By Samuel Knight, Reporter
Coming off his second and final year on the track team, senior Noah Edmonds recently competed at the state championships at Eastern Washington University over Memorial Day weekend in in both the four by 100m relay and the individual 100m events.
In the four by 100m, Edmonds competed alongside his teammates, juniors Kalen Cunningham and Sol Dehnert, and sophomore Evan Stephanick, as well as junior Alex Lee, who went as an alternate.
Edmonds was inspired to join track by his mother, Jeremy Edmonds.
“I started mostly because my mom was really good at track in her high school and college days, and [she] wanted me to try it,” Edmonds said.
Jeremy is one of the coaches on the track team, and works with her son at practices. As a track star, her accomplishments include setting the Connecticut state record in the 400-meter (55 seconds) and the 800-meter (2 minutes, 13.8 seconds), which held for 31 years until both records were broken in 2010.
Before beginning track, Edmonds only played school basketball, helping to push the team toward a state title. While looking for ways to build strength and endurance in the offseason, he decided to try out track.
When Edmonds started track his junior year, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect from it. However, he experienced success early on, and quickly developed a passion for it. He hasn’t looked back since.
“Track, for me, is really fun because not only do I get to work out and get strong, but also compete with other people who are really passionate about the sport as well,” Edmonds said.
Although Edmonds enjoys the individuality of the 100m, there are certain aspects of running the4x100m as an anchor, the last person in the foursome, that appeal to him as well.
“The 4×100 is more complicated and has way more moving parts, which also makes it more exciting,” Edmonds said. “Also, being anchor is really fun because if I’m behind in the race at all and catch someone at the finish, it’s exhilarating.”
Not only did Edmonds qualify for state in two events, but he is also leaving the school with his name in the record books. His 11.25-second 100m time and his 23.23-second 200m make him the fastest VHS runner in those races since 1989, leaving him as fifth all-time for the 100m and fourth all-time for the 200m.
This year, Edmonds placed second in both the 100m and 200m at the league championships, and his relay team placed first.
At districts, he qualified for the state championships in the 100m, finishing in fourth place, and the relay team took second place.
Edmonds missed placing in the top eight by just 0.02 seconds at state, coming in ninth, but he found the experience of running in such a competitive environment nearly as fulfilling.
“I loved competing at state; the whole environment was different and exciting. Seeing people who were better than me and just as dedicated to track was really nice and fun,” Edmonds said. “I feel extremely accomplished in my track career now that I’ve been to state and have top 5 places in the 100 and 200 I feel like I’ve done everything I could.”
Edmonds found that, as an individual, he was fully responsible for his success. That idea pushed him to work harder, leading him towards his success in the 100m event.
“My favorite part about track is the training and seeing the work you put in translate into better times,” Edmonds said. “Winning all by yourself is an unparalleled feeling compared to winning on a team, where you feel like you only have partial responsibility for your success.”