to achieve hard earned goals. Hayden mentions, “My goals for this season is to make it to valley and break school and personal records in the sprinting events”. In his favor, Hayden did manage to break a school record in the 4×200 relay  along with teammates, Bryce Gridiron, Angel Corona, and Ezekiel Thomas at the Kern County Invitational at Liberty High with a new school record of 1.30.89. Work ethic is very important when it comes to track and field, Hayden reflects, “The results you are given after a race, shows how much work you’ve put in to be in that position where you stand in the meet”

Angel Corona, junior, heads into track meets with the right mindset to compete to the best of his abilities for the very moment he works for. Mostly in sports, athletes deal with the mental mindset where it controls everything how an athlete operates. Corona discusses, “My mindset is to focus on what we’ve been working on at practice and trust the work I’ve been putting in.” Work ethic is a huge factor, the more time you put the grind into practice and work on specific aspects that runners slack in will show improvement later on. Trusting the process of work ethic will give athletes the benefit of the doubt into where they want to be in the future and that is exactly what Corona is doing to achieve. Corona says, “I just want to be the best to ever do it. Breaking the school record and receiving a scholarship college keeps me going. But most importantly making my parents proud.” Huge motivation fires up Corona’s drive to be the best he can and compete to the highest level, and having that kind of support system behind an athlete is essential to performing to the best of an athlete’s ability.

Chris Arguello, Sprint coach at Ridgeview High, plans to develop these athletes to the best of their abilities and knows how to push certain individuals to the way they can improve. Arguello discusses, “I have two sets of goals for my kids that are competitive… I want them to win the valley, I want them to win the league and state. The way track is set up is pretty much a varsity sport, so a lot of kids won’t be able to compete at that level, but we push them to compete against themselves and their own time. As long as they come out and improve, I take that as a win.” Arguello is a former track runner as well that competed in nearly every event from the 800 meter down to jumping events; as well as setting high school records in Mcfarland in the mile relay. As a coach and former runner, Arguello knows how to connect with athletes on certain levels to where he knows what’s best for them and will have them improve to their highest potential. Arguello also explains, “Expectations are high, but at the same time as long as they are steadily progressing and beating their own times they’ll get to those expectations. So it’s baby steps to big steps.” 

Ridgeview’s track and field team is looking determined to compete to the best of their abilities with tons of work for improvement to showcase in future meets. Ahead of the wolfpack is a bright future of athletes that are willing to put forth their best performance and improve each day to get to where they want to be, with excellent coaching behind each and every one of them to succeed in their events. Setting off the start of the new 23-24 season right, there are more expectations coming from Ridgeview to show up against other schools and perform their best efforts each and every day to get where they want to be, well deserved.