ETV News stock photo by Jeff Barrett
The Pirates‘ track and field team will receive reinforcements this year by doubling up the squad. Nine athletes are expected to join the ranks, making it a fun season for all. Several will be pulling double-duty, playing golf while participating in track and field. “A lot of them are doing golf,” mentioned head coach Tawni Jensen. “We’re trying to get everything organized [so they can do both].”
Green River will welcome back three returners, including Jenilee Keener, Emily Roundy and Ryder Norman. Keener was a state-placer in javelin and shot put as a freshman. The rest of the group, including seniors Ryder Norman and Liliana Gonzalez, will begin to learn the fundamentals. “Most of the boys haven’t even done it before,” said Jensen. “We’re brand new starting out with most of them.”
While Jensen is not new to the sport, it is her inaugural season of track and field at Green River. “This is my first year as their track coach. I’m way more new than they are.” Jensen continued, “I did it a little bit when I was in high school, but it’s been kinda fun for me going back and researching some of the different methods and stuff that’s changed even since I was there. It’s been fun for me to relearn.”
Due to the number of green athletes, the Pirates’ emphasis this year will be on each individual getting better. “Our goal overall as a team is to show improvement,” Jensen started. “We’ve been setting our baselines on everything. We’re going to focus on improving ourselves.”
Watching athletes learn new techniques and get better is a rewarding process and that is Green River’s aim. “We’re just excited to be able to participate,” concluded Jensen.