As winter sports are starting to ramp up, many Chamblee student athletes are excited for periods of training and competing alongside their fellow teammates, and this is no exception for Chamblee’s Track & Field team.
“The best part about track meets is the energy. It’s always so supportive and there’s always a lot of adrenaline going through you when you’re in a race,” said Aubri Stephenson (‘27), who does sprints and hurdles for Chamblee.
Despite the supportive atmosphere of Chamblee’s track teams, the athletes also rely on self-discipline to complete the rigorous training demands that come with reentering the season.
“For conditioning, we usually do a lot of running that consists of a one- or two-mile jog. And then we have all our other workouts and technique drills. Sometimes we put some work in the weight room as well as it gets us stronger and a lot more confident,” said Ezekiel Libatique (‘25), a sprinter and jumper for Chamblee. “Conditioning has been going on Monday through Thursdays since they started students in November, and now with our normal practice schedule our practices go later.”
Despite the positivity and dedication of Chamblee’s track students, many also believe that the sport isn’t for the faint of heart.
“It’s really hard to start, especially if you haven’t run before, because conditioning is pretty brutal. It’s hard to get in shape but it does get easier,” said Leanna Maender (‘26), who runs in relays and sprints.
Many Chamblee track athletes believe that cross-country is a great way to help get in shape for the season and utilize the sports’ separate seasons to maintain conditioning during the summer and fall.
“Even if you are a sprinter, I’d recommend running cross country because it helps if you build up your cardio. You run an average of around four miles a day in cross country, so you’ll gain a lot more from it than you’d expect,” said Maender.
Chamblee’s track athletes also take time out of their own schedule to improve, building on the conditioning they get from cross country or track workouts during the season.
“I do a lot of strength workouts because I feel like I could get a lot stronger than how I am now. I still feel like I should keep training so I do better at meets,” said Libatique.
Although the season is just beginning, several of the team’s athletes are already confident in Track and Field’s ability to succeed this year.
“I do long distance, and I think we will do pretty well,” said Elijah Randall (‘26).
Another factor giving student athletes hope for the season is the new group of talent joining the team.
“There’s a lot of good freshmen that came in this year, we’re going to do really well,” said Stephenson.
Another key motivator for Chamblee Track and Field’s success is training with meets in mind—particularly, continuing the expansion of the school’s winning records.
“Our distance team actually made it to states with Coach Felts. Our sprinting team this year wants to step it up and get to that level, which I really think we have the potential to do,” said Libatique.
As of more recently, Chamblee has been trying to find more diverse skill sets to build up the field events, which have seen less participants compared to the more popular track races.
“We could definitely use some more throwers and people in the field. Just not as many people do that—it’s not as popular because not many people think of the field when they mention track and field,” said Libatique.
Importantly, Chamblee track athletes realize that they get out what they put in.
“If you show up to practice, show up to your conditioning and really work instead of cheating yourself out of what you’re doing, you’ll achieve a lot,” said Stephenson.
