WILLOW CREEK — The Willow Creek K-8 School track team has begun spring practice with 24 student-athletes — the largest roster since 2019, Coach Dan Tremblay announced this week.
Tremblay, who doubles as the school’s seventh-grade social studies teacher, attributed the surge to a particularly athletic fifth-grade cohort and to the school’s renewed emphasis on physical education under the state’s updated wellness guidelines.
“The fifth graders are fast,” Tremblay said after a sprint drill on the school’s field behind the main building. “I’ve got three girls in that class who could medal at the county meet in the 400 meters. That’s not something I could say last year.”
The team will compete in the Aroostook County Elementary and Middle School Track Meet on June 10 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Events include the 100m, 400m, 800m, 4x100 relay, long jump, and softball throw. Willow Creek finished seventh out of twelve schools last year — a middle-of-the-pack result that Tremblay hopes to improve.
“We’re thin in the distance events — we don’t have any sixth graders who want to run the 800,” he said. “But our sprinters are strong, and the relay team has been practicing handoffs since March. I think we’ve got a shot at top five.”
The team practices Monday through Thursday after school, weather permitting.