Lucy Sandahl glides through a race last spring. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
With Washington state schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re offering all Whidbey Island students a chance to be heard and stay connected.
Lucy Sandahl is a senior at Coupeville High School.
These past four years running on the track and field team has impacted me in a way that I will never forget.
A lot of people think of track and field as nearly an activity but never a sport; in reality it is and so much more.
It is a place where people can feel welcomed, a place to learn and grow around people who are supportive, and above all it is a family.
We all suffer through workouts together and we all cheer each other on during our events.
I truly couldn’t have made it through the season without all of my teammates support and for that I will forever be thankful.
I would like to thank every single one of the coaches for supporting me through these long four years.
Coach (Randy) King has always been a joy to be around from our pre-practice meetings to our end of the year pasta feed.
He has truly shaped Coupeville’s track and field team into a family and one that I was proud to be a part of for four years.
Coach Bob (Martin) was always there to help motivate and show us that we had exactly what it took to be the best and how hard we had to work to get there.
Coach (Lincoln) Kelley was always there to toughen me up and tell jokes when he knew that I did not have my best race or practice.
Coach (Neil) Rixe was there through it all.
Going into freshman year I had no idea that I wanted to run distance, but I knew I’d be in safe hands with Coach Rixe.
I may not have always loved the long hard workouts like 10 x 400 repeats or ladders but I knew that he had a plan and he knew what was best.
It saddens me that I couldn’t get another shot around that track but I would love to thank my coaches for being there and pushing me to show that it’s OK not to be the best but you sure as hell have to fight for it.
Along with my coaches I would love to thank my parents through this whole process.
I could never have trained without my dad dragging me out to the Kettles or on the track and I couldn’t have made it through a single race without hearing my mom’s signature whistle while dying on the back stretch.
They have supported me through it all and I could never truly say how much that means to me.
Finally, the last people that I want to reach out and thank are the track moms.
Dawnelle Conlisk, Deb Smith, Maria Reyes, Sherry Roberts, Lisa and Beth Toomey-Stout, Heather Kortuem, and of course Nana.
There was never a meet that went by that they didn’t bring food to try and get us to eat even though we were all too nervous, a time where they weren’t cheering on everyone, or a time where they wouldn’t get me out of my head after I was beating myself up after a bad race.
They were there for every single one of us kids and it truly hurts that I didn’t get to spend one more season with them.
Now that it is all over I will be the first to say that I am in no means the best of the best but no matter the day or how my race went I was always glued to the sidelines of the track screaming and cheering for everyone and that is the thing that I am going to miss the most.
Thank you for these past four years; I’m going to miss it so much.
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