Pembroke Academy Track & Field - 2020 Outdoor Letter to Seniors

I can't even begin to express how badly I feel about you missing your final season of high school track and field. Whether you were just looking forward to making memories with friends and teammates, or hoping to get to states or New Englands, or looking to break school records, or to just trying set a PR, those possibilities are gone and it sucks.

The disappointment or sadness or anger you might be feeling towards the loss of the season and your opportunities is understandable and expected. Don't feel bad for feeling badly :)

High school sports, and sports in general, at their best really do help prepare you and shape for rest of your life - both the ups and the downs, and this one is definitely a down for everyone. Your only choice now is how to move on.

If you are planning to continue competing in college try to get some work in now. Get in the repetitions - throws, jumps, miles, hurdles - whenever you can. Do some skill work and some strength work. Watch as many Youtube videos as you can of your event(s). Anything you can do now will give you a leg up over your future competition who might be taking the next few months off. Have fun with it.

If you are not planning on competing in, or going to, college keep in the back of your mind that track & field can be a lifetime pursuit, you can come back to it. There are some great programs and meets out there adults and masters (older adults). I've just set up a club, the NH Rockets, that will be competing in local and regional competitions once they start up again - you're all welcome to join.

I'll help you all in any way I possibly can - loan you equipment, give you advice, put together training plans, find drills, do video analysis, setup meets and competitions (hopefully).

I'll be training at the track periodically as will others. I'll be trying to organize practices that can still be done in the current situation with limited people.

There are also virtual meets starting to popup, where you run/jump/throw on your own, video it, post your results, and compete with others online. I'm looking at signing our team up for some of those.

Also, we're going to try to have some type of team party near the end of the school year if at all possible to celebrate and to wish our seniors well.