On your mark, get set , GO!  With those three words, the track & field season has kicked off. Track and Field is a sport in which an athlete gets to display their physical abilities in running, jumping and throwing. Here at Mountain Ridge, about 170 students have decided to participate in this sport, each with different hopes and accomplishments at the end.

Track & Field has been a sport at Mountain Ridge High School since the school first opened in 1995. The sport has been divided into two: JV & Varsity. Like any other sport, a fee is in demand to provide the athletes with uniforms, and it all sums up to 100$. It includes 12 running events and 7 field events. Though divided into boys and girls teams, they all work out together in order to see each other’s skills and abilities and to meet new people.

Aside from meeting new people there are more benefits to track

“Track is so much fun and you lose weight too and that is what I call a win,”according to Nicole Colinayo, a ninth grade student at Mountain Ridge.

Track & field athletes not only run to exercise, but also lift weights They do sprint workouts and long distance too to help their stamina. The sport helps you get in shape.

If you are exceeding, you may even receive a scholarship out of it.

“Yeah, that’s how I went to college” says the girls track coach, Ms. Saufley.

On their first meet, the Mountain Ridge track and field team did excellent according to the coaches who include, Ms. Saufley the ninth grade gym coach, Dustin Graham, Mark Faust, Derek Delossantos, Cory Whitten, Josh Honeycutt, Don Tate and Dale. They even beat the school’s rival team, Sandra Day O’Connor. Overall, they are doing well and have some motivated students.

All in all, the Ridge track team is off to an excellent start with hard working students determined to race to first place.