BY GRACE MONTGOMERY (’16)

Indoor track serves primarily as a way for runners to train for the outdoor season. The runners create a base for endurance as well as physical and mental toughness by persevering through the cold from January to March. In order to keep spirits high during the season, indoor track allows the athletes to compete in meets to see the effects of their work.

“Besides conditioning for outdoor season, we want to expose our athletes to competition,” commented head coach Jim Green. “This year we made our schedule harder. We added to our meet lineup the SPIRE showcase, which is one of the biggest meets in the country. People from the East of the Mississippi attend this event, with some nationally ranked.”

SPIRE is “one of the largest indoor, multi-sport, training and competition complexes in the world with more than 750,000 sq. ft,” according to their website. It is located in Geneva, OH, about 3 hours north of Granville.

Junior Natalie Price recently competed in SPIRE and came home with a few victories.

“My goal this year was to break the 400 meter record and I did this weekend,” Price said. “I really wanted to push myself as much as possible and I am seeing great results so far.”

Price currently holds the 400 record at 57.2, replacing the old one of 57.4, as well as the ranking of second in the state for the 400. From SPIRE, she qualified along with senior Micaela DeGenero for the New Balance National Championships.

With such success thus far, this season of indoor track is inspiring change for the outdoor season.

“The schedule will be tougher than in the past,” Green said. “There will be harder meets earlier on in the season to allow us to see the best of the best. Then when we hit postseason with districts and beyond we are set up nicely to compete.”