Two athletes are working towards the same goal, personal records, and improved skills. Lexi Bludau, jumping over a high bar at an astonishing 5’, is trying her best not to hit it and pull her body down fast. And Landen Bone fights hard to stay at the front of the crowd during his 3200-meter race, pushing his endurance to the max. Both of them have a chance to break their own and the school records at regional track this year.
Lexi Bludau and Landen Bone are two of the five athletes who have made it to regionals this year. It will be hosted at Matador Stadium in Seguin on May 1-2. Head Coach of girls’ track, Coach Olbert, has plans to help Lexi succeed.
“At this level, it’s all about hitting the same mark every time, so we will focus on her steps, curve, and takeoff point. A few practices will be spent focusing on her bar clearance technique, especially her hips and timing over the bar,” Olbert said.
Along with physical strength, mental toughness will also help Lexi do well while she high jumps.
“Mentally, I want her to stay relaxed and confident, so we’ll create pressure situations in practice and work on her routine between jumps so nothing feels new at regionals,” Olbert said.
Coach Olbert is confident in Lexi and her ability to jump her best.
“I want her to compete with confidence, trust her approach, and stay composed no matter what happens. If she does that, she’ll put herself in a great position to be successful,” Olbert said
Head Coach of boys track, Coach Keller, is also confident in Lexi and how she’ll use her determination to help her at regionals.
“I hope Lexi just goes out and competes hard. She really competed hard this last week in a jump off, made her way to regionals, so we just want her to do her best, she’s done all year, and then go compete,” Keller said.
Sophomore Lexi Bludau is happy to get the chance to compete with better jumpers and work hard during practice.
“Mainly for regionals, I’m excited to get a chance to compete with a bunch of higher-level people. As well as just waiting for these practices to come up, because I know what I need to work on,” Bludau said.
Sophomore Landen Bone is also going to regionals, and Coach Olbert is preparing him to be tough inside and out.
“To help Landen prepare for regionals, I’m going to focus on his race strategy, pacing, and mental toughness,” Olbert said.
Running two miles can be a challenging race, so staying focused and consistent can help Landen compete with other runners.
“Mentally, I want him ready to stay focused, push through discomfort, and compete with confidence against a strong field, no matter who he faces at Regionals,” Olbert said.
Landen has some big shoes to fill if he wants to break the school record and he has to push himself to the limit.
“He is only .7 of a second from breaking the school record in the 3200m run. More than anything, I want him to trust his training, stay disciplined with his pacing, and finish knowing he gave everything he had,” Olbert said.
Coach Keller is also excited to see what Landen does at regionals and believes he has a great chance to break Hallettsville’s school record set by Josh Griffin, class of 2024.
“I’m hoping Landen runs a really good, focused race. He’s got a good chance to possibly break the school record in the 3200 if he does well. And, I think for Landen that would be super exciting,” Keller said.
Landen has been training all season long and now he is working to prepare himself mentally for his race.
“I’m going to practice hard and mentally prepare myself to not doubt my abilities and put full effort into the race,” sophomore Landen Bone said.
Racing and jumping each take a lot of practice and effort. But improvement is the biggest reward.
“But doing better than I have each meet and proving myself right. Because I know I can do each of the things I set my mind to,” Bludau said.
