James Smith, otherwise known as “Smitty” by the track team, is our brand new track coach from Marvin Ridge. Why did he come to PDHS? This school gives him the opportunity to be closer to his family, as his kids attend Piedmont. “I also love the hard work and values of the community,” said Smith.

He hopes to bring our team to at least fourth in our conference by working our athletes hard with new training regimes, new techniques, and new coaching. “I want the track athletes to compete hard and have fun,” said Smith.

We interviewed many seniors on our track team to see how they felt about certain aspects of the sport, here’s how they responded.

When we asked Senior Reagan O’Quinn why she chose track over other sports she told us “What made me choose track over sports is the individual that track allows. When I run my individual events, I don’t have to worry about anyone else and just worry about my own ability…”

Senior Ruby Mullis was asked if she felt confident in Piedmont’s track team this year, she told us “I do feel confident in Piedmont’s track team because we got a new coach this year and Mr. Smith is the best!”

When senior Kayla Conway was asked why she likes winter track she responded with “…Everyone on the track team is a team and we all support each other because we are all for piedmont. It’s great to push each other and build lasting relationships…”

Lastly, we asked senior Anthony Herrin what Personal Record (PR) he hoped to achieve this year, he told us “I am hoping to run a sub-7 second 55-meter dash.”

Interviewing Coach Smith

•  What are you hoping to achieve with Piedmont this year?
• I want the track athletes to compete hard and have fun. Our conference is one of the best in the state so to compete for a conference championship at this point is probably not realistic, but that is definitely a long-term goal. I feel that if we can get fourth place behind Cuthbertson, Weddington, and Marvin Ridge, we have had a pretty good season.
• Why did you move to Piedmont?
• Coming to Piedmont gives me an opportunity to be close to home, my kids go to Piedmont. I also love the hard work and values of the community.
• Why do you like coaching track?
• Track is all about individual talent and preparation. Some runners are better than others but it is great to see each athlete better themselves through hard work and determination.
• What made you choose Track and field instead of other sports to coach?
• I competed as a track athlete and loved the competition, I hate to lose. Track is also the first varsity sport that I coached and I have always loved working with student-athletes.
• What name would you like to be addressed as in our potential article?
• I usually go by Coach Smith but I do let track athletes call me Smitty.

Gallery|6 Photos

Images by Bradley Watkins