Winter marks the start of the track season here at Lafayette. Track athletes will train and compete for championship titles for the next six months.

Track and Field is divided into two seasons that occur back to back. First is the winter track season, which lasts from December to February. During this time, athletes are in a conditioning phase and compete in indoor meets. The other season is the outdoor spring season, from March to May. Athletes continue their training but compete in more important meets, such as the city, region, and state.

Track comprises of four primary events: sprints, jumps, throws, and distance. In total, there are 36 events, 18 for boys and 18 for girls. The sprinting events are short in distance but much faster in terms of speed compared to other running events. This includes the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 400-meter dash. A standard-sized track is 400 meters (0.25 miles), so the 100-meter dash is just a quarter of a lap, the 200-meter dash is half of a lap, and the 400-meter dash is one full lap.

The distance events consist of the 800-meter run (two laps), mile run (four laps), and two-mile run (eight laps). The jumping events include the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, triple jump, high jump, long jump, and pole vault. The 100 and 300 hurdles are done on the track, while the triple jump, high jump, long jump, and pole vault are all field events inside the track area. The throwing events are the shot put and discus. Both of these events are field events in throwing pits, special areas used only for throwing shot put and discus.

Lafayette hopes to build on the success that they have had in the last couple of years, improving on a second-place finish for the girls and a fifth-place finish for the boys at the region meet last year. The team hopes to earn the city and region championship titles and place well at the state meet. The team is open to any who wish to join. If you have any questions about joining, ask Ms. Davis in room 207.