The crowd at a track meet tends to be very reactive.
Someone makes the turn at a record-breaking pace, the crowd senses it and comes to its feet while getting louder with each corresponding stride. The bigger the event, the more heightened the excitement.
And yet some of the competitors can pick out certain voices, or noises, and yells of both positive and negative nature.
"We like to listen, and I hear everything around me," said
Highland (Gilbert, Ariz.) senior Lauren Ellsworth, a state champion and record-setter last season. "I hear people cheering for other people and it drives me, and the encouraging ones are that best. It's why I whistle for
Alena Ellsworth. She's told me multiple times she hears me on the track.
Lauren (left) and Alena Ellsworth
Courtesy photo
"When she is across the field I can only yell so loud so I whistle. I want to let her know I am there."
Not only is Lauren there vocally for her sister when she is competing, the big sister always finds a way to be at the finish line when Alena finishes a race. It's a way for Lauren, who tore her ACL in October, to not only support Alena during her sophomore year but to get a chance to live vicariously through her while waiting to head off to BYU in the fall.
"I watch her run the 400 and I feel like I'm out there. It's something, but more than anything I am there for her, supporting her as much as I can," Lauren said.
While the Division I and II meets began on Wednesday, the finals for the 400 meters, Alena's top event, aren't until Saturday, when she will be listening and running for her big sister.
"Wherever she is at on the track, I always know where she is," Alena said. "I was on the opposite side of the track, I heard her whistle. She has this distinct whistle that I know. When I hear it I know she is there for me and it pushes me even more."
The younger Ellsworth, who will also run in the Hawks' 1600 and 3200 relays, struggled with Lauren's injury and the lost opportunity of running together one more year.
"When she got hurt it really upset me," said Alena, who hopes to eclipse her personal record of 55.36 seconds this weekend. "This was supposed to be our last year to run together before she goes to college. Since she is not able to run, I really wanted to make her feel a part of it.
"She always tells me 'This is your race Alena' and she is there for me at the end."
Highland coach Dave Montgomery wasn't surprised to see how the tandem's relationship evolved after Lauren tore her ACL while playing tug-of-war at a church function in October.
"Their competitiveness is amazing and they are talented, but they are so close and push each other," he said. "Lauren has so much going on in her life with academics, church activities and so much more. Running is not her while life, but she has done a great job staying close to the team and her sister."
The loss of Lauren, who won the 800 at the state meet last year with a record time of 2:07.61, obviously hurt the Hawks. But it also created an opportunity for Alena to step into a bigger role.
"She is diligent and dedicated," assistant coach Keith James said. "It was clear early on that she wanted to be her own person. She comes out here, she is a leader and she loves to compete."
Alena said it isn't so much being a leader as being anxious to get going early.
"I guess I lead a little bit, but it's more about liking to be at the front of the line," she said. "I always have, but if there is a senior that wants to go first I always respect that."
More than being a leader, her sister has seen a difference in Alena's confidence.
"She's gotten stronger," Lauren said. "She used to get really nervous before races and it was there again at first this year, worrying about other races, but she stopped it and now she is running without thinking too much."
Now Lauren has found herself thinking a little too much. She could technically have been one of those at the front of the line starting this week, as she was six months removed from surgery. That's generally the time frame for clearance to start running again.
"I was OK with everything and I knew I was going to BYU," he said. "Then I kept hearing the seniors talking about this being their last race. I've already had mine, but technically I am cleared. I'm not ready for that.
"That's what I have Alena for. It's why I make sure I am at every finish line for her."
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
