This last sports season I played a spring sport and I chose track. Previously, having vowed to never run track it was a whole new experience and I developed a respect for a new sport that I now treasure.

After a summer of progressing through plateaus and struggles, I developed a love for working out and lifting weights. My passion for weightlifting developed when Bryce Foshee invited me to go weightlifting with him. After trying it for the first time, I was hooked. After three weeks of lifting during the summer weightlifting appealed to me. I then realized that I did not have a spring sport to compete in.

After progressing all summer and really improving past previous hurdles, I gave myself no reason to stop and I was not participating in a fall sport so I worked out a lifting schedule after school. That period of time I was lifting three times a week opposed to the twice a week during the summer. My PRs soared and I really got to know coach Mick Fuller and Bryce Foshee who lifted with me each day.

Without a solid spring sport, A decision stood in front me. In the end, the privilege of lifting weights during parts of the practices swayed the decision.

I looked into all the other possibilities and I was slightly torn in regards to for choosing a spring sport. I wanted to compete in track in order to keep weightlifting. On the other hand, I also wanted to join tennis because I had friends in tennis and it presented a new sport for me. Baseball was nothing new as I had played in junior high both years and I made many great memories. In the end, it was between tennis and track. (Golf never even entered my mind.)

The most ironic thing about joining track was my previous disgust for running. I told myself that I would never run to just run. Obviously then practicing at the track was a nightmare. I ran long distance and I had difficulty forcing myself to run at all. When it came time for the individual track meets, I dreaded the running up until the race and then I loved it. After completing each race a sense of peace and victory always overcame me and I loved it.

Pretty soon my first track meet showed up around the corner and I attempted the 1600 meter race along with the 4x100m relay and the sprint medley. Obviously, I got a PR, never having run a race before. The next week I switched it up and ran the 400m race, the 800m and the 4x100m relay.

During the season, the Fresno Christian track team competed in different track meets including invitationals around the valley. One of the special invitationals was the Freshman and sophomore, Gateway to Track and Field event. This was my favorite meet because I earned a PR in the 800m, which was one of the events that I was working towards

The best parts of the season definitely occurred when I got a PR in desired events. That was always something to be excited about. Other things important to me was getting to know people that I know I would not have really met apart from seeing them at track practice.

I want to thank my teammates and Coach Fuller for an awesome first season of track. Go Eagles!

The #FCtrack team arrives at Fowler for the WSL Championship Meet, April 25. The meet starts at 4 p.m. Head out there and support your Eagles! @fresnochristian #thefeather @PAGMETER pic.twitter.com/3yk2U5CT8m

— The Feather Online (@thefeather) April 25, 2018

For more articles, read Senior Reflection: Matthew Sue or Senior Reflection: Cate Vander Kooi

Andrew Rieker can be reached via email.