Norwood Girls Track Captains

Norwood indoor track captains Fiona Jordan and Kelly Blake both began running for the same reason, their fathers, now in their final winter campaign, the duo is looking to hand their knowledge to the younger girls on the team, while still trying to accomplish something for themselves before they leave.
“I had always enjoyed running when I was younger, but I decided to run track because my dad had run track in high school and I wanted to follow in his footsteps," Jordan said. "It really hit me when I was watching the Olympics and thought that I really wanted to do that. As a younger runner, I always looked up to the captains, now I get to influence the younger athletes.”
Blake’s origination was somewhat similar.
“I had run before high school as my dad was a runner, so I ran with him and when some friends were going to try-out for cross country I decided to go along with them,” Blake said. “I had already been named a captain of the cross country team so I wasn’t excited when I was named for the track team. I lead the distance team and hope to be a help to the new girls on the team and encourage them to stick with it. “
While the two captains are not only looking to help the younger girls with their progression on the track, they are also looking to improve their skills as well before they leave their Mustang teammates behind after graduation – both want to advance into the State Tournament in their individual events. Blake would like to qualify for at least the 1-mile and possibly the 2-mile; while Jordan, who has already qualified for the 200 in the spring season as well as the 400 in her freshman season, would like to earn passage into the tournament as a 300 meter sprinter.
“The qualifying time in the mile is 5:30 and my personal best is 5:49," Blake said. "Nineteen seconds doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a lot more than it seems. I’m hoping that I can get my time down to where I can qualify, especially since I’m coming off a good cross country season.”
Prior to indoor track, Blake was a member of the Norwood cross country team where she set the Norwood course record with a time of 19:26.
“Going in I felt confident in the way I was running but I didn’t know how well I was actually doing (time wise),” Blake said. “Going into the race my goal was to break 20 minutes, breaking the school course record was a bonus.”
Norwood Track Coach Jessica Long sees a different person in Blake this winter and firmly believes that she can qualify for the tournament.
“Her goal is to qualify for both the 1 and 2 mile events with the 1-mile definitely obtainable and in reach,” Long said. “This year, she is driven and we have absolutely seen this during our very first practice. She’s light-years ahead of where she finished last winter and has that fire in her eyes. I think she was upset last year that she didn’t meet her goals.”
Jordan is hoping to participate in the 300 on the state level in the hopes that she can land a college scholarship.
“Through the years I’ve grown as a runner developing my form and mental techniques,” Jordan said, “As a senior I’m looking at colleges and figured that if I could qualify to take part in the state tournament more schools could see me running and maybe get recruited.”
In addition to running the 300 during the winter track season, Jordan, a sprinter, also runs the 600 and 4x4 relay. As a freshman, Jordan took part in the state tournament in the 400 during the spring and the 4x2 relay in the winter.
“It’s not unheard of as a freshman qualifying for the state tournament, but it was very intimidating,” Jordan said. “I knew a lot of the girls I was running against were a lot older than I was and had already beaten me during the season, but it was definitely a cool experience. I had learned from that and when I qualified during my sophomore year it was that much easier and I was more prepared.”
Jordan can help the team in many different events and although her goal is to advance into the state tournament in the 300, she’ll do just about any event that is asked of her.
“Fiona is a very diverse athlete who can do a lot for us,” the Norwood coach said. “She has a lot of talent and is one of the most mentally tough athletes I’ve coached and will do whatever is best for the team. She can do the 300, 600, 55 m hurdle, long jump and is a big part of our relay teams.”
The senior captain agreed with her coach.
“In terms of the team, I’ll honestly do whatever I need to do,” Jordan said. “Running is an individual sport, but you still run as a team. I’ll do anything to help the team out as long as it doesn’t interfere with my event.”
Blake and Jordan will both be looking to earn passage into the tournament this winter on an individual aspect, but will also be looking to guide the Mustangs throughout the Bay State Conference while teaching the younger runners.