Petra Eaton, one of La Jolla High\u2019s returning 4-by-4 record-setting relay runners, avows as how “it was really hard” to get the record, a sizzling 3:53.03 that set the CIF San Diego Section standard.
\n“It\u2019s easier to run faster when you\u2019re running against faster people,” the 5-foot-4-inch tall sprinter says. “Early in the season (last year), we didn\u2019t have the four permanent runners in place.” And, competition didn\u2019t rise until partway through the spring track season, at the Arcadia Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays.
\nMeanwhile, one of Eaton\u2019s returning stablemates, the affable Sierra Roberson, a year in school younger than Petra as a sophomore, talks about the fine-tuned psyche one must have to pursue speed on the track.
\n“Well, the thing is, I don\u2019t think when I run because it would mess me up. I\u2019d be thinking about the pace. I\u2019ve been running since I was young, so I have the technique. I don\u2019t want to be thinking about that. When I run, I don\u2019t think about my issues. You have to focus on the fact you\u2019re racing, but you don\u2019t want to overthink it. Otherwise, your whole technique is going to be off.”
\nRoberson, 15, is one member of the “burn sisters,” with her older sister Sakura, a senior, also taking the baton. Along with Satori, who graduated from La Jolla High last year, the three made up 75 percent of the record-setting relay, with Eaton carrying the other part.
\nSatori, whose name means “the reach of enlightenment,” moved on to Grossmont College this year, where she is pursuing her dream in playing basketball. Sakura\u2019s name means “cherry blossom,” according to Sierra.
\nHannah Kinsey moves up from alternate to fill the spot vacated by Satori\u2019s graduation. “She traveled with us to state last year,” says head coach Paul Byrne. “She can run as fast as the fourth person did last year. We are expecting only to improve upon last year\u2019s time.”
\n“Petra and Hannah are both back again in the hurdles and looking good,” reports their coach. “Petra held the freshman record in the 300-meter hurdles until Hannah, now a sophomore, broke it last year.” Petra hurdled in 50.00 seconds as a freshman. Hannah broke her record with a 48.82 last year.
\nEaton ran a 48.78, her personal record to this point, in the 300 hurdles at the Dick Wilkings Soph-Frosh Invitational last year.
\nHer sister\u2019s name is Portia. The name comes from a character in the Shakespeare play “The Merchant of Venice.” “My grandma knew somebody who worked on the play,” explained the older sister.
\nRegarding team culture and ethos, Byrne, in his third year as head coach, eighth total on the staff, which includes mentoring his pole vaulters, points a spotlight on Caitlin Wischmeyer, who has grown up in the program.
\n“Caitlin is a senior captain this year. She has always had leadership ability,” says Byrne, who came on as head coach three years ago to steady the ship after multiple head coaching changes. “This year as a senior Caitlin has taken over as a leader. She\u2019s organizing the students on her own. As you know, it\u2019s really great when you have student leaders like this.”
\nByrne tries to foster a positive atmosphere of connection and team-building. “I think so,” he says in response to a reporter\u2019s observation of the all-for-one kind of team culture that appears evident. “They\u2019re coming out and having a good experience. Of course, there are star athletes among team members.
\n“I teach the new athletes. I also teach the seniors. There is no preference. It\u2019s a team atmosphere,” he says. “There\u2019s camaraderie. It\u2019s supporting one another, being there to congratulate them. Growing up. Maturity.”
\nHe acknowledges his pole vaulters bear up to the reputation vaulters have in general as independent spirits who are into taking risks. “They\u2019re crazy guys,” he laughs. “You have the strength and the speed and the coordination. It\u2019s gymnastics in the air.” Anyone has to be a little deranged to hurtle their bodies down a runway, balancing a giant stick, then at full speed jam the stick into the ground and give flight to an attempt to sail over a crossbar 10 or more feet in the air. That is the definition of insanity.
\nJackson Scherrer, now a sophomore, ranked as the No. 2 freshman in the county last year in the event. He vaulted 11 feet in 2016. Already this year he went 12-feet-six-inches at the Mt. Carmel Invitational March 4.
\nAndrew Mitchell enthuses over his switch in the shot put from a spin technique to a glide. You won\u2019t see him whirling around in the new Edwards Field circle. Rather, he\u2019ll start from a position facing the back of the throw area, now located at the far northwestern corner of the new facilities, then, with a simple 180-degree turn, he\u2019ll slide his foot, the “glide,” as he catapults the shot. He threw 39 feet in 2016.
\n“I P.R.\u2019ed in the discus by 34 feet last year,” says Mitchell, a senior with a big frame who also starred on the Viking football team last fall on both defense and offense. His P.R., or personal record, is 134 feet. The La Jolla High School record that he\u2019s going to shoot for this spring is 168 feet.
\nHe went to the CIF finals in the event last year.
\n“Both Jackson and Andrew are trying long jump this year as well,” says Byrne, “and are currently looking very good in that event, too.”
\nMaddie Fike returns in the sprints, the 100 and 200. She went to the CIF finals last year.
\nWhat blows Byrne away is the explosion in how many athletes are on his team this spring. “Lots of numbers. The seniors have doubled in size from last year, pretty much because of sixth-period P.E.” The season started with about 130 student athletes. “Lots of young athletes: lots of freshmen, lots of sophomores.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Petra Eaton, one of La Jolla High\u2019s returning 4-by-4 record-setting relay runners, avows as how “it was really hard” to get the record, a sizzling 3:53.03 that set the CIF San Diego Section standard. “It\u2019s easier to run faster when you\u2019re running against faster people,” the 5-foot-4-inch tall sprinter says. “Early in the season (last […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":280282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11560","_seopress_titles_title":"LJHS?track team is \u2018feeling the Byrne\u2019 with the \u2018burn sisters\u2019","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11560,11551],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-280281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-la-jolla-village-news","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}