Track & Field

The crack of the starter pistol interrupted conversations as the athletes flew by upon the track we were all standing beside. Competitors from the last event still gather around the scoreboard, trying to catch a glimpse of their finishing times. “The most fun thing about this event has been trying out track events for the first time,” a student tells us as the second Farm Games event of the academic year was winding to a close. 

The Farm Games Track and Field event was held on Saturday afternoon, featuring around sixteen events including 100m sprint, mile run, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relays. Participants signed up for the events they were confident they could represent their team best in. Our Farm Games athletes were coached and assisted by Alyssa Jones and Gabe Ajaegbu, current members of Stanford’s Track and Field team. Both of these athletes took it upon themselves to lead an official track warm-up for the Farm Games athletes, starting the day of competition on a high note of team solidarity. 

Unlike the Beach Volleyball event, the track meet was judged both on team success as well as individual winnings. Accolades were given to individual victors of events, as well as an overall crowned success for one team. Additionally, as a single-day event, most of the time was focused on competition. This didn’t mean that there weren’t still moments of levity and team building—between events, competitors were bonding over shared connections through sport, as well as using their downtime to continue working on coursework. 

Track and Field’s winning team was team Redwood, who were able to rack up points in the majority of the events. Chance Smith from team Aspen commented that he believed team Redwood succeeded in this competition thanks to the number of athletes they had on their team this weekend. Had the other Neighborhood teams had the same number of participants sign up for this event, the competition may have been closer. As this was Farm Game’s first Track and Field event, our turnout of 47 competitors is a great success. 

When asked how they were enjoying the event, many of the Farm Games competitors gave us a “ten out of ten,” on an event well-run. In conversation with Smith’s mother, she emphasized in great detail how our Farm Games events allow Stanford students to “pick their heads up from their books” and simply have fun, without the pressure for success. Several onlookers and passerby unaffiliated with either the event or the athletes mentioned how fun the event seemed, and their admiration for the enthusiasm shown by the teams. 

Farm Games provides a venue for people to compete in the sports they love, or to try out a sport that they may not have ever chosen to pursue before. It serves as a well-needed respite from stress, expectations, and the daily grind of lectures and assignments. As the year continues to move towards the end of fall semester, now more than ever do students need a well-spent break from the stressors of their coursework. At our next event at the start of November, we hope to yet again provide this outlet for our Neighborhood teams

Written by: Lauren Hogdson