As students begin to bring out their different variations of running shoes, cleats and sprinting spikes, the North Polk community prepares for the starting 2024-2025 Spring season for track, soccer, tennis and golf.
While athletes start out and prepare both physically and mentally, one must also take a look at the coaches behind the incredible teams: their expectations, thoughts and more.
Track & Field
Beginning to prepare for their season earlier than most, the boys and girls track teams have demonstrated their resilience and dedication to not only themselves, but to the North Polk Community.
After many notable scores during the 2023-2024 season- the boys team placing second at the Raccoon River Conference Track Meet and the girls placing third and the team participating in the Drake Relays- many are excited for the starting Spring Season.
Many anxiously wait to see the progression of athletes throughout the season, with some of this said progress being recorded for the North Polk Community to admire.
As seen on Instagram, the account The Sprint Factory depicts the hard work and dedication of the girls track team, with their pre-season starting as early as December of 2024.
Tennis
Much like the track and field team, the North Polk boys and girls tennis teams had successful seasons of their own last year. Notably, both the girls and the boys team had a team play in the state tournament, for the girls it was Abigail Mangae and Harika Cakinberk.
For the boys team Ethan Moon and now junior Easton Moon won the state doubles championship against Waverly- Shell Rock. The sibling duo marked history for North Polk, being the first to do so.
Assistant coach Nick Ludwig stated that last year’s graduates “ all had been cornerstones of a team state qualifying squad.” Although the team took a hit when losing valuable players, he expressed that the team will continue to develop through bettering each player’s individual skills.
“A coach must devote time to watching each player’s game, seeing how they are developing, recognizing areas of weakness and areas of growth, and then relaying that information to them consistently builds trust and ultimately leads them into becoming a successful tennis player,” Ludwig explained.
He then mentioned the variety of veteran players returning this year that will play vital roles in the teams season, as well as the 11 freshman joining the team. The North Polk community has much to look forward to for both the girls and boys tennis season.
Soccer
Just as the boys and girls team in tennis, the North Polk Girls Soccer team played in the State Championship.
Coach Francis Lee explained that after having the most successful season since before 2019, ending at 19-2, the team will continue to set their expectations high for the starting season- hoping to get the same outcome and even more.
As for the boys team, they are currently two wins and two ties, and are continuing to feel excited as the season progresses. Just as the girls, they are expected to have high intensity, motivation and overall a drive for success when going into the starting season.
Lee described the importance of not only these aspects, but also the connection between veteran and newer players- the boys having three underclassmen and the girls having 10.
“Overall, we are excited for the season! Our slogan this year is ‘RESPECT ALL FEAR NONE.’ This is fitting for us as we added some tough opponents onto the schedule. Our mentality all year has to be to respect every team that we face but we can NEVER be afraid. We have to be confident in what we continue to build on,” Lee ended.
Golf
For the boys and girls golf teams, the expectations and excitement are just as high as the teams listed above. While being the most recent sport to have started, head coach of the boys golf team Brandon Nattress explained that many of the players had already begun to practice on their own time- depicting perfectly the dedication of North Polk athletes.
Seeing that both teams placed first in their first meet, being a North Polk invitational and senior night for the Comets, one can see the hard work already beginning to pay off. In relation to having a large number of golfers, with the boys having 40 and the girls having 18, Mattress ended “[w]e look forward to helping this group of players have a fun and exciting golf season.”
