Wethersfield High School’s most unsung winter sport: Indoor Track

Senior Jake Ericksson and other members of the WHS Indoor Track team.

By: Josh Gstell and Brandon Rodriguez

Wethersfield High School offers several winter sports/activities including hockey, basketball, wrestling, boys swim and dive, and gymnastics. However, there is one often left out of this mix, being indoor track. When someone mentions winter sports here at Wethersfield High School, indoor track is one of the most overlooked. 

Indoor track is a very underrated winter sport, considering there are no tryouts, and if you register, you are automatically on the team. Speaking on this, it relieves a lot of stress in the process of trying a new sport. High school sports are a great way to try new things, and make new friends, especially as an incoming freshman. 

We spoke to Jake Errickson, senior Captain of the indoor track team for this past 2021/22 winter season. Jake has run indoor track all four years of high school and has shown to be a role model for the younger kids on the team, making him an easy choice for captain by both coach Jeffrey Weber and Jeffrey Sanborn. 

Jake’s older brother Jimmy Errickson was a senior captain Jake’s freshman year and convinced Jake to join the team. “He [Jimmy] said the team atmosphere was great, and I would make a lot of friends by joining [the indoor track team]”, said Jake. In the end, Jimmy proved to be correct! Shown right is just a few friends Jake has made from indoor track. 

However, meeting new people is just one positive aspect of indoor track. If you are wondering if the team is any good, this past season they saw great success. Jake stated, “this year was successful for me, I was part of the varsity team for the 4x800m and the 4x400m races. We ended up making the states time for the 4x800m and then came in 13th place at the states.” The team overall had 12 runners who qualified for state championships, and one runner, Holden Speed, who qualified for state opens, and for the New England championship. 

Physical activity is very important when it comes to high schoolers. Staying active in the winter is definitely a challenge for some due to the weather, but indoor track is a great way to stay active during the winter months. If you or someone you know is looking to join a winter sport in which little to no prior experience or knowledge is needed, indoor track is a great choice! Just because others have overlooked the sport, it certainly doesn’t not mean that you should too!

---