LAKE WORTH, Fla. — A local high school, recently viewed as an afterthought in the track and field world, is now favored to win at three different events in this year's state championship.
Yes, the sport is track and field, but Park Vista High School thrives in the field aspect.
Five student-athletes are competing for state championships, an achievement that is one of the first in school history.
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In 2023, the track and field team at Park Vista underwent changes.
Head coach Kristina Kirk says, "I transferred here two years ago from John L. Leonard.”
Head coach Kristina Kirk transferred to Park Vista two years ago from John L. Leonard. When she took over as head coach, she said she had one thing in mind: "Having everybody try everything."
She believes it's a way to get kids out of their comfort zone while also allowing them to see what they're good at, but this thought process didn’t go over well with everyone.
"My coaches tried putting me in triple jump, but I was too scared I was going to hurt myself," said Kariana Harrigan, a state triple jump finalist, who runs several events, but triple jumping was something new to her.
After being talked into her new role by coaches, Harrigan has excelled and will now compete for a state championship in Jacksonville on Saturday.
"It feels great and makes me feel like I worked hard this year. I've been doing things I wasn't doing any previous year before," said Harrigan, who isn't the only state qualifier; she's joined by pole vaulter Lucas Gambetta.
"I've had a lot of ups and downs,” he says. Early on, Gambetta explains how he struggled with his technique but cleaned up his form and is now one of the state's top pole vaulters. He credits the saying "practice makes perfect" for his turnaround.
"My dad always says that, and I always keep that in mind when jumping," said Gambetta.
Junior Javelin Thrower Chase Burreau is one of the students favored to win it all. Burreau says he wanted to play baseball, but things didn't go according to plan, so he went back to the drawing board.
"My grandpa is the throwing coach here, and he told me just to come out here and give it a shot," said Burreau.
That shot Grandpa told him to take ended up being a great move.
He's already broken several school records and 10 of his own this year alone, and now he is among the favorites to win it all in Jacksonville on Saturday.
Spoken like a true future champion, Burreau says, "I kind of enjoy it, especially knowing I'm a junior and have another year, but knowing people want to come out and take my place makes me want to come out and work even harder."
