Most people say that track isn't a team sport, and they are basically right. There is no passing in the 100-meter dash or blocking in the mile run (for the sake of irony, we will ignore the teamwork required to make a baton pass, or the strategy involved in drafting and pacing in a long-distance race), no plays to practice or anything else you would associate with team sports. But despite the fact that track and field is, at its core, a series of individual contests, a bunch of runners and throwers can't win a meet unless they come together as a team, work as a team, and fight as a team. So, while you could debate whether the 40 or so young men who went to Hewlett High School two weeks ago to compete in the Division IIB Track and Field Championships "play a team sport," you can't deny that when they won the meet, they won it together --- as a team.

Those who were at the event will tell you it was nothing short of epic. Throwing coach Carmine Delucia said "it's the kind of thing you never forget; the best feeling in the world." South's athletes had their disappoints --- like when top 100-meter sprinter Hank Hsu was disqualified for a false start --- but they also had their triumphs, with 40 out of a possible 48 points scored in the hurdling events. Captains Jeff Lugo and Francis Morris were crowned champions in the 400 intermediates and 110 highs. The middle distances were also a source of strength. Andre Burnett won the 800 and led a 1, 2, 3 sweep of the event. Terrance "T-Bunny" Livingston won the 400. The throwers and jumpers also made a strong showing, with Brian Matthew finishing 2nd in the shot and discus. Hank Hsu took 3rd in the long jump and 2nd in the triple jump. While archrival South Side made a strong showing in the long distances and short sprints, South held on, and the meet was rough even going into the relays. The victory was sealed by the victories of the 4X400 and 4X800 relays, both magnificently anchored by Captain Andre Burnett.

The top performers of the meet, however, according to coach Damon Reader, were those on the bench, spread out along the track, chanting, screaming, and pushing every athlete to do his best. "It was like we had another person running every event," he said. It was this kind of support that made every extra push or effort completely worth it. It was this team spirit that won the meet for the Rebels. At the end of the day, despite the great talent and performance of individual athletes, the margin of victory was a slim six points, six points that could have easily gone another way if not for the greater sense of purpose carried by every stride, lifted by every jump, and asserted by every throw. They were running for something more than ourselves; we were running for a team. This is what most people overlook when they say track isn't a team sport; this feeling that even though you may run by yourself, you're never compete alone, and no victory is entirely yours. It really is the kind of thing no one ever forgets.