Annika Jasinski is a new member of the track team this year as she is a freshman. She has, so far, been very successful in sprints and long jumps this year. During districts, she was able to qualify in the long jump and in the 4 by 100 in a relay team. In districts, the 4 by 100 relay team placed first overall, so there is a chance that they may win state in that event. Jasinski has been competing in track since the middle of seventh grade.
“My parents always loved the sport. They wanted me to try it out so 7th grade year in the middle school it just clicked. Ever since then it just been love at first sight. I follow a lot of college teams and pro athletes, like Anna Hall and Malaika Mihambo,” Jasinski said.
Focusing on her 4 by 100 event, for her team to continue to compete at this high level and hopefully be able to place at state, there are still a few things that Jaskinski says the relay team needs to be more comfortable with.
“We need to keep the teamwork up and trust the chemistry we have. We work on our handoffs every practice to feel comfortable with it. We need to go into this mindset individually that we are running for something greater than us,” Jasinski said.
Coach Andante Lloyd has seen how successful that Jasinski has been, especially since she is just a freshman. He explains how she has been dominant since the start and how she contributes to the track team.
“Annika Jasinski is a talented freshman that comes in with above average talent in the sprints and jumps. Her dominant event right now is the long jump where she has soared over 17ft in the offseason and has gone over 18ft during the season,” Lloyd said. “Annika will likely contribute mostly in the sprints and jumps at Westside and her competitiveness should serve her well in whatever events she chooses to focus on.”
Being a freshman competing at the varsity level has its advantages and its disadvantages. Jasinski is able to figure out what varsity level competition is like as well as setting up long term goals throughout her high school career.
“Becoming a leader and a person incoming freshmen look up to and getting a couple school records under my belt,” Jasinski said.
Lloyd helps to explain how being a freshman and being much younger than many people that compete can present some challenges.
“Annika is a young athlete so she brings confidence to her many times. I would say she has faced a few challenges in big track meets or going up against tough competition, but those things are expected competing against older athletes at the varsity level at a young age,” Lloyd said.
Like many other athletes that play varsity sports, Jasinski has set goals for herself throughout the season and she has been able to complete most of them with still another track meet to compete at.
“Yes, coming into this season as a freshman I wanted to jump over 18 ft and run in the low 12[seconds] but most importantly qualify for state which I have completed all of those and it makes me very happy!” Jasinski said.
Before Jasinksi competes she does certain things like a ritual, so that she can be in the right mindset before she runs or jumps. Though they may seem quirky to others, it is important that an athlete has these routines so that they are doing the same things before competing and feeling comfortable.
“To prepare for meets I always visualize my events on the bus, then I usually pick a good pump up song to get me going before my event. When I’m on the track or runway I always twiddle my fingers five times for good luck before I get started,” Jasinski said.
Having good relationships with teammates is key when it comes to sports, even track when a lot of the events are individual, but you are still all competing to win the meet as a team. Lloyd has seen how Jasinski interacts with her teammates and how early they hit it off.
“Annika interacts mostly with the sprinters and jumpers from my viewpoint and she seems to mix well with her peers. Having early success has helped her build relationships pretty quick as well as being part of a private training group,” Lloyd said.
Looking at herself as an athlete, there are many different components that affect how one performs and how things have affected you negatively and positively. Jasinski explains the positive and negative effects of being a track athlete.
“Positively I have grown as a person and have met incredible people of different age ranges. Negatively, it can become mentally and physically tiring at times,” Jasinski said.
Jasinski will be one of the athletes competing at state to hopefully bring home some titles. Go out and support her and the rest of the track team at the state championship.
