Perspiration and Performance Go Hand In Hand

Tired, relieved smiles, and drooping eyelids flooded the end of the Manhattan indoor track and field championships as the Greyducks took first place, continuing their long streak of winning Boroughs. Although they have always dominated their competition historically, with heavy losses accrued from the graduation of key players and the departure of both of their coaches this season, like many other teams this year, the odds seemed to stack up against the Greyducks, Stuyvesant’s boys’ varsity indoor track and field team.

Maintaining their longstanding legacy proved to be a worrisome endeavor as the team prepared for the meet. “Going into Boroughs, we knew it wasn't going to be easy as [it had been] the years before. HSMSE and Hunter were contenders for the title. Hunter was actually projected to win by points alone,” said junior and long distance runner Justin Zhang. Thoughts like these plagued their minds, nagging at the runners and diminishing their optimism.

In addition to the ominous forecast of another school winning this year’s championships, the team also had to adjust and compensate for the loss of current players. “We also had a fast senior who couldn't run because of some paperwork issue; plus, our star junior Justin was coming in off an injury. [It] didn't seem we brought our best game, to be honest,” junior and long distance runner Caleb Hoo said.

However, as the meet came to a close, it was evident that the Greyducks’ persistent perspiration and dedication had paid off. A healthy combination of both sprint and long distance victories slowly added up to an over 50-point lead on the other teams. In the 55-meter dash, senior sprinters Alexander Shevchenko and Eric Chen both placed first with performance times of 7.13 seconds. In shot put, five out of the top six were Greyducks.

In the 1600-meter run, Zhang took third place, with a time of four minutes and 49.21 seconds. In the triple jump, sophomore Harper Andrews placed first at 37 ft and 8.25 in. “I wasn't sure if we would win, but I was sure we would do our very best,” said Zhang. And that they did. In all the events the Greyducks participated in, they placed within the top six.

It seems not all the changes this season were so bad after all. Despite the team’s close relationship with their previous trainers, the runners have acclimated to the new coaches. “A lot of credit goes to our coaches, Mankit Wong and Carl Disarno, and our manager, [junior] Amy Lei, for planning and strategizing for the meet,” said Zhang.

Ahead of them are the city championships, and with them comes the official conclusion of the winter track and field season. “We have around seven athletes who qualified for cities, and with outdoor around the corner, we're aiming for that triple crown,” said Lei. With their feet back on the pavement, the Greyducks’ futures are looking brighter and better than before, as they finish this season without regrets. “Other than wishing it could've been less cold that one week, nope,” said Hoo when asked if there was anything else he wanted to say.