Junior Olivia Latunski runs cross country and track for FHC, two sports that many others would not consider fun. Olivia chooses to give up most of her time to balance these two uncommon sports, AP classes, and clubs. She has gained many new skills because of the dedication and perseverance it takes to excel continually in these undertakings. Unfortunately, with all good things comes a price. In Olivia’s case, the price is her social life and free time.
“The most important thing to me is that I do my best in school and athletics and try to make time to hang out with my friends at some point, even if it’s not all within the same day or week,” Olivia said. “Some days are full of one activity, like a track meet, and leave little room for anything else.”
Many people would choose to sit at home or go shopping on the weekends, but not Olivia. She is committed to doing well in school, which involves studying for large amounts of time because of her advanced class load. She puts in the hours at practice each week to perfect her craft and leaves her all on the track during meets. It takes dedication to become good at a sport, so for Olivia to reach her goal of doing her best, she must commit to doing it with full effort every time.
It is easier said than done to commit to any sport but especially one as intense as track and cross country. While constantly pushing herself, she has learned many things that have kept her from quitting and not letting down her teammates, coaches, and herself.
“When running cross country, I have to be dedicated when practicing and making sure that what I’m eating will make me run the best because of how difficult racing is,” Olivia said. “Track also takes determination; however, in doing field events, most of that is being determined to do specific drills and complete them with correct form.”
People will never understand something until they do it themselves. Another way to say that is don’t let someone who’s never been in your shoes tell you how to tie the laces. Olivia shares the struggles she faces that other people might not realize unless they’ve done the sports. Food is fuel, and managing each calorie that comes into her body will ensure peak performance during the long treacherous cross-country races. Track is a lot of short quick motions such as field events which could include jumping events, throwing events, or running events. She perfects the motions over and over again so that in competition under the stress of people watching it will be muscle memory.
“One piece of advice my coach gave me was to work on one thing a day,” Olivia said. “Don’t get bogged down by the list of errors to fix or tasks to do, and instead, focus on what’s right in front of you.”
This advice can apply to anyone who is feeling like they aren’t progressing in their sport or life. It is easy to get lost in all the things you might feel like you’re doing wrong instead of focusing on the problem or struggle at hand. In everyone’s life, there is a time when they will feel overwhelmed. Remembering this simple sentence can change everything. She also balances clubs for the school so that she can be a well-rounded athlete and student.
“I’m part of the Community Club and Spanish Club. Last semester, I organized a volunteer opportunity that connected us with Helen Devos Children’s Hospital,” Olivia said. “We made tie blankets for patients, which was an excellent and fun way to help out our community.”
Through her time spent volunteering and playing her sports, she has learned skills like time management and being a good team player. Making those blankets taught her that it takes time to make nice things and also gave her the experience of making others happy. In today’s society, there aren’t many opportunities to give to people outside of the immediate community, so Community Club has offered Olivia a way to go out of her comfort zone and give to others she doesn’t know. Learning all these skills in high school will help her adjust to college so she can become whatever she desires.
“I’m planning on going to college to study something in the realm of STEM. I’m interested in engineering, chemistry, and biochemistry,” Olivia said. “I would love to throw shot and discus in college, but that will depend on what I decide to study and where I attend.”
The future is imminent, and Olivia has many great aspirations for hers; with her dedication and grit, she will earn nothing less than what she desires. Once she puts her mind to what she wants to achieve, she will certainly achieve it. Many people wish to be as determined and committed as Olivia, and while it might sound daunting, putting their minds to something means that they can reach anything as long as they don’t quit. It is also ok to give up when people have bit off too much that they can chew because everyone is different and what might work for someone else doesn’t work for everyone.
“My advice would be to develop a good work ethic and apply it to all parts of your life. When you have confidence in the work you’ve put in, you’ll have confidence on race day,” Olivia said, “and to be your own advocate and cheer on your teammates. ”
