Track starts off season in record form
June 1, 2022
Senior Camille Smith, has recently broken her own school record in the 100 meter dash and an additional school record in the 200m. Smith held the previous record for the 100m with a time of 13.45 seconds and was able to beat that with 13.2 seconds at the latest track meet on April 22, 2022 . In the 200m, she ran a 27.27 second sprint, beating the previous school record of about 28 seconds held by Alice Kinsley from 2017.
This is Smith’s third year running for the Masters track team, but has been doing the sport since grade seven. This is also Smith’s first full outdoor track season due to COVID-19 restrictions in the past two years. Smith is primarily a sprinter, participating in the 100m, 200m, and, occasionally, the high jump.
Smith had not planned to break the two records, and was surprised to do so.
She said, “ Honestly, I was very surprised just because I was scared going into this race because it was the first one of the season. I wasn’t aiming to break my own record, it just happened. For me [the 100] was more of wanting to get a time, so I could get a framework of where I needed to go for the rest of the season and then I ended up breaking my own record, which is a great feeling.”
Smith does not usually run the 200, so breaking both records in one meet was a significant achievement for her. “I don’t usually run the 200 for the most, so when I ended up breaking that record, it was a relief too,” she said.
The track coaches, Juan Cobos, Luciano Fores, Yolanda Nyero, and Benjamin Allen have supported Smith throughout her time on the track, pushing for her to succeed.
“I think that having different types of coaches really helps in the long run because they always want to see you succeed. They always want to see the team succeed and having that type of mentality coming from a coach will overall end up spreading onto you and the people that are around you which always helps,” Smith said.
Smith plans to shave her record down from 13.2 to 13 seconds as the season continues and is ready to put in the work to achieve this.
“It’s hard. It is hard, but it’s worth it,” she said.