A little bit before break, on Wed, April 6, Issaquah competed against Mount Si with Mount Si winning against Issaquah’s field team. With warmer weather, short spring showers, and greener grass, kids are staying after school to practice track and field for their meets. Within the sport, track often overshadows field despite them both being in the name of the sport. When someone says track and field, most people think of running events. However if you look around the field, there are discus throwers, high jumpers, shot putters, long jumpers, javelin throwers, and pole vaulters.  

Shot put is a field event where athletes throw a heavy metal ball (16 lbs for men, 8.8 lbs for women) with one hand, as far as possible. Shot put usually takes place at a sand field in the back of the track. Shot put takes a lot of strength. Freshman Jayce Grant stating that it is “a very muscle sport kind of thing. Kind of like weight training. It requires strength and makes you look fit. It’s a great event to use to show off your strength.” Grant joined shotput because he tried it in middle school and found it to be his jam. Grant says that he will need some work on his shot-putting skills, and as a freshman, he hopes to get better throughout high school. We will be cheering him on! In our meet against Mount Si, Mount Si outnumbered Issaquah teammates and won the top five spots with Issaquah athletes winning sixth to eighth place.  

Discus is another field event that requires athletes to throw something as far as they can. However, discus is more focused on technique compared to an event like shotput. Discus athletes spin and throw the heavy disc (4.4 lbs for men, 2.2 lbs for women). Junior Prathyush Manda joined discus because it looked interesting. He says that “people join because either they’re pretty strong or they saw it and found it interesting.” Discus does look interesting indeed, as while watching the athletes throw, you can see the time and practice put into their form. Mount Si won first and second place with Issaquah coming in at third to fifth place. 

Long jump is about gaining momentum for the big leap. Athletes use speed, strength and agility to get as far as they can before their feet touch the ground. Long jump athletes have about 30 meters (100 feet) to gain as much momentum before jumping. Junior Sebastian Powers joined because he is athletic and wanted to have a different track and field experience. He says that people join long jump “to try something new. It’s a different experience in track and is a lot more interesting than just running.” There Mount Si got first place while Issaquah won second and third place. 

Pole vaulting is an interesting sport, where athletes run with a large pole and use it to launch themselves over a high marker. Freshman Nolan Mentings had some leg pain from sprinting and decided to try out pole vaulting. He says that people join pole vaulting because “of the thrill aspect of it. Its very engaging, very technical and requires a lot of practice and skill.” Mount Si won first and second place while Issaquah got third and fourth place. 

Freshman Trevor Rumsey joined javelin because he liked throwing things far, so felt he could learn the event quickly and try to master it. He says, “I think javelin throwers have very strong arms, and that’s why they choose to do javelin.” Javelin is a thrilling event to watch. Seeing the javelin fly through the air is very satisfying and looks like it takes a lot of work to perfect. Mount Si won first place but Issaquah came second. 

Throughout all the field events, athletes are very close. Grant says. “I really enjoy my group, it’s a lot better than practicing alone. Everybody helps each other and gives each other tips and I think we can really connect with each other.”

So, if you ever go to a track and field meet, watching student athletes run the 100m and relays may be very fun. However, do not forget the field teams on the sides and middle of the field who spend countless hours practicing form, building up strength and demonstrating their hard work in the meets.