By Evie Beale

Staff Writer

    R.J. Reynolds High School just wrapped up this school year’s winter sports season. Each sport required hard practice and a balance between homework late at night and cold practices throughout the frigid days. One important thing that happened for RJR during the winter sports season was that they were able to send athletes from three different sports to their respective State Championships. The three different sports included wrestling, indoor track, and swimming. Each sport has different types of competition, but they all require amazing coaches, supportive teammates, and intensive training.

    This winter, the indoor track team sent senior Cedar Nichols-Barnhart and sophomore Colin Ehrman to states. Nichols-Barnhart finished 2nd place in the 3200 meter, and Ehrman finished 10th in the 1000 meter event to set a new school record of 2:35:9, improving upon the record he previously held. 

    To prepare to compete at the highest level possible in states, each athlete worked hard with their coaches to develop a training plan designed to get them in top shape for their events.  

    “I prepared for states by getting some solid workouts in, practicing pace changes, and mentally preparing to race,” Nichols-Barnhart said.

    Not only did the athletes face rigorous training sessions, but they also had to overcome obstacles physically and mentally. Jordyn Cooper is a wrestler, and she finished fifth in her weight class, which made her All-State. While preparing for states, many athletes, like Cooper, felt the stress of the competition coming down on them.

    “I was definitely trying to stay positive and tell myself, like, “Okay, I got this, like, I’ve done this for the last four years now,”” Cooper said.

    Many of the athletes faced their own setbacks along the way, but their teammates were always there to support and encourage them. 

    Cam Robertson is a swimmer here at RJR, and she found her teammates’ support vital to her success during the season.  

    “My teammates always cheer me on during the season which is always something that boosts my mood during meets and helps with my pre-race nerves,” Robertson said.

    Hugh Fitzgerald finished 14th in diving, and our swim team had six girls qualify for states. The Medley Relay, consisting of Cam Robertson, Sage Howards, Ava Kiser, and Keegan Brown, came in twelfth place. Robertson also finished twelfth in both the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke.  Kiser finished 11th in the 100 fly. Finally, the Freestyle relay consisting of Robertson, Brown, Melynn Holmes, and Kiser placed fifteenth. Having a good team culture benefited all of our athletes at their state championships, creating a wonderful environment to compete in.

  “My teammates were very supportive throughout the season, helping me get through a lot of the hard training and hyping me up,” Nichols-Barnhart said. “It was also awesome to have Colin qualify and race in the 1000 at states.” 

   Along with teammates, coaches play an important role in these athletes ’ journeys to states.

    “My coaches best prepared me for states by giving me a solid training plan building up in the indoor season, as well as helping me with my race strategy and tactics, ” Nichols-Barnhart said.

   Athletic Director, Brad Fisher makes sure the coaches are staying involved and engaging with their athletes.

    “We hope that our coaches are doing everything they can to help our athletes meet their full potential,”  Fisher said.

    States can be a very competitive place with an eventful atmosphere, but our athletes made sure to prepare themselves to give their best performances. Whether they were cheering their teammates on, staying after practice ended, or taking advice from their coaches, the wrestlers, indoor track runners, and swimmers who were involved with states saw success as a result of their hard work.