[nggallery id=84]

People are crying. People are throwing up. People are yelling. People are searching for a quiet place to be by themselves. Those on the sidelines don’t see this aspect of the meets because they’re too busy focusing on the events, but all of these things happen when no one is watching. And they all happen at one place: a track meet.

The athletes, however, are not always calm according to STA sophomore Courtney Coppinger. The members of the STA varsity track team were feeling anxious before their meet April 14 at the Gary Parker Invitational at Blue Springs High School, according Coppinger.

“Most people feel sick before their races because they’re really nervous,” Coppinger said.

According to Coppinger, feeling sick is just one aspect of a race that can happen often. Once the race is over, the runners begin to get nervous yet again and they need to take their time to prepare for the next event.

“At the end of a race, I’m usually more mentally exhausted than I am physically,” freshman Maggie Bowen said.

For some girls, part of this mental exhaustion involves break downs. Some cry because they didn’t run their race as fast as they had hoped or just because they’re so tired after finishing their event.

“We have a couple girls who cry after every race and I usually give them a little space,” track coach Amanda James said.

James understands the emotions after races because she says the girls always do their best. She even appreciates the emotions the girls go through.

“It’s good to have a certain amount of anxiety and nervousness, it means that they care,” James said.

According to Bowen, the runners do have that anxiety, but they need to ignore it in order to stay focused on the event ahead.

“There are a lot of girls on the team that take track really seriously,” Bowen said. “And even though some other girls aren’t really serious about it, they really like it and care about it.”

Some girls who take it more seriously are the girls on the 4×800 meter relay team. This team is made up of all sophomores; Hannah McCausland, Sarah Vickery, Courtney Coppinger and Lane Maguire. They competed in the relay at last year’s State track meet, placing eighth out of sixteen teams.

“I take running more seriously, so I like it better and get more nervous for it,” Coppinger said.

The relay team tends to go through a routine once their race is over. They go on a cool down together, and before they start their next race they talk over how they did. But despite their efforts, someone always feels they could have done better.

“When we don’t do as well as we thought in a relay, we sometimes get down on ourselves,” Coppinger said. “But there’s always something to look forward to for the next race.”

According to Coppinger, the whole track team, not just the relay team, is supportive of one another. Bowen says, even if the girls don’t do as well as they thought they would they’re always supportive of each other, especially after races when one of them is feeling down.

“Our coaches are really supportive and accepting, and they know we always try our best,” Bowen said.

From a supportive team, to the preparation and anxiety, there is a lot that the spectators don’t see at a track meet.

According to Bowen, the spectators see the running, jumping, and throwing, but few people pay attention to what happens after all that is over.

“What happens behind the scenes of track is half of the sport,” Bowen said.