Every season Arlington High School Athletes can chase more than just victories, they chase history. From cross country, basketball, to track students are pushing themselves to break long-standing school records.
For some, they get the inspiration at a young age. By watching others succeed it can push their motivation and allow them to reach their goals. Seeing records broken or impressive performances pushes athletes to want to feel the same experience. Currently, Mr. Boyden holds both the shot put and discus records at Arlington, setting the bar high for future throwers.
“You know, when I was a little kid, I had the honor of working at Arlington High School, and I actually measured all the throws. And so I thought it was the coolest thing, seeing a discus fly really, really far. And I think it was one of those things where it just gives you something to strive for and to get better at each day,” Dan Boyden said.
Many view breaking records as more than just for themselves, it is a chance to leave behind something great in the history here at Arlington. Athletes want to leave a legacy that future students can look up to and be inspired by. A legacy built on hard work and dedication.
“So they can leave their legacy in school and be remembered for what they did in sports, in school, whatever,” Kade Martin (‘29) said.
For some athletes their goals of breaking school records means more to them. Kade Martin having two older brothers who broke and set new records at AHS brings him much motivation and pressure to do the same thing. Kade has some big shoes to fill and plans to do this by setting a goal of having a career of over 1000 points.
When one record is broken it shows how something that seems almost impossible can be possible. Watching a peer or teammate at AHS can inspire others to believe in themselves and work harder. This keeps athletes motivated and wanting to thrive at their sport.
“I feel like by recently breaking records, like if they see that it was recently broken, they know they can do it too,” Anabelle Klein (‘27) said.
For Anabelle Klein, who just broke the girls 5K time it’s about inspiring athletes to dream big for what they want. However, while the excitement that comes from breaking a record, it is mostly about the determination an athlete brings. It’s about practice, consistency, and coaches.
“I feel like it’s mostly about determination. It’s when you really set your mind to things and you make it a goal and you have a competitive spirit. And you want to break that record, then I think you do it,” Martin said.
Success doesn’t just happen, it’s about effort, determination, and commitment and doing the little things everyday to improve. It’s about using your time and resources to become better each day.
Arlington keeps track of athletic achievements, all the numbers. But these aren’t just numbers, they showcase the best performances from our athletes here at AHS. Athletes can keep track of school records on Athletic.net, where every throw, race, and point is recorded. They can see their name climb up in the rankings, giving them motivation to keep pushing.
“ If you do the small things right every single day, the records will come by themselves,” Boyden said.
