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07/26/2019 12:00 AMSadie Strom developed a wide variety of athletic abilities while playing several sports growing up. Sadie’s athleticism paved the way for her to become a versatile member of the Haddam-Killingworth girls’ outdoor track team.
Sadie, a recent H-K graduate, grew up playing soccer and started fencing in the 4th grade. When she was in middle school, Sadie tried her hand at cross country. After playing soccer during her first three years at H-K, she went back to cross country as a senior last fall. This spring, Sadie led the girls’ outdoor track team as a senior captain, while proving a valuable asset as a sprinter, hurdler, and relay runner for the Cougars.
“Since I started here from the beginning, I felt a sense of respect from the coaching staff that allowed me to be successful. I just felt so much support from everyone, and seeing that my freshman year really helped me,” says Sadie. “My sophomore year, I won the 300 hurdles at Shorelines. I just take things event by event. The 100 hurdles go by in a snap, so I just take that and each event in the moment.”
Sadie believes that her experience from playing other sports enhanced her abilities in the running lanes. As her confidence grew, Sadie discovered that competing in multiple athletic avenues helped her stay sharp on a year-round basis.
“I started being more confident. As an underclassman, I was just excited to find a spot on the team,” Sadie says. “For my sophomore and junior years, I knew my pace was good, and I got even more confident. I think doing soccer and fencing and having a background in different sports helps you not break down.”
As the outset of the recent season, Sadie knew that she needed to help a young group of teammates develop as both athletes and people. The Cougars did exactly that on their way to finishing in third place at the Shoreline Conference Championship.
“As a captain, I thought it would be a growing year. To me, it was about bringing up people to see what events they really liked and building connections with them,” says Sadie. “It was rewarding for myself and the team because of how well we placed at Shorelines.”
Head Coach Matt Diglio says that Sadie brought a senior spark to the cross country trails during the 2018 fall season. Diglio adds that Sadie displayed all the right attributes to lead the Cougars in the captain’s helm this spring.
“Sadie has been a hurdler and sprinter on our track team for the past several years. This past fall, she switched from soccer to cross country and was such a positive addition to our cross country team,” Diglio says. “Sadie is always positive and upbeat each and every day and brought a great work ethic and sense of humor to our team over the years. She is a true student-athlete as she excels in the classroom, as well as on the track. Sadie did a fantastic job in her leadership role as a mentor for the younger girls on the team.”
Sadie will be attending the University of Vermont this fall. However, before she makes the trek up north, Sadie expresses great gratitude to the coaches who helped her cultivate success at H-K.
“H-K track had a huge impact on me. Coaches Diglio and [assistant track coach] Sean Gallagher were always people I could count on. Especially with cross country season, I realized I could go to them if I needed anything,” says Sadie. “Track had a big impact on my work ethic. I know now that I can go play other sports, but running will always be there as a stress reliever.”