Entering track season 19 with harder workouts and pressure, senior Judith Ntere expects progressive improvement as she finishes her last year.

Ntere long jumps and races for her first season on Birmingham Community Charter High School’s junior varsity track team.

So far, she’s competed at Chatsworth Charter High School and El Camino Real Charter High School (ECRCHS). At a meet against ECRCHS, Ntere jumped her personal record of 13’1″ and was the second leg in the junior varsity 4×1 relay.

Different from her eighth-grade track team, Ntere runs alongside teammates who challenge her to run faster.

“Keeping up with the athletes who have been training since they were five (is hard),” Ntere said.

With training on grass for the majority of the season, Ntere only has one day a week to work on her sprints until Thursday competition days.

“It feels weird,” Ntere said. “I feel like it slows me down.”

Ntere plans to continue running track at California State University Northridge.

As a senior, Ntere learns valuable lessons to bring into college to stay on top of school work.

“Track teaches me to manage my time with school (and) stay organized with my work,” Ntere said. “Before joining track I wasn’t organized with my work. (Now) I don’t procrastinate as much as I used to.”