Track and field is a sport of many complexities, and that is one of the main reasons why I chose to pursue it after high school. When I first started track, I thought I knew what the sport was. I knew there were fast runners, races, and people who could jump really high or throw really far. What I did not realize was just how many different skills and events existed within one sport. Looking back, discovering that complexity is what made me fall in love with track and field.
Before track, I was what you could call a multi-athlete. From a young age, people always noticed that I could jump high. I had done dance and gymnastics when I was younger, and by middle school I moved into basketball and volleyball. My athletic background was always changing, but one thing stayed the same: I could jump. People would call it having “hops,” and I knew that my vertical had to be useful for something.
When I got to high school, my volleyball coaches and the track coaches noticed my jumping ability. They would tell me that I should try track and field. At first, I did not think much of it. I was already playing sports that I enjoyed, and I did not really understand what track could offer me. After a little bit of conversation and a lot of convincing, I eventually decided to give it a chance.
When I first joined the team, I knew almost nothing about track and field. I knew I was fast, so I automatically assumed that meant I was going to be good at track. I thought I would just run, get faster, and figure everything else out along the way. I quickly learned that I was wrong.
Track and field is not just running. That was one of the first things I had to learn. My head coach originally wanted me to become a sprinter, which made sense because I was fast. However, one of the jumps coaches noticed something different in me. One day at practice, she asked me if I had ever thought about trying long jump or triple jump.
I had heard of long jump before, but triple jump was completely new to me. I honestly laughed because I could not imagine myself doing it. I remember thinking, “How am I supposed to jump three times in a row and actually know what I am doing?” It seemed complicated, and I did not think I would be good at it.
Still, I decided to try.
Learning to jump was completely different from anything I had done in my other sports. In basketball and volleyball, jumping was something I did naturally. In triple jump, jumping had to be controlled. There was a specific approach, a specific rhythm, and specific positions my body needed to be in. I had to learn the hop, the step, and the jump while also trying to maintain speed. Something that I originally thought would be simple became one of the most technical things I had ever done in sports.
At first, I struggled. I had to listen to my coaches, repeat movements, make mistakes, and try again. There were times when I felt like my body understood what it needed to do, but my mind could not keep up. Eventually, though, things started to click. The more I practiced, the more comfortable I became. My confidence slowly grew alongside my ability.
That experience completely changed how I viewed track and field.
Track and field consists of so many different events. There are sprints, mid-distance races, and long-distance races. Then there are field events, including jumps, throws, and vaults. Even within those categories, every event requires different techniques, strengths, and skills. Someone can be an amazing sprinter but struggle with jumping, while someone else can be an incredible jumper without being the fastest runner on the team.
That is what makes track and field so different from the other sports I have participated in. In basketball and volleyball, everyone is working toward the same general goal with a ball. Track and field gives athletes the opportunity to specialize in something that fits their individual strengths while still being part of a team.
For me, that meant finding the field portion of track and field. I went into the sport thinking I was just going to be a runner, but I ended up discovering that jumping was where I belonged. I never expected triple jump to become something I would enjoy, especially because I had never even heard of it before joining track.
When I think about my journey in track and field, I realize that the complexity I once found intimidating is actually what makes the sport so amazing. There is always another technique to learn, another part of your body to understand, and another way to improve. Track taught me that being athletic is not just about being naturally fast or strong. Sometimes it is about being willing to learn something completely new and trusting yourself enough to keep trying.
If my high school coaches had never noticed me playing volleyball, I might have never found track and field. If my jumps coach had never asked me about long jump and triple jump, I might have never discovered that I could be good at them. Being introduced to something I did not understand ended up becoming one of the most important parts of my athletic journey.
I used to think the complexity of track and field was a reason to be intimidated by it. Now, I think it is the reason the sport is so special.