Maxwell Tankersley
Staff Writer
On June 18th and 19th at Todd Stadium in Newport News, Virginia, Wisdom Williams, Joshua Peterson, and David Coles, students of Alexandria City High School, became state champions. Wisdom Williams won the discus and shotput events with the scores 137-4 and 47.050 respectively. Joshua Peterson won the long jump with a score of 24-10. David Coles won the triple jump with a score of 48-2.50.
Ms. Teresa Henderson, Track & Field coach for ACHS, said “ It was great to see their goals come into fruition.”
When asked about their training schedule, she said that the students had practiced “five to six days a week,” and that their training “allowed them to peak at the right time.”
Often a problem for student-athletes is balancing school work and training. Henderson said her training philosophy is “Student first, athlete second.” After high school, her hope is “for them to continue to progress after school, and represent their school at a collegiate level.”
Wisdom Williams, senior, has been to states every year since she was a freshman. This year she won both the discus and shotput events. When asked about being a state champion, she said “It’s amazing, knowing that the hard work that I’ve put into my sport all year has finally paid off.”
Williams said she practices “every day, from 4-7 PM.” With having practice every day for 3 hours, Wisdom said she sometimes has trouble balancing sports and school, “It’s not always easy, but I try to mentally separate the two, by focusing on school while I’m at school and focusing on practice while I’m at practice.”
Her favorite part of track and field, she said, is the team, “At first track was just a sport…but now I can’t even imagine my life without it, my coach, and teammates.”
She has set high expectations for herself, in and out of track, which has allowed her to become greater, she said, “In track and field being the best ever is what motivates me, I have huge goals and am always trying to work towards them and in life it’s very similar. I always strive to do the best that I can [in every situation.]”
She also hopes to motivate others with her actions. “I think my performance impacts others, by showing them what’s possible with hard work and dedication.”
Photos courtesy of Ms. Teresa Henderson.
