Track Team Welcomes New Coach

As the distance runners take on the snow and bitter cold of the winter season, a new voice will be heard pushing them on. Tera Hunter, a new art teacher at Highland, has agreed to help coach the distance track team this year. She will be working in conjunction with last years assistant coach, Kassi Harmon, who is currently unable to coach full time.

Hunter is a Highland alum, and began running her freshman year. She joined the cross country team with encouragement from her father, and ended up becoming one of Highland’s best runners; her mile time remains in the school’s top ten all-time. Since then she has been passionate about running, and hopes to help the team find their own excitement for the sport.

“I like that [running] is something that anyone can improve at, and that you don’t have to necessarily be talented to become talented,” Hunter said. “I try to get people to find their own desire to push themselves, I don’t think I should be the only reason they’re running.”

Her coaching career began about 6 years ago at Taylorsville High, where she was the head coach of the cross country team. She is excited to start coaching for Highland, and hopes to incorporate a lot of Harmon’s program into her own coaching strategies.

Harmon has been the one responsible for getting Highland’s long distance program back on its feet–the past two years have been some of the best and most competitive in Highland’s history.

“I try to coach in a way that encourages everyone to find their pace. My big goal is for everyone to get a PR as often as possible,” Hunter said. “I’m going to be working with Kassi, so my goals are really just to keep her program going as much as possible and just to get to know the team, so if–when–she leaves it’s not as horrible of a transition.”

While Harmon will be greatly missed, the team is looking forward to the new things Hunter will bring to the table. Her enthusiasm for coaching and running, as well as her ability to connect with her students makes it clear that she will be a very positive addition to the track family.

“I am super excited for Ms. Hunter to start coaching. She’s a great teacher, and I’ve heard awesome things about her as a coach,” Freshman Sarah Cahill–a student of Hunter and a member of the cross country team–said.

As a Highland graduate, Hunter has a lot of school spirit, and loves the tradition and “family-feel” that the school brings. There is no doubt she will do everything in her power to help the Rams come out on top this year.