Sports are much more fun when there is an adventure. Traveling to different places is always a thrill, especially when it is a place far away. On January 7th, the track team went to the Ocean Breeze Invitational Freedom Games in New York, and ran in the Ocean Breeze Complex. The school’s track team hasn’t been there since 2018, meaning this was a great opportunity for these runners.
It was a memorable trip that will always be remembered. This meet took an entire day; for most of it, they were not running. Daniela Cristanetti-Walker 26’ says, “Then there was about a five-six hour lapse where no one on our team was competing.” During this time, the team could have watched other races, done homework, gotten concessions, or gone to the beach next to the complex. Even though it was too cold to swim, it was a great opportunity to get fresh air, walk around, and get out of the complex that was extremely packed. Cristanetti-Walker says, “I did homework. There was no space for us to sit, either. We were all crammed in one space, sitting on our bags, doing our homework.” Being stuck in a corner is not something many can do for 5-6 hours. Another unique experience was the time of this meet; it literally took the whole day. The bus left Friends at 6 AM and came back at 12:55 AM. They left the Ocean Breeze Complex at 10:30 PM to come home. It was a long and tiring day, however, it was filled with success.
Many records were set during this trip, both personal and school-wide. There were 13 personal records set and 5 school records broken all in one meet. This track was also banked. This means on the curve of the track there is a slight uphill and back down. This is supposed to make players’ strides longer and in doing so, make them faster. Our team hasn’t run on this before, but, with all the personal records, it most likely made a difference. With the many schools there, it would have been extremely difficult to get a high place. There were about 147 teams there! Teams from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Connecticut to name a few. In some races, over 200 kids were competing so it was extremely difficult to get a high score. That being said, Isaiah Turman 24’ scored 6th out of 54 people in the boy’s triple jump. Also, Cereniti Johnson 26’ scored 10th out of 159 runners in the 55-meter dash. This shows how talented they are in comparison to many schools around this area.
Overall, this track meet shows how Friends can compete outside the small conference and how sports are supposed to be fun. Our runners did super well when faced with a place they had never been before. All the eyes on them could have been stressful but they didn’t let it get to them as seen with all the personal records. They also made many memories with their teammates. This was an experience many will remember. Having fun, taking the stress away, being active, and being with your friends is what sports are all about.
