Out of the more than 200 students on track and field, finding a sense of community can be hard. Yet, JV track captain and senior Amogh Baddam was able to find his place in the program as both an athlete and mentor to his younger teammates.
Baddam joined track in his sophomore year out of his desire to enhance his speed. Through track, he has matured with lessons to pass on to his underclassmen and strengthened his role in running relays, according to Baddam.
“The first year I joined, the past seniors almost acted as mentors to me,” Baddam said. “Sometimes, track people get caught up in the fact that it’s an individual sport and forget that you also need to nurture and support new teammates. Those seniors really played that role for me, and I’m grateful for that. It’s really important to have people to guide you through the process.”
Baddam strives to provide a similar sense of community and encouragement to the younger members of his team as his seniors did for him, thus creating a more cohesive team.
“When they come to me for questions, I’m always more than happy to help,” Baddam said. “When they might make a decision like not sleeping enough or not taking care of themselves, I try to give [my support] back as much as they need because I was in that same position when I was a sophomore.”
Frosh runner and sophomore Yunny Jang regards Baddam as an inspiration and said she achieved a personal record by cutting three seconds on the 400-meter dash after consistently following Baddam’s advice about sleeping earlier.
“He’s reminded me to always stay positive and to never be discouraged,” Jang said. “At track practice, he helped me with my running form and block start. He’s also hyped me up at meets and made me feel less nervous before my races.”
Head coach Cale Kavanaugh also praised Baddam for his top performance and leadership skills, citing him as a role model for the underclassmen.
“He has just absorbed so much that we’ve taught him over the years,” Kavanaugh said. “Because he’s soaked up so much, [senior captains like him] are just overflowing with advice and wisdom to pass on to the younger kids on our team.”
Baddam said his only regret during his track career is not joining sooner. However, track has taught him important lessons like slowing down and working smarter. Good results take time and are rarely instantaneous, according to Baddam.
“Track was able to center me back to where I wanted to be,” Baddam said. “It’s been an anchor for my life in the past few years. I don’t know where I would have been without it.”
