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By Laura Zhen
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Feb. 20, 2009 |
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Despite losing assistant sprint coach Sean Gwi, head coach Andy Leong still holds high expectations for the track team
this year since they performed so well in the championships last year.
Beads of sweat rolled down the runners’ glistening foreheads as the sun beat down on them ruthlessly.
Early into a promising season, the track team is practicing rigorously for their upcoming meets. But as if the heat were not bad enough, on Jan. 28, they received upsetting news that put a damper on team morale.
Third-year assistant sprint coach Sean Gwi stared into the eyes of the athletes who had grown to become his friends and announced that he was leaving Lowell to become head coach at International Studies Academy. His emotional speech was met by tears from his loyal subjects. “We’ve become more of a family,” Gwi said. “I will miss the meets and watching them work their hardest.”
The feeling was clearly mutual. “I’m sad about him leaving,” senior hurdler Manon Zouai said. “We’re the class of ’09 and he started out with us.”
No replacement for Gwi has been determined yet, according to head coach Andy Leong.
Despite losing Gwi, Leong still holds high expectations for the team this year since they performed so well in the championships last year. “As a whole, we totally dominate,” he said. “We are the favorites to win varsity titles (this year).”
With his intimidating mustache, Leong, a coach at the school since 1990, may come across as a stern guy, but those who know him have a different take.
“People outside the team say he seems mean but if you’re on the team, you know he’s really nice,” senior team manager Pamela Chew said. “He’s just being strict because he wants the runners to do their best.”
When it comes to track and field, Leong does not kid around — he expects the team members to be persistent and dedicated.
Despite the demanding nature of their coach and practice in general, the team doesn’t seem to mind a little friendly competition. “I like the workouts,” junior sprinter Safa Mannah said. “They keep you in very good shape.”
Although the season is still in its early stages, newbies and veterans alike are already bonding over their shared love for track. “It’s a big team and you get to meet new people and make friends,” Mannah said.
Our runners may be sweaty and may not smell all that great, but their legs sure look fetching in those shorts, so come to the first meet at 10 a.m. on March 7 at the Big Cat Invitational in Santa Rosa to check ’em out yourself.
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