Senior athletes Mason Crowley and Ammaar Ahmed have felt accomplished in their sport; they have strived to be better and they have ended their high school careers on a high note.
“[Track has helped me] grow as an athlete by teaching me discipline and consistency, while improving key areas of my overall athletic ability,” Ahmed said.
Crowley mentions his long jumping and how the key to success is “[consistent] hard work”, but he also emphasizes how focused you have to be in track.
“[Track & Field] is a big mental sport because for the most part everything is on you,” Crowley said. “Not every meet is gonna be a PR and not every meet is there going to be an insane jump. It’s more important that you trust your coaches and the work you’ve put into the sport rather than the results of the sport itself.”
Ahmed praises his speed and how his growth in his speed came from off-season training.
“[The things] I focus on the most are, lifting, speed work, and developing my technique to improve on weaker areas,” Ahmed said.
Both seniors mention the importance of joining track, from developing as an athelte to improving as a person.
“[It] can make yourself better overall,” Crowley said.
Being an athlete is not easy. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication to the sport. Ahmed and Crowley recognize the difficulties in being an athlete as well as the challenges and difficulties in track.
“[Injuries] and building endurance with asthma has been the hardest part for me,” Ahmed said.
Even with these struggles, both seniors emphasized how learning to manage these struggles has helped them improve as athletes. This is an incredible example of perseverance and never giving up.
The most important part of track, both seniors mentioned, is the memories they made along the way.
“[I enjoyed hanging] out with my friends as well as qualifying for state,” Crowley said.
Ahmed also mentioned how winning conference and spending time with teammates was a highlight.
Both seniors noted how their success in track have built positive relationships with their teammates and coaches. As both seniors leave Lakes, they hope to both inspire and build confidence in the future of Lakes Track & Field. They are doing this so that the classes who follow behind them can have the same leadership skills and impact they’ve both had here at Lakes.
