Bloomington High School North, Nikean, 2009, Page 118

Description:	Senior Hele Rose prepares her forehand return duBnglrhe South tennismatch. North lost tl#natch 3-2.Competing against South, senior Kelsey Brannon dives for aground ball. She said the team uses high excitement to encourage better play on the field. As a leader, Brannon triesto keep the ball in field anlksupjort the pitcher. I enjoy it somuch, Brannon said. I feel like I need to give it my alI try to have a po&tive attitude when Iwrite down my score, senior Casey Dealsaid, shown at the Martinsville match.CDCDambitiousIts a Saturday morning in April, and the boys track coaches,head coach Ernie Clark and assistant coach Pablo Felix, set theirstopwatches. Senior Luke Richardson has just called junior KenyunByrd to a challenge in pursuit of Byrds relay spot.Clark gives the signal to go, and the two boys take off in a sprintto the finish. After they cross the line, the watches are stopped andByrds time is declared to be slightly slower. The 4x1 00 meter relay spot is rewarded to Richardson.On several occasions, Byrd has fallenshort in these challenges, gaining andagain losing his relay spot. During Saturday practices, the boys are grantedpermission to race anyone whose relayspot they wish to take.Clark said the desire to be on a relay has caused the competitionfor spots to become fierce. Felix agrees, adding that the coachesonly pick the four best runners for the position. In dual meets, onlythe winning relay receives points, making them exclusive.Ninety percent of the time the meet depends on the relay,junior Blake White said.White, like Byrd, has experienced loss of relay position andFIERCECOMPETITIONknows he must work hard to earn it back. Instead of the 4x100meter race, however, White is fighting for the spot in the 4x400meter race, along with sophomores Dylan Anderson and DarvonHill, junior Max Tuttle, and senior Keith Lewis.However, members of both the 4x1 00 and 4x400 races receivespeed suits that are specifically designed for sprinters the daybefore each meet as incentive to work hard for their relay spots.The suit, a tight, sleeveless one-piecedesigned for sprinters, is a special token of the boys efforts in obtaining aposition on the relay, amongst otherbenefits that arent entirely related torunning.Girls love seeing me in my speedsuit, White joked.Besides impressing the ladies, White does know what an honorand privilege it is to be able to be on a relay. Both White and Byrdare determined to continue challenging their teammates.I like being able to work with the relay and I want to help outmy team, White said.by JustinaGranta 118 a spring sports a
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomnorth/id/6894
Collection:	Bloomington High School North

Further information on this record can be found at its source.