Teams in any sport can often find themselves struggling to practice at a high level when competition is not close. The Bison track and field teams may be feeling this apathy as they have been practicing since September and did not fully compete until mid-January. “How do you make hard work fun and entertaining?” men’s head coach Don Larson wondered. “This sport requires your athletes to have a huge passion for competing at this level.”

So far the team has done little competing but some multi-event athletes have seen a bit of action. That makes practice the most action these athletes have seen and, according to Larson, the coaches have few problems in keeping the athletes motivated. “You got to give a lot of credit to these athletes, especially the upperclassmen who have a passion for this sport,” Larson said. “They realize that there are no short cuts and must maintain intensity.”

One way these athletes stay sharp while training for upcoming events is by concentrating on their personal goals and making sure that they are achieving them while training. Track and field is both a team and individual sport, if each athlete reaches their personal goal they then help the team win.

As many Fargoans know, the weather can often hinder outdoor activity. NDSU does not have the luxury that other schools in the south have of practicing year-round outdoors. This is especially true for the distance runners, as meeting their training requirements is much easier done outside rather than inside the Bison Sports Arena. The athletes and coaches feel this disadvantage is an obstacle that can be overcome. “If the weather was great all the time that could mean better performances, (but) maybe not,” Larson said. “You will find that this is a no excuse group. You can spend your whole life complaining and we’re just not into that.” Larson commented that the team is used to practicing with the indoor conditions and switching to year-round outdoor practices could lead to overtraining.

Looking ahead, once NDSU gets into the heat of its competition there will be little time to rest as travel along with the meets will be abundant. In mid-February NDSU will host the Bison Open and Coaches Clinic. The events will be topped off with the Summit League Indoor Championship starting Sunday, Feb. 28 and ending Monday, March 1. Also included on the schedule are trips to California, Texas and Oregon.