Standing in ready position in lane eight, freshmen Ariel Ford’s heart pumps as she looks back at her teammate running toward her. Ford’s goal of running at the Texas Relays was coming to reality.

“Its a very suspenseful and exciting but nerve wracking experience, because you never know who is going to be there or how fast your opponent is,” Ford said.

Coach Lacey Beckler entered one of Ariel’s 4×2 relays previous times and sent it in to have the girls compete at the Texas Relays. Those in charge picked the time, because it was within the limit they had set.

“This meant that all the work we’re putting in for the season is going to pay off because we’re getting better,” Ford said.

For Ariel, track is more than a hobby: it’s Ford’s life. Ford works out in the mornings as well as afternoons. The only thing that gets her through practice is the meets.

“When going into a meet I think about how well I want to do, and how I want to beat my personal record,”  Ford said.

At the relays over the weekend, the 4×2 relay race broke the school record. This was a major achievement from the relay, because it hadn’t been broken since 2011. The relay time improved by three seconds.

“Improvements for next year will be to definitely get more people to go and make finals. We had Ariel as the new leg. We had some bad handoff issues that we need to work on but overall they did good,” Coach Beckler said.

As a freshmen, Ford skills earned her a spot on the varsity relays for the 4×2. Being a part of the relay shows that her hard work has paid off.

“[Track] is very hardworking, but I get along with the girls. I really like them, and its worth it,” Ford said.

Along with the help of Jaleesa Gites, Kayla Collins and Maquela Noel, the team received second in their heat for the 4×2.

“I was confident we would do good, but I was scared about the hand offs because we practiced before. It wasn’t as good as it normally is,” Ford said.