Get to know Lapeer HS track & field and cross country runner Carter Poniatowski
LAPEER, Mich. — The athlete we’d like to highlight is 16-year-old Carter Poniatowski. A sophomore at Lapeer High School, Poniatowski is a standout on the Lapeer Cross Country and Track & Field Teams. The last five years have curated a love for the sport with hopes of one day being able to run on a collegiate cross country team. When asked what the biggest challenge is within his sport, and how he manages it, Poniatowski says, “It’s staying mentally strong during my races.
To succeed in this, I do my best to focus on my splits and try to pass whomever I see in front of me. Often in my races I will try to get to the front immediately, which always ends with me getting too tired to be able to run as fast as I could have. I overcome this by planning each section of my race with how fast I want to run, and what I will be focused on.” It helps that the best advice he’s ever gotten was–In whatever you do, give it 100%–and what better way than to love being able to compete against yourself, always trying to get a faster time and working to do better than you did at the last race.
Not only is it good to compete against yourself, being a member of the team has taught Poniatowski the value of working with others. He says, “I have been able to improve much more while running with and competing against my teammates, than I would by myself.” The best piece of advice Poniatowski has gotten from a coach is to make sure and take a rest day. On those rest days, he enjoys hanging out with friends, playing the piano, and watching television. Keep an eye on Poniatowski the next couple of years and watch him hit his goal of becoming a college athlete.
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