Hillcrest Track & Field

Indoor track coach - Coach Rashid:

Coach Rashid has been an indoor track and field coach at Hillcrest High School for the past two years. He was originally coaching the soccer team and the handball team because those were the sports that he played. The school couldn’t find an indoor track coach last year and they had a girl who was competing on a national level (Kiera Davis), so they didn’t want to forfeit the team. Coach Rashid said, “The athletic director asked me to coach the team as a favor to the school so Kiera Davis wouldn’t have to forfeit her senior track season.” 

I asked coach Rashid what was a daily struggle he faced as a track coach, and he responded with, “I think that because track wasn’t a sport I ever took part in as I was younger, I really have to make sure everyday I am looking up information and videos. Teaching myself about the sport so I can teach the girls on the team. It’s also hard because some of the activities I need them to do, I can’t do them at my age.” 

Coach Rashid’s advice he has to give to track athletes or upcoming track athletes was, “I would say to anyone that wants to be on the indoor team they have to be dedicated to coming to practice everyday, they have to be committed to wanting to improve their form, their balance, and they have to want to compete. Track is a hard sport, it’s not a team sport. You have to want to get better for yourself, not your teammates.”

Outdoor track coach- Coach Miley

Coach Miley has been a track coach for 12 years and has been coaching at Hillcrest for 6 years. He became a track coach because in his high school days he was a runner and it was something he was good at. He said, ¨If I wasn't that good I don't know if I would´ve turned into a track coach.¨ He enjoys the competition and the competitiveness of the sport or the sprinter because he was a sprinter himself. Another thing Coach Miley enjoyed was the friendships he developed through the sport. 

A daily struggle coach Miley faces with coaching track and field athletes is, “Having the kids commute from here to Roy Wilkins Park or to Liberty. Within that struggle there are sometimes outside fights. Kids that don’t go to the school are involved in gang activities so that’s a struggle.”

Advice coach Miley has to share with track athletes or any upcoming track athletes is, “Depending on what you are meaning if you’re a sprinter, a long distance runner, or a field event person, do your best to practice in the off season at your particular event. Also, say if you’re a sprinter, don’t be afraid to try field events because it’s only gonna make you better.”

 Hillcrest Track and Field athletes

Krishara Santokie (11th grade)

Krishara has always enjoyed playing sports, she is a multi-sport athlete( the other sports) and the one she enjoys the most is track. I asked her what her inspiration was for track and she said, “Track is a sport where you have to be consistent and I think it’s a very nice sport and people don’t get the struggles of it. I think we are not being shown out enough.” 

A daily struggle Krishara faces with track is her shoulder injury. It holds her back from doing very helpful and important drills that are needed as a track athlete. Krishara said, “When I first heard my coach tell me ‘You’re giving symptoms of separating shoulder.’ I got worried because if I can’t do one sport then I can’t do any sports at all.”

For anyone that runs track and is considering running track, Krishara said, “Don’t think that because of your speed or your time will stop you from doing a certain event. Don’t let the size of the track stop you from doing long distance. Don’t always think that you’re a sprinter because not everybody’s a sprinter. Track is not just track, there are field events and people should try them out. Make sure to be consistent, you can’t just think you’re gonna come and win first place, that’s not how track works.”

Gabbana Lewis (11th grade)

Gabbana’s inspiration for track came from it being the activity she enjoyed the most and back in Jamaica it was the only thing she participated in. A lot of people told her she was fast so she decided to start taking it seriously. 

The main struggle Gabbana faces as a track athlete is, “Dropping my time is the hardest thing because you don’t see progress until way after. It’s not just seconds you have to beat every single race.  Sometimes you can be running the same time over and over again.”

Advice Gabbana has to share with other track athletes is, “Don’t give up and if you really care about it, don’t just run for the school. Try to join a club and even though it is gonna cost money, I think it’s worth it.”