One of the oldest sports of all time, dating back to Ancient Greece; Track and Field are athletic contests testing skills and strengths in running, jumping, and throwing. Records are kept in specific events at world and national levels, awarding the highest achieved performers. One of which has been Joshua Mance, a graduate from Don Lugo High School and official olympic sprinter. Don Lugo has some great programs, some of the best in the state, but if one stands out; it has to be Don Lugo’s Track and Field program.

Don Lugo’s Track and Field program run by Coach Polite, Coach Roy, and Coach Crawford, teaches athleticism and teamwork to the students of Lugo. Don Lugo’s Track and Field is a good opportunity to get involved on campus, meet new people, and have fun in a competitive way. The coaches describe Track and Field as different than any other sport because a lot of success relies on the individual and the amount of work someone is willing to put in.

This year, Coach Polite is looking for new guidance and coaching with the help of Coach Cantos and Coach Swift. He says that it’s nearly impossible to do something like coaching track and field by himself. Track and field is full of various athletic competitions and rankings. Replacing a coach that retired as well as covering Coach Thigpen as he gets ready for a hip replacement surgery, Coach Cantos and Coach Swift want to bring knowledge and enthusiasm to the kids as they train rigorously. They hope to take the kids to the next step in their track and field careers.

Coach Cantos, better known for his work as a chemistry teacher here at Lugo, looks to expand his coaching career. Previously coaching his kid’s city league basketball team for two years, he takes this opportunity to expand the repertoire of the student athletes. He loves coaching the kids, because “every day is a different day” meaning that the Don Lugo Track and Field team is ever expanding. Coach Cantos indulges in coaching the athletes that take part in the hurdling section of the sport.

Coach Swift on the other hand, has a bit more experience: expressing that he has previously coached six years of soccer at Chino Hills and now going on eight years of coaching soccer here at Lugo. He looks to bring the expertise that he got when he ran track in high school. Swift takes pride in the fact that he got training and coaching from a former Olympian who had won a bronze medal in throwing. He wants to work with the kids individually, and take them to the next step. Coach Swift likes to think “It’s all dependent on the individual, and no one else”.

Don Lugo Track and Field brings in these young coaches in hopes of bringing more energy and excitement to the kids. These student athletes are currently preparing for their first league meet that happens on March 6th against Diamond Bar. Coach Polite likes to think that his athletes and runners usually stack up pretty well against the competition and they stand a pretty good chance. Don Lugo’s Track and Field is the smallest school in the whole league; in fact they are the only division three school of the San Bernandino county.