Track and field mentors guide youth runners to the finish line
On the field and under the sun, NPHS track and field runners serve as mentors for athletes on the NP Track and Field youth team, working to prepare them for the high school track team.
Isabella Steiner and Elizabeth Barnes, sophomores, founded the program in partnership with the NPHS youth track and field program, where their running careers began. “[The youth track program] is where my love for the sport began. I wanted an opportunity to give back to the program,” Steiner said.
Steiner started the program when thinking of a project for her Girl Scout troop. Her goal is to help younger athletes love the sport as she does, help them with their form and answer their questions about running in high school. She loves working with younger kids and passing down knowledge she has gained through her own years of running. “Some memorable advice I have been given is to always run your own race and don’t worry about what other people are doing; your goal is to get that [personal record],” Steiner said.
Maddison Fishmon-Edmonds, freshman, can be found in the long-jump pit, raking the sand and giving tips to participants. Prior to her freshman year, Fishmon-Edmonds ran with the youth team for three years. Her experience with working with the youth runners has taught her many valuable lessons. “I have learned to be more patient as well as never doubting someone as most of the kids are extremely good at the events they do and I hope that they have fun doing them,” Fishmon-Edmonds said.
Meanwhile, Graham Reynolds, sophomore, works to be attentive to youth runners’ needs while helping out at practice. Reynolds preaches that joining the program is a rewarding learning experience for high school runners. “A high school runner should join the program because it gives you volunteering and leadership experience and you just feel good about yourself in general afterward since it feels good to give back to the community and inspire the younger runners,” Reynolds said.
The student-run track mentorship program has been successful beyond Steiner’s expectations. “I am so happy to see all of these high school athletes really step up and dedicate so much of their time to spend it with these future Panthers,” Steiner said.
