The spring season has finally arrived, and so have countless spring sports athletes with the desire to accomplish their goals for this season. Track and field, for example, has some outstanding athletes who are looking for another successful meet on the track. Senior Roman Johnson, one of the very best track athletes in the state, shared his goals and accomplishments. The main goal for this season is to make it to states, Johnson said.
He is also hoping to qualify for Arcadia, a meet in Los Angeles, which is his second main goal this season, Johnson said.
“Arcadia is where you will see all the best athletes in California,” Johnson said. “It’s where the best go, and it is hard to qualify for.”
The training this last summer and off-season was really hard work, Johnson said.
“Last season I ran (under 11 seconds time) due to competition,” Johnson said. “I had someone really fast running next to me, and he pushed me to go sub 11 for the first time. Actually, we pushed each other to run that for the first time. This time I just ran a 10.63 yesterday (March 25, 2025), and I feel that was hard work and training as I worked really hard this summer and during the off-season to improve my form.”
The track season has already begun, and the first few meets this season have gone well, Johnson said.
“I have done pretty good so far this season, I am currently ranked third in CCS right now, in the 100, and second in the 200,” Johnson said. “After my meet yesterday, I am ranked 17th in the state with a 10.63 time for 100m.
The greatest sacrifice for track and field is time because training and working to get better won’t happen without the time and commitment to the sport, Johnson said. There’s going be a lot of challenges to overcome, he added.
“It is very time-consuming; it takes away from school and going out with friends,” Johnson said. “I am often working out by myself, alone after practices or on off-days just to better myself.”
The track and field team has had a lot of athletes step up this season, specifically sophomores and juniors, who have been the main improvement from last year, Johnson said. They’ve been working harder this year despite a certain strict atmosphere on the track, he added.
“Specifically, I want to mention sophomore Jace Becker and sophomore Lucas Ngo, as those are two athletes who have taken a big step in the way that they’ve trained,” Johnson said. “The way that they work and the overall dynamic and help they bring to our team.”
Motivation is a big factor in track; a challenge might be the amount of hard work and training it requires or even the competitive atmosphere and coaching behavior on the track, Johnson said.
“I faced a lack of love for the sport at one point, which caused me to question whether I wanted to continue playing,” Johnson said. “But I won’t settle for that. My motivation is to beat everyone else around me,” he said. “I want to be better than anyone next to me, I want to beat whoever lines up against me. My only goal is to win and stand out from the rest. I don’t settle for anything else besides first because I see it as a failure.”
The track practices are fine; everyone is in different groups, such as throwers, jumpers, and long-distance runners, Johnson said. We also train more on our own time and at a higher level, he added.
“They are working on giving me my own practices since I’m working at a higher level than the rest of the team, so that I have a better challenge,” Johnson said. “I’ve taken extra time to practice to work and get better. Block starts have been the main focus and hurdle for me since last season, but I’ve been improving after the training I’ve been putting in,” he added.
Track is more of a mental sport than people think, it’s really just about how far you can push yourself to get to that next level, Johnson said.
“I will be running track next year at De Anza College, and it depends on where I’m at once I’m ready to graduate from there. If I’m ready to go to a professional level, then I’ll take it there.”