It is that time of year again where over 200 Summit Students gather in the wrestling room for the first official meeting of the spring Summit Storm Track and Field season. When head coach and Summit health teacher Dave Turnbull steps to the front of the room, it goes silent almost immediately. The crowd of student athletes look up with eager eyes. This is the Storm.
From brand new freshmen to varsity veterans, The Storm is looking at a very promising season. Turnbull already has his eye on several freshman athletes who are very likely to make varsity this year for both the boys and girls.
“We have incredibly dedicated student-athletes,” said Turnbull. “They show up every day, they keep their grades up and they strive to improve. That’s absolutely necessary for continued success.” He emphasized that being receptive to coaching critique is just as important as commitment.
“We help athletes find what they are best at. We encourage each athlete to try multiple events,” said Turnbull, with some of his biggest advice being to “trust the coach. If he or she discovers a talent you have, trust it and go for it! “
An amazing example of this is Senior Noah Goodrich. Primarily a high jumper and 400 meter runner, he has developed into a state champion triple jumper, just because the coaches saw a hidden talent and it has bloomed into something incredible.
Skill isn’t the only thing needed for such an amazing team. A common theme that has surfaced in talking to Summit Track athletes is that success is tightly linked to having a solid community and team spirit.
“You’re competing for all these individual times and goals and you’re trying to beat out your teammates for spots but it’s really the training in between that,” said Ben Meier, Summit junior and distance runner, when talking about the team dynamic. “We all really lift each other up and make each other competitive so we can do better within ourselves so that we can [be competitive with] other schools.”
This tight knit community is only boosted by the incredible coaching staff. With 18 coaches on board this year, all fully dedicated to the team and its members, Summit track is set for an excellent year.
“We try to continually have a coaching staff of 15 or more,” said Turnbull, “This season, it looks like we have 18 coaches that will be out there. EVERY athlete will improve, and some will be pleasantly surprised at their talent.” Increased coaching staff allows each student more opportunities to grow and learn as an athlete, especially with staff as dedicated as those on the track team.
“They’re always on time, they’re always there,” said Summit Sophomore Emily Kraybill when asked about what makes Summit track coaches so great. “If you go up to any one of them they will answer any question you have or direct you to someone with the answer. They are super supportive and they really know what they’re doing.”
The wins don’t come without effort. The team practices 5 days a week, for 2 hours every day, rotating between speed, endurance, and fine detail event work. The athletes and coaches work tirelessly to hone the team into a perfect spear to soar over the competition.
From the weight room to the sand pits to the starting blocks, everybody has one goal in mind: Oregon State Champions (again). SKO STORM!!
