Attend any girls’ track meet this spring and you’ll understand why the relays are considered the most intense, thrilling parts of a track meet. The pure adrenaline, excitement, and teamwork among the four participants exhibited in a relay showcase the best of what track has to offer. Success in the relay events often translates to success in the overall standing in a meet, and for that reason teams always work hard to be adequately prepared for the relay events.
“Relays are very important. A lot of times, they are responsible for catching us up at the end of meets because they are worth more than the other events. They can help make up for individual losses during the meet,” said junior Caroline Boyd, who is a regular participant in the 4x400 meter relay. Both the 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relays are worth ten points in the scoring of a meet, whereas a team could only get nine points from any other event, provided they sweep first, second, and third places in that event. Ten points from one event can be a huge boost, especially if the scoring is tight at the end of the meet.
“There were a couple of meets last year where it was very close at the end of the meet, but we were able to pull out the win because of our successes in the relays,” said junior Ashley Tromblay, who is part of both the 4x400 meter and the 4x800 meter relay teams. With success or failure in a close meet often riding on the performance of the relay teams, it is no surprise that a fair amount of practice time is spent on relays during the days leading up to a meet. Handoffs of the baton and timing must be perfected to ensure everything goes as planned on meet day.
“You need to have good coordination with the person that you're passing the baton off to,” said junior Stefanie Vartanian, a member of the 4x100 meter relay team. “You also have to make sure that you have your steps right so that you can pass the baton off inside the arrows [on the track].” A dropped baton or a late handoff can mean a disqualification for a relay team. This can be detrimental in the late stages of a meet.
“The most important advice I’ve gotten from coaches is just not to drop the baton,” said junior Sarah Carlyle, who also runs the 4x100 meter relay. “In something as fast as the 4x1[hundred meter relay], there’s not much you can do to strategize besides relying on your teammates to get the baton to you and making sure to keep the pace going during the handoff.”
Boyd also agreed that the handoff was a very important part of the race. “You really need to have a smooth handoff so you don’t lose seconds,” she said.
Every second counts since each runner needs a good time to allow the whole relay to finish well. “Each leg of the relay also has to do their best to give the anchor the biggest lead possible,” Boyd said. “The bigger the lead for the anchor at the end, the easier their job will be.” The anchor is the fourth and final runner in a relay. He or she is typically the fastest member of the relay team because of the performance that is often required of the anchor runner.
“The other three runners try and give the anchor the easiest job possible. The harder we work, the more confident we will be that the anchor will be able to beat the other team’s best runner,” said senior captain Ally Hamill, a member of the 4x800 meter relay team.
The girls’ outdoor track team is already hard at work preparing for their first meet. While the focus is mainly on conditioning, they find time to work on perfecting their handoffs and making sure they never ever drop the baton.