When a team has close to 100 athletes who practice and compete at various times throughout a given day and participate in 21 different events, cohesion is something that the team would struggle to attain. That is the challenge that faces the ASU track and field team.
Heading into the indoor portion of the season, the No. 6 men’s team and the women’s team have tried to bring together their large number of individual competitors.“There are so many different events, but I look at it as one team,” ASU coach Greg Kraft said. “These kids have an obligation to their teammates. Sometimes they get caught up in the ‘me’ or their immediate teammate who they run, sprint or throw with.
“Your training group may be eight people, but there’s another 80 people that are tying to do the same thing.”
According to Kraft, fifth-year senior hurdler Jasmine Chaney has been a leader in trying to create team cohesion. Chaney diagnosed separation as a significant issue.
“You have the classes graduating and the classes coming in, so there is a gap and separation,” Chaney said. “After a couple of years, you have everyone coming together, and it’s easier for us to be a team.”
Once everyone becomes acquainted, the next task is to cement those relationships and bond the team together.
“We do a lot of team bonding, like when recruits come in,” Chaney said. “Last week we had one of the top recruits come in, a javelin thrower. The men’s throw team, women’s sprint team, men’s sprint team. We all went bowling. It’s just nice to have everyone together.”
Those types of bonding events are important to Kraft, as well.
“We want them to know it’s a privilege to wear the maroon and gold,” Kraft said. “We want that person to understand that we want you to be a part of this.”
With the team united, the next place to go is onto the track, and Kraft has one mantra.
“Compete, you always have to compete,” Kraft said.
Chaney echoed the sentiment.
“It makes it easier to go to a track meet and compete when you’re competing in practice,” Chaney said.
The results of the practice competition aren’t lost on senior sprinter Dominique’ Maloy, who also can see what needs to be done with those results.
“We’ve been doing remarkable things in practice when there’s nobody in the stands,” Maloy said, “but when there are 500 to 1000 people in the stands, can you do the same thing?”
The Sun Devils are going to need to take their tough practices to the indoor track season to be competitive in yet another talented Pac-10.
Oregon sits at No. 2 nationally on the men’s side and No. 3 on the women’s side, where the Ducks are the defending national champions.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Maloy said. “It’s going to start at the little meets and work up. I think Oregon and everyone is sleeping on us a little bit.”
Kraft expects nothing but a battle each year in the Pac-10.
“Pac-10 has always had teams contending,” Kraft said. “The Pac-10 is the ‘Conference of Champions’ for a reason.”
Chaney is familiar with the success ASU once had and knows what Oregon can do.
“My freshman and sophomore year, I was on a Pac-10 and national championship team,” Chaney said. “We were in the position Oregon is in. So it’s not like I’ve never experienced that or know what it’s like to be there.”
But Chaney doesn’t see Oregon standing in the way of the ultimate goal.
“It’s cool that you guys (Oregon) are winning, but every champion has a downfall at some point,” Chaney said. “We fell, but now we’re on the way back up, and I think we’re going to win this year. Their competition doesn’t bother me at all.”
Each side of the Sun Devil track and field team is focused on the goal of a national title. There is only one thing they need to do to get there.
“Trust in their training. Trust in their ability,” Maloy said. “If we trust our ability, we can do amazing things on the track.”
Reach the reporter at zcavanag@asu.edu
