Video Transcript: Liverpool track athletes turn unseen work into state and national performances
Desiree Robinson: Several Liverpool High School track athletes are heading to states. A few also qualifying for New Balance Nationals. But long before the starting gun, their work happens here in practices most people never see. Among them is sophomore Katie Martin, who qualified in the 1000 meter.
Katie Martin: When I qualified, I finished the line, looked at the time and I was in tears because I was so excited. I couldn’t believe it.
Robinson: For athletes like Madelyn Devendorf, the work behind the results often goes unnoticed. But behind every race is months of commitment and discipline.
Madelyn Devendorf: Showing up every single day, practicing, going to the gym after, eating good. I don’t really do much hanging out it’s just track and track and track.
Robinson: That constant training builds toward moments like these. For sprinter Nahlah Battle-Creschnaw, that dedication is what makes reaching the next level meaningful.
Nahla Battle-Crenshaw: It means a lot. It shows all the hard work and stuff I put into the season.
Robinson: Unlike many team sports, track often comes down to one athlete alone on the starting line.
Martin: When you get into an individual sport like track, you can only blame yourself. I worked hard on every workout. It’s me that decides my fate.
Robinson: For high jumper Taima Tearney, that responsibility brings a mental challenge just as demanding as the physical one.
Taima Tearney: Mentally it can be a battle. But it’s also so rewarding having a big team that’s always so supportive of you.
Robinson: Coach Greg Hamilton says moments like these help athletes realize they belong on bigger stages.
Greg Hamilton: When they get to those accomplishments it gets them to realize like I can do this.
Robinson: And even in a sport where athletes compete individually, these runners say their team still plays a big role in their success.
Devendorf: Track is alone, but you’re never by yourself. You run alone, but you always have people around you who are supporting you cheering you on watching you.
Robinson: The races may be measured in seconds. But for these Liverpool athletes, the work behind them represents months and even years of dedication. Now they’ll take that work with them as they compete on the state and national stage. In Liverpool, I’m Desiree Robinson, NCC News.
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (NCC News) — Long before the starter’s pistol fires, the work begins.
Inside the gym at Liverpool High School, runners launch from starting blocks, jumpers take turns clearing the bar and teammates shout encouragement from the sidelines.
The practices are routine, but for several Liverpool track athletes, the work happening here is leading to the biggest competitions of their careers.
Several members of the Liverpool girls track team recently qualified for the New York State Track and Field Championships and New Balance Nationals, earning the opportunity to compete on some of the sport’s biggest high school stages.
For sophomore distance runner Katie Martin, qualifying for states in the 1,000-meters was an emotional moment.
“When I qualified, I finished the line, looked at the time and I was in tears because I was so excited,” Martin said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Track and field often operates outside the spotlight compared with higher-profile sports. But the preparation behind each race requires constant discipline.
Sprinter Madelyn Devendorf said the routine can take over daily life.
“Showing up every single day, practicing, going to the gym after, eating good,” Devendorf said. “I don’t really do much hanging out. It’s just track.”
For sprinter Nahla Battle-Crenshaw, the commitment makes moments like qualifying for major meets even more meaningful.
“It means a lot,” Battle-Crenshaw said. “It shows all the hard work I put into the season.”
Battle-Crenshaw said learning to move past difficult races is also part of competing in the sport.
“Every race is not going to be my best race,” she said. “So I try to stay present in the moment and be present.”
Unlike many team sports, track athletes often face pressure alone on the starting line.
“When you get into an individual sport like track, you can only blame yourself,” Martin said. “You look at yourself like I worked hard on every workout, it’s me that decides my fate.”
High jumper Taima Tearney said the mental challenge can be just as demanding as the physical one.
“Mentally it can be a battle,” Tearney said. “But it’s also so rewarding having a big team that’s always supportive of you.”
That support extends beyond teammates.
“We would not be able to do this well if we didn’t have our coach,” Devendorf said.
Liverpool girls track coach Greg Hamilton said competing at high-level meets helps athletes realize they belong among top competitors.
“When they get to those accomplishments it gets them to realize ‘I can do this’,” Hamilton said.
Even in a sport built around individual performance their team behind them still plays a major role.
“Track is alone, but you’re never by yourself,” Devendorf said. “You run alone, but you always have people around you who are supporting you and cheering you on.”
Liverpool athletes continued building on their season during the championship meets.
Battle-Crenshaw and Devendorf both set personal records in the 60 at states, and Battle-Crenshaw also qualified for nationals in the event after originally pre-qualifying in the 55.
Tearney cleared a personal-record height of 5 feet 4 inches in the high jump, the goal she had set for herself heading into the meet.
Martin later broke the Liverpool school record in the 800 at New Balance Nationals, continuing a season built on months of work behind the scenes.