Going The Distance

West Ashley High School’s boys’ track team is viewing this season as more of a distance race than a sprint.
The season kicked off recently when WAHS hosted the Sandlapper Track and Field classic at Wildcat stadium. It was a good showcase for area runners as they get ready for the 2014 season.
According to head coach Richard Luden, the main goal for the WAHS boys this season is very simple, “to qualify as many athletes as possible to the AAAA state track meet,” he says. But that isn’t something you achieve through one meet. To qualify for the state meet you need to consistently perform at a high level throughout the season.
This is something Luden understands and is trying to teach the more than 40 athletes that make up his 2014 squad.
According to Luden, his kids practice hard every day to improve themselves. They work hard in the classroom, too. He says both of these things are the blocks from which the team must build on if they want to reach their goals.
The strongest parts of this year’s team are the sprints, jumps, and the 4 x 100 relay.  There are some hurdles for this team to get over. Luden knows that the Wildcat’s struggle on the distance side of the program, and hopes that they can see some development this season.
Luden says the athletes with the most potential to go far this season are Kenneth Thomas, Darrell Singleton, Tqele Holmes, T J Spigner, Jamel Coardes, Malik Thompkins, Lionel Jenkins, and Ryan Laban.