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06/21/2018 12:00 AMAt the start of her high-school sports career, Gabby Harmon made a big decision that changed her course on the Hand sports scene when she signed up to run track for the Tigers. It turned out to be a good move for Gabby, who dashed her way to a wealth of success in both the SCC and state ranks this season.
Gabby played soccer, basketball, and softball while growing up in Madison. During the winter of her freshman year, Gabby switched from the lane in the paint to the running lanes when she went out for the Hand girls’ indoor track team. She then joined the outdoor track squad in the spring.
As a senior this year, Gabby put the finishing touches on her Tigers’ track tenure by having a phenomenal postseason for the outdoor team. Gabby started off by taking first place in the 200-meter dash and placing second in the 400 at the SCC East Sectional Championship. She then came in fourth for both the 200 and the 400 at the SCC Championship, establishing a new personal-best time of 58.82 seconds in the latter event. After that, Gabby earned runner-up honors in the 400 at the Class L State Championship.
“In elementary school, we would always have a mock track meet every year, and it interested me, plus I always knew I was pretty fast. It was a big decision for me as a freshman, but I’m happy with how it turned out,” says Gabby, who later placed 15th in the 400 at the State Open. “When I was at SCCs, I knew I had to show up, because there were so many good competitors. I was pleased with my times, and I started to peak. At states and the State Open, I got tired, but overall, I was happy with how my season went.”
Looking at her two primary events, Gabby says that the 200 requires a little less strategy. However, when it comes running the 400-meter dash, Gabby likes to formulate her approach by breaking down the race into four separate quarters.
“I’ve been working on my strategy for runs all four years. The 200 is really short, so it’s just about running,” Gabby says. “In the 400, I push it at first, then coast a little, then re-accelerate around the 200-meter mark. It’s about just trying to maintain. And then I push again in the last 100 meters.”
Gabby adds that there is a give-and-take dynamic that comes with running the 400. She takes a few lumps during the sprinting portion, before making her victorious strides toward the finish line.
“The 200 is one of the less painful races, so you just have to run fast, but I have a love-hate relationship with the 400,” Gabby says. “It’s more mental and strategic. It’s also more painful, but you have to run through the pain. There is that pain factor to it, but I just keep coming back.”
Hand girls’ outdoor track Head Coach Steve Swift believes that much of the Tigers’ success during the 2018 postseason was predicated on Gabby’s dedication. Swift says that Gabby not only focused on her own footwork, but also took plenty of the team’s underclass athletes under her wing.
“Gabby brings a dedication and work ethic that is admirable and an example for younger athletes to look up to. She also has reached out to younger athletes to teach them and pull them along the path of developing into stronger and faster runners,” says Swift. “She was the cornerstone of the track team this season, [and] I can’t think of a practice that she missed.”
Gabby had top-notch leaders to emulate during her first few years with the track program, and so she wanted to embody those qualities as a senior. Everything came together quite nicely for Gabby, who capped off a quality career that saw her form lifelong connections at every turn.
“My freshman year, I had great people to look up to, and so I hoped to be half the person they were. I just tried to make the underclassmen now feel good about themselves and ease any nerves they had,” says Gabby, who thanks her parents, Barbara and Phil, the Hand track coaching staff, plus former teammates Sam Schaefer and Caroline O’Neil. “Track has been my life in high school. I made great friends here, and it was a great family to have.”