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Sports Notebook
Summer training could pay spring dividends

By Ethan Holly

Although the official school year has just begun, Corona varsity track members have been focused on their training through the blistering summer to prepare for the upcoming season.

“The summer builds up your strength, conditioning, as well as experience,” senior Katie Cartwright said. 

“I am excited for my senior season; I want it to go well.”

Cartwright spent the summer working out with her track club travel team, the Arizona Cheetahs.  She spent six days a week working on different running techniques and styles. Along with weightlifting three times a week and spending one day doing hill runs, this regimen aided in reaching her goal of becoming a top hurdler on both the regional and national stage.

“My favorite event is definitely the 300-meter hurdles,” Cartwright said. 

“In the 100-meter hurdles I stress out about more because it’s more technical. The 300 is more of a running event. It’s less technical for sure; it just comes naturally to me.”

The core returning group of the Corona girls track team includes young stars such as sophomores Jessica Williams and Lindsay Dorweiler as well as junior Paige Bau. 

Cartwright represented Arizona at Regionals in Colorado and placed second in the 400 meter hurdles (the length used by club track teams and also college teams) with a time of one minute and five seconds.  She then moved on to Nationals and had the opportunity to run against some of the nation’s best.

“It was fun to experience it all and be there,” Cartwright said. “It is the experience that will help the most.”

Junior Phil Feinberg continued his track career by going up against some of the toughest competition in the world. As a member of the USA Junior Nationals team, he was able to compete in Morocco this summer.

While there, Feinberg competed in the high jump, his specialty at Corona. After winning state as a sophomore, Feinberg can now concentrate on beating his own personal records as well as defending his state title this year.

Over the course of this summer senior Mike Wrapp ran and documented 376 miles. As a key member of both the Corona cross country and track teams, keeping up his endurance is of the utmost importance. 

“I have been building a big endurance base over the summer,” Wrapp said.  “The saying is the bigger the base, the higher the pyramid, which dictates how far you can go.”

Having lettered in track since sophomore year, Wrapp is being counted on to contribute heavily in the 4 by 800, 800, mile, and two-mile events.

“My favorite event is the mile,” Wrapp said.  “there’s a lot of strategy involved in it.  You have to have speed, but also endurance as well.  It’s also a distance everyone can relate to and understand your time in.”

To live up to the high standards he sets for himself, Wrapp depends heavily on his summer workouts to keep in shape.

“The workouts condition me to the heat and accustom my body to long distances,” Wrapp said.

Although the track seasons for these athletes have not yet begun, the high expectations they have for themselves can only be met by intense training through the summer.

“I am excited for my season, but also looking forward to moving on,” Cartwright said. 

“I want it to go well and I’ll be disappointed when it is finished…once you move on you can never come back.”      

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