Junior Elizabeth Chan has been running track at Arcadia High School (AHS) since freshman year. She was first introduced to track when she was 13-years-old, but she has enjoyed participating in a team ever since she turned 15. As a member of the Girls Varsity Track team, Chan is one of the jumpers, who focuses on jumping events such as the Triple and Long Jump. 

Chan began having dreams of participating in the track team when she was in middle school. She initially attended a track meet that was held at the high school, and she thought it was so cool to see the athletes sprinting toward the finish line. 

Chan believes that being an athlete on the AHS Track team is a great way to stay healthy, make new friends, and have fun. She also believes that being an athlete has led her to be a better student by providing her confidence, chances to work with others, and motivation to remain successful in her academics. 

Besides her love for this sport, being part of the Track team takes hard work and involves a lot of commitment. According to Chan, practices usually take around two and a half hours every weekday, and track meets, which are prepared by her and some teammates, are on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Chan and some of her teammates host the track meets at school, a place that everyone is familiar with, for the sake of not getting lost or funding an entrance fee. Track meets are competitions that consist of different events including sprints, jumps, and throws. However, when AHS hosts big track meets such as the Winter Championships or the Arcadia Invitational, there is a lot of hard work involved. Chan and her teammates have built two pole vault pits and cleaned up the area after the event ended. Track meets are to display an athlete’s skill in their event, and to showcase the abilities that can be learned by watching different events. These events are also how coaches from each school in our league determine who wins League Championships. 

“Being in track is hard work,” said Chan, “and since I’m not naturally fast, it’s a challenge to reach my expectations.” 

As a young athlete, Chan was inspired to embark on this new journey with the support of her senior peers during freshman year, her older brother, and her friends, who have always encouraged her to do her best in any event she’s involved in. The most challenging part for Chan as a jumper is to remember to take care of herself.

 “Last year, I injured my knees because I decided to ignore what my body was telling me and continued to push through,” explained Chan. Chan currently still has the injury, but she learned to have control for her health and future.

Her first big success came when she persisted in improving her Triple Jump, even though at first, she feared she wouldn’t make it into the sand pit. According to Chan, she was barely able to make it considering the fact that the athlete is supposed to land on their bottom. However, with patience and practice, Chan became stronger, and now she is flying over her personal record, which is currently 33 feet and 7 ½ inches for Triple Jump. 

“The toughest aspect of being an athlete is the ability to be optimistic because there will be a lot of times where you fail, or something goes wrong,” said Chan.

During competitions, to calm her nerves, Chan focuses on tuning everyone out and takes deep breaths. Although she’s under pressure, she focuses on the present, remains calm, and keeps her objective in mind: getting a new personal record. 

Chan’s advice for anyone with plans in joining a sport in high school is to make new friends. She explains that making new friends in your sport will make the experience so much more exciting and fun.

Photo courtesy of Joya Sarkar