Junior Darcy Spence is a versatile athlete on the girls indoor track and field team who competes in short-distance and field events. Spence is determined, hard-working, and an essential part of the team. Head Coach Lee Eddy praises Spence for possessing “all of the competitive qualities a coach could ask for.”

Sag: What is it about track that makes you keep coming back?

DS: To be honest, track is kind of love-hate for me. I think it is for everyone in some ways. The parts of it I love outweigh the parts of it I don’t like as much.

Sag: Do you consider yourself competitive?

DS: I consider myself very competitive. Sometimes, it’s like “I have to beat that person.” But, a lot of it is also “I have to beat my past self and PR.”

Sag: Being a junior, do you look at track differently than you did as an underclassman?

DS: Since I have more experience, I expect more out of myself at meets and practice. I also push myself to help lead the team because I know that when I was an underclassman, there were upperclassmen who helped me out and who I looked up to.

Sag: What’s one of your proudest moments of your track career?

DS: Freshman year, I thought I was a 200-[meter] runner and down, but last year, they plunged me into the 4×400-[meter] relay at the end of the meet. I was freaking out. I had never done the 400 before. I ran it, and I actually ran it really well. The realization that I could do something that I didn’t think I would have been able to do very well was a good moment for me. Now, it’s one of my favorite events.

Sag: What are some lessons you’ve learned from being on the team?

DS: A motto I have for myself in track and soccer is “training is the opposite of hoping.” Since it’s such an individual sport, the more you train, the less comes down to luck in your race. Another thing I’ve learned is to put the team ahead of myself. It’s surprising because for the most part, track is an individual sport. But,  at meets,  the sense of team is still there.

Yijin Yang can be contacted at [email protected]