While most EHS students spent their winter break away from school, the girls track team met almost every day on the indoor track to begin preparing for their upcoming season.

While pre-season workouts are largely the same this year, there has been one big change: a new coach.

“Her coaching style is quite different; she tends to be distant and less interactive,” senior and sprinter Karli Barton said. “But she is professional and empowering and genuinely wants us to succeed.”

Deserea Howard is the new girls track team coach and has begun making some changes to the team despite still being in the pre-season.

“We do a lot more work it seems, but not all of it is in a good way,” junior and high jumper Jaiden Stout said.

Coach Howard has focused most of the pre-season training on weight training rather than running or jumping.  The stretches she gives are also different from those in previous years. 

This is leaving many returning members to worry about what the season may hold for them.

“It could be good, or it could be bad,” Stout said. “Coach Howard puts us to work, which could be good, but at the same time the coaching is so different that it could be bad.”

While Barton, who has run track since freshman year, appreciates having a new coach, she feels like she is rarely at the practices due to her working at Liberty. Barton also says that while there are a lot of incoming freshmen this year, there are fewer than ten athletes in the other grades.

“I’ve heard that the incoming freshmen are really good,” sophomore pole vaulter Campbell Huffman said. “I think having so much new talent could really benefit the team this year.”

Huffman and many of her teammates have set high goals for their season despite the changes.

“While I’m looking forward to competing and improving this year, I do want to be able to send more events to state this year,” Huffman said.

Barton, who ran at state last year, is looking to make the most of her final season and return to state as a senior.

“My goals for the team this year are to share the knowledge and experiences I have gained from my previous years in track,” Barton said.

For Stout, she is ready to start competing again and is hopeful to create good team chemistry with the new coach.

“I know having a new coach for the third time is difficult but there’s not much we can do,” Stout said. “I hope to see more team chemistry in general, but I also hope there’s good chemistry between all the girls and Coach Howard.”