St. Regis track team starts practice

Students at St. Regis are once again outside and running. Track practice started last week on Monday and the first meet is scheduled for April 2, in Frenchtown.

Coach Maury Johnston said that they team has five boys and two girls out this year. The numbers are similar to last year.

Thomas Spencer is returning in the high jump. Juliana Spencer and Jerron Jennings are also returning in the long distance running events. The other students who came out for the sport art either freshman or out for the first time.

The team has nine scheduled meets for the season and Johnston said that there is some difficulty in getting ready for the first meet.

“The biggest difficulty that all teams share in getting ready for the season, with only a few weeks practice, is that in field events we haven’t been able to practice the event outside because of the weather,” Johnston said.

Johnston said that each of the students set a goal that each one of them would like to achieve over the course of the season. He said that he also has his own hopes for them.

“My expectation would be for us to have personal bests for all the kids, to have success by getting to divisional and to state, and to have fun,” Johnston said.

Johnston is in his fourth year of coaching track and this will be his second year at St. Regis. He said that he really enjoys track because of the type of students who come out for the sport.

“I like track because you typically get kids who are committed and disciplined and who are willing to do what it takes to meet their goals,” Johnson said.

The season is just getting underway and there’s a long way to go yet, but Johnston said he is looking forward to what’s to come.

“I look forward to seeing our kids progress and to getting into the season and enjoying watching other athletes from western Montana compete,” he said.