The Track Athlete:
You’ve seen her around. She is probably the one who rocks the sports watch with her daily outfit or dons Nikes a little too frequently. She walks like it’s a race (which it usually is), and seems oh-so-comfortable looking like a living ad for Harvard based on the number of insignias she’s sporting. Oh, and that backpack; that New Balance backpack is a dead give-away. You have most likely interacted with her at some point, too. She is your competition for early sections because, well, maybe you’re a morning person, but she has afternoon practice for a four-hour block of time. She’s probably that girl with a cup of water, chocolate milk, and PowerAde all on her tray in the dining hall that leaves you wondering how anyone could enjoy that combination of beverages.
Sophomore, Jade Miller preparing for her race.
But it’s impossible to describe a whole team as a singular type. Each athlete is unique in her goals and passions. There is no one generic track athlete; no “she”. The track team is a compilation of differently motivated but equally talented young women. Ultimately though, there is one thing each of these amazing women have in common and that is their drive and their desire to compete.
“She” is just the girl who got the opportunity to continue to do what she loves through her college years and isn’t letting that opportunity go by wasted. And that’s why she trains. That’s why she competes. That’s why she’s proud to call herself a track athlete. And not just any track athlete – a Harvard track athlete.
What separates Ivy League collegiate athletes from other Division One athletes in the country is their instinctual will to continue their sport. At Harvard, athletes are not on scholarship, which basically means this drive they possess to compete and train comes from their own fruition, not any kind of financial crutch. You know their motivation is rooted in who they are and their commitment to their sport does not falter.
Coming up this weekend (February 28th and March 1st), both the Men’s and Women’s Harvard Track teams have the opportunity to prove what they are worth and fight for what they have been tirelessly training for all these months. The Heptagonal Championship—or Heps, as its most commonly referred to as—is the Ivy League championships for track and field. This year brings a new opportunity to the women’s team; they have the chance to secure their fourth Heps title as a team. On their own turf, in their own house, with their own school behind them in full support.
The Sport:
Few people understand the true nature of track. It isn’t just a sport. It’s a lifestyle. You have to love the sport–to be the sport–to excel in it. You wouldn’t last one season if you didn’t truly love it with every fiber in your body, because every day is a fight against every single one of those same fibers of your body. That’s track training. Your body is your weapon and that’s what you propel out of the blocks, through the finish line, or over a bar. The saying that “our sport is your sport’s punishment” couldn’t be more true for track and field. What most athletes consider additional conditioning, track athletes consider an ordinary workout—a light day, even! And whether the workout of the day is light or heavy with endurance or power, these athletes go at it day after day for more than 75% of the year.
Ivy Record holder, Nikki Okwelogu: “I throw because it’s who I am.”
That’s no exaggeration–for these girls track is a priority most of the year. Even the time off isn’t really time off, because its spent preparing mentally and physically for the next time you’re on the line, race ready. The track team arrives on campus in August with the rest of the Harvard undergrad population and immediately jumps into pre-season training. Fall semester is spent in preparation for competition. All semester spent practicing the maximum amount of hours the NCAA will allow. Each week, routinely pushing yourself to your limit– past your limit. Bettering yourself, strengthening your ability, and getting ready both physically and mentally for the not just one, but two full seasons ahead. With indoor track in the winter and outdoor in the spring, these athletes live for track from August to June. It’s a strange sport–they run, jump, and throw for months on end, but for what? One day to claim a winning mark and a title as champion?
Senior Taylor Mae Dupont describes it perfectly when she says: “Track is a sport of its own. Let’s take football for instance—and I’m not hating, I LOVE football—but in football, you may miss a tackle and be really down on yourself, so what do you do? The very next play you dig down deep and with every explosive gene in your body you make sure you lay that guy out. And if you miss him again? Well, you have three more quarters to redeem yourself. Track and field on the other hand, you train all year long for one shot. It’s really a strange concept to grasp, but once you do it’s empowering… I push positivity so hard because in a sport where your mental game is as vital as your actual game, there is no time for doubt or fear or low confidence. Track and field is a sport of sheer will and determination.”
Senior, Taylor Mae Dupont throwing weight at Indoor Heps 2014
Every girl on the team stresses the same thing when discussing her preparation for Heps. Trust. In the weeks leading up to the championship, there’s not much more you can do to better yourself.
“After 7 months of hard training, watching my sleep, focusing on nutrition, and taking care of my body in order to get in peak shape, I have done all that I possibly can to prepare myself,” Danielle Barbian (’15) says. “At this point, I need to just focus on the little details and trust that all of the hard work and training leading up to this point are going to pay off come race day. I am trying to focus on trusting my own training, but also showing my teammates that I trust them and all of the hard work that they have put in. Although everyone competes individually, it is so empowering to know that your teammates trust you and know that you can go out and win.”
Senior, Danielle Barbian racing the 60m dash
Prior to Heps, these girls are building a fire within themselves and within each other. They live for this competition. This single day where everything is on the line. They dream of that racing gun going off, the final 100m of their race, even losing their voices screaming for their teammates. That feeling of strength in the legs you are running on, and the high you get when you are doing something you’ve never done before, that’s what Heps gives you. There’s not another point in the season where you are so proud of yourself, your teammates, and your training. Everything is worth it in that moment. That is Heps. And these girls are ready.
The Day of:
Waking up, appetite making no appearance. Going through your morning motions, but not really present. Your mind is on the track– in the race.
Seeing sympathetic smiles on the faces of each of your teammates when you walk in the locker room. They understand, they are feeling what you are feeling. Anxious.
You can feel the adrenaline building in your body.
Here it comes.
Putting on your uniform. Never has that crimson H on your chest felt more right or looked better.
Here it goes.
Heart pounding so loud it resonates through your entire body.
Slight shakes. Palms sweaty. Eyes darting everywhere—watching everything.
But your mind? It’s on one thing.
You’re up.
Junior, Paige Kouba at the starting line, Heps 2014
This is Heps.
An atmosphere so full of constant screams of cheer and support that it becomes background noise. One indoor track stadium packed with the entire Ivy League of track athletes, coaches, and their supporters pumping with adrenaline. The tension is palpable and everyone is on edge and ready. Waiting. As an athlete competing at Heps, you’re in your head visualizing your race, your approach, or your spin. You can see it all so clearly. And then you take a step back and get out of your head and suddenly everything is going on all at once. Heps is far from boring. Personal records, team records, and even Ivy records are made to be broken the day of Heps, and that’s because Heps is unlike any other meet during the season. You aren’t just running, jumping, or throwing for yourself that day. You are doing it for your team.
This is Heps.
“My own expectations, my own desire to impress and succeed, are what stands on the line. But in Heps, it’s different. It’s cheesy to articulate, but I run for my team, for all the girls whom I have trained alongside for months and years, who are putting everything into squeezing every last second or inch from their performances with the same end goal in mind” (Captain Erika Veidis, 2015).
Senior Erika Veidis (left) with teammates Kieran Gallagher (middle) and Sarah Gillespie (right)
Ultimately, these girls are competing for each other. For Harvard. For pride. If you want to be a part of that pride, come cheer them on, on February 28th and March 1st at the Gordon Indoor Track (below the hockey rink), as they race for the title they so deserve: Best in the Ivy League. Every scream, chant, and ultimately complete and utter loss of vocal ability, will help build motivation within these women. Each supporter will add strength and adrenaline. You, and all that you can bring, will make the difference in seconds and centimeters. So come make a difference for the team. For history. For Harvard.
Senior, Annie Giebelhaus high jumping at Gordon Indoor Track
Junior, Autumne Franklin racing the 60m hurdles