A sports combine took place at Triton, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 13th and 14th of March, in order to challenge kids to be more active and influence them to join track. The coaches recruitment attempts proved successful,with over 120 kids participating in Track this season.

With the spring track and field season just starting, the Triton High School Track Team recently held the combine; a series of tasks that evaluate students’ athletic abilities. The event put participants’ all around strength to the test.

Track Coach Joseph Colbert held the combine to convince more of the student body to join the track team this spring. He also wanted to show off the athletes on the track team as the best in Triton. The event took a total of two days, as one day was utilized per gender. As a result of this, there was both a male and female winner.

The participants performed in five different events, each designed to test a specific strength. These included the standing vertical jump, standing horizontal jump, bench press, the 40-yard dash, and the 3-cone drill. The persons with the highest score in each event emerged the winners.

Although all participants competed well, there could only be two victors. Triton senior Morgan Monroe won for the girls, and Triton sophomore Kyle Scibetta won for the boys.

“I think the competition was a great way for us to support each other and have a fun time and see where we all are in terms of our athletic ability,” said Monroe.

The combine received a good amount of praise from students in Triton, who all seemed to think it was a fun and innovative way to convince kids to join track. By having kids perform in events similar to those seen in track and field, the coaches hoped participants who weren’t already involved in the sport would join.

“I didn’t participate in it [the combine], but I think it’s a great idea. It’s an opportunity for all kids from all grades to get together and have a friendly competition,” said Triton junior Chloe Chaimovich.

The competition was a fun time for all those who participated, but to some students, it meant more than that. Pro-football-league hopefuls participated in it to get an idea of how close they are to making it big.

“It’s a great way for students to discover their athletic ranking in their class before spring sports start.” said Triton junior Jack Crocker. “I know a lot of kids who play football participated, so it’s kind of just a good way for college and NFL hopefuls to get an idea of what the real combine would be like. They can also compare their scores to NFL scores and determine what could be college applicable.”

Regardless of students’ reasons for participating, it’s clear that much of the student body wants to see the combine return next year, or even seasonally. And as for the coaches efforts to make more students join track, they were successful. The track team is now the largest it’s been in years, and is eager to win the Cape Ann League Championship.