New season, new coach at Marion

MARION - Spring is in the air and that means the start of a brand-new track season.

The difference with this season for the Marion High School girls' team is there is a brand-new coach, Sherryl Paige. Paige is back coaching, replacing Emily Logan.

Sydney Brase, a sophomore, was on varsity team last year and hopes to continue to be this year. She runs 100-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles and a shuttle hurdle. Brase became really close to Logan last year, but is extremely excited for this new season with a coach.

'I'm really glad Coach Paige stepped up to coach because she has so much confidence in us and she has been working us to our abilities to further our strengths,” Brase said. 'She is a big advocate in believing in yourself and your teammates and pushing yourself, which will then in turn push someone else.”

With Brase on the varsity team last year, she has grown some great friendships with a lot of the girls on the team, including upperclassmen who she will be sad to see leave at the end of the spring.

'The whole team is like another family to me, but especially the seniors,” she said with a smile. 'I can go to them for any advice, help or pretty much anything.

'We're all real close right now and we haven't even made a dent into the season, so as it goes on I'm really excited to bond more with the new runners and ones I don't know as well.”

The girls are very close and are just as close with Coach Paige.

Marion begins the outdoor season early next month, the start of fun and memorable friendships. No matter if it's with your coaches or teammates, making a bond with someone you share a passion with is an amazing feeling.