Sean Tracy, a senior at Vacaville Christian Excessive College, plans to take part in cross nation, volleyball and monitor within the 2021 compressed sports activities season. (Added picture)
“I'm simply right here for the pizza.
That's what Vacaville Christian Excessive College's Sean Tracy informed VCS Mia cross nation coach Sarah Douglas when he attended the staff's curiosity assembly in Could 2019.
“I’ve pizza to entice the children to return for lunch,” Douglas recalled. “So I am going round and say, 'Hey, the children which are new, why are you right here, what are you on the lookout for in cross nation?' Nicely, once I received to Sean, he was so trustworthy, he stated, “I'm simply right here for the pizza.” I don't assume there's a lot you may actually say.'
However Tracy wrote his identify down and Douglas known as him in early June.
“He was even trustworthy there, he stated, 'I don't know if I'm going to get out, however thanks for the knowledge.' And what I observed about him is that every one the opposite youngsters put their telephones on voicemail. He really picked up the cellphone and I used to be shocked that I really received a residing, respiratory teenager in the summertime.'
To Douglas's shock, Tracy, then a junior, not solely ended up with the staff, however turned one of many staff's most devoted members.
“It comes from all practices,” Douglas stated. “For somebody who began out saying, 'I'm not going out, I'm unsure,' he ended up being probably the most dependable runners.”
Now that Tracy is a senior, this can be her second yr operating varsity cross nation.
“Sean has a whole lot of vitality,” Douglas stated. “He's a type of youngsters that carries a little bit speaker in his pocket as a result of he all the time needs to play music and pump up the children. He’s very energetic and desires to share it with everybody. That's one of many causes he's co-captain with Josh Shelby this yr. He has this fashion of bringing folks collectively and making them juice.'
Tracy will want all that vitality as she hopes to play volleyball for VCS on the similar time she runs cross nation. Each sports activities are slated to start in December, state, county and Vacaville Unified College District circumstances allowing.
VCS Athletic Director Donna Hagans is requesting a gathering with mother and father and student-athletes to verify they’ll be capable of play a number of sports activities.
This can be Tracy's second yr on the cross nation staff and second yr of varsity volleyball. She is the middle of the volleyball staff, despite the fact that she is simply 5-foot-9 (small for a entrance line participant).
Because the monitor season runs from March fifteenth to June fifth (the volleyball and cross nation seasons finish on February twenty sixth), Tracy will doubtless additionally run the 1600m and 800m in monitor. His monitor coach, Shannon Bubar, would really like him to strive the pole vault as effectively, and is prepared to present it a shot, despite the fact that he's by no means tried it.
She presently trains with each the volleyball and cross nation groups. Each groups work with a milder schedule and restrict coaching to 2-3 instances every week. However it's nonetheless a problem.
“Each different Tuesday, I apply cross nation and volleyball on the similar time,” Tracy stated. “So as a substitute of skipping volleyball utterly, I'll go cross nation proper after college more often than not. After cross nation, the volleyball ladies apply, so I normally be part of their apply and more often than not it's a reasonably comparable apply.”
Relating to his research, the 4.2 GPA scholar admits it may be annoying.
“It undoubtedly affected my teachers, or at the very least how late I’ve to remain up and do homework,” he stated. “Some lessons I used to be a little bit behind on my homework simply due to how drained I might be once I received dwelling and the truth that I wouldn't get dwelling till late.
“I believe in some unspecified time in the future they're going to chop again on a few of my practices or volleyball as a result of it's quite a bit,” Douglas stated. “I do know he's additionally concerned in media and management at VCS. He's received his fingers in so many various areas… However he looks as if a really organized child and he's so accommodating that he'll inform me, 'I'm pressured, I want to chop again.'”
Tracy, who hopes to main in media or movie manufacturing in faculty and is making use of to UCLA and UC Davis, can also be headed to karate apply for a number of days instantly following cross nation.
He admits that he enjoys enjoying volleyball greater than operating.
“I've simply been enjoying volleyball longer and there's much more ability concerned in volleyball,” he stated. “You’ll be able to all the time be taught and you’ll all the time do one thing totally different in volleyball. In cross nation, you do fairly comparable exercises a whole lot of the time. Sure, there may be room for enchancment, however that’s primarily in your type and your endurance and most pace, which all comes from coaching.”
Douglas stated Tracy has improved his instances in cross nation and is constantly the staff's fifth scorer. However his teammates additionally improved their instances, so he hasn't been in a position to transfer up the factors desk but.
“He's very sturdy, very devoted,” Douglas stated. “His mother stated throughout one of many summer season practices, 'Sean doesn't rise up early for something.' Like household gatherings, he nonetheless gained't rise up early. However he will get up early for apply and I don't even should remind him.” As a result of we'd have apply at 6 or 7 within the morning .”
Why does a man who initially got here out only for pizza take part in such a grueling sport?
“The primary factor that retains me on this sport is the household you create with the staff,” Tracy stated. “It's not the run itself, it's the folks on the staff. We'll carb load earlier than the races and eat pasta and bread and have enjoyable. And after the races, all of us get collectively and it's a extremely enjoyable time with the staff.”
Who knew pizza and pasta would play such an enormous function within the growth of this multi-sport athlete?
The reporter will function multi-athlete options main as much as the official coaching session in December. Electronic mail msieger@thereporter.com for native participant concepts.
