Setting new records: a gradual process of improvement

Achieving a new sports team record pushes the limits of athletes physically and mentally as they work toward their goal. Photo illustration by JAKE NEEDHAM, Staff Photographer

Records in sports history can be rewritten in a matter of split seconds.

On April 15, sophomore economics major Zoe Zurasky, a member of Chapman women’s track and field team, broke two school records at the Bryan Clay Invite, running a 12.53 in the 100m dash and 49.33 in the 4x100 alongside teammates Kaylee Smith, Allie Kremer and Khyra Stiner.

“I was just looking to (set a personal record), and then I crossed the finish line, I looked over at the (race clock) and it said my time; I didn’t believe it at first,” Zurasky said when describing her experience running the 100m dash. “It was just such a big drop, and I was like, ‘There’s no way this is my time.’ And then once I realized (I broke the record, I was like), ‘Oh this is so awesome (and) so exciting.’”

Zurasky beat the previous school record by 0.09 seconds, which may seem like a significantly small drop in time to some, but in reality, this feat requires months of training to achieve. 

For sports like track and field and swimming, a significant amount of training and preparation is required for athletes to set a new personal or competition record, which is typically within a small fraction of a second. 

Junior communication studies major Riley Brownfield, a member of the Chapman women’s swim team, said she practices five days a week and attends meets each Saturday during the season in order to thoroughly train. In the summer, Brownfield is part of a club swim team called Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics, which causes her training to increase to 15 to 20 hours per week.

Brownfield told The Panther she tracks progress when trying to set a potential record and posts the time to beat in her room as a reminder of the goal she wants to achieve. But she also emphasized she doesn’t let her drive of setting a new record serve as the number one motivation to swim.

“I enjoy the practice aspect of (swimming) and just being there with my teammates and socializing,” Brownfield said. “If I don’t (get) the best time, I get frustrated or upset, but it’s not all-consuming and it doesn’t offset my outlook for the rest of the season or my passion and love for swim.”

Chapman men’s swimmer Cole Kershner, a sophomore business administration major, said it is good to set goals to achieve by the end of the season, but it is equally important to take into account setbacks that derail progress toward achieving a milestone. Kershner added that — regardless of preparation — sometimes competitions do not go as planned.

“There’s a lot of variability in swimming, because you can easily — especially when you’re a sprinter — if you swim the 50 (meter race and) you mess up your turn, the race can be over,” Kershner said. “Versus a distance (race), you can make back (time) and recover from (mistakes). But it depends, because in certain meets, you just have bad meets, and there’s not really anything you can do about it.”

Zurasky said that at her first meet of the season, her time in the 100m dash was around 12.7 seconds, but after a couple other meets, her time increased up to 13 seconds. At times, she felt she’d be unable to bring her time back down. 

But when she competed in the Bryan Clay Invite, she set a school and personal record. Zurasky said that setting a new record time is a gradual process requiring increments of improvement.

“It’s usually less than 0.1 (seconds that) would be a good drop,” Zurasky said. “You almost never drop 0.2 (seconds) in a matter of a few weeks — that’s usually like 0.05, around there. And then you keep getting (your time) down a little further, but it really just depends on your race. Like on some days — the weather, how you’re feeling — (those can be) big factors.”

The constant grind toward breaking a record is both a physical and mental challenge. Brownfield described the intense discipline needed in order to keep up with the expectations of her sport.

“I’ll walk to class, and my body will just hurt so much because the workouts are so intense and weightlifting makes you so sore,” Brownfield said. “And then, mentally, you have to be disciplined to go to bed and to not go out to socialize with your friends until 1 a.m.”

In addition to the physical pains that come along with training 10-12 hours a week, Kershner told The Panther about the mental toll that extensive conditioning takes.

“For me it’s more of a mental challenge,” Kershner said. “Once you’re in the flow of it, maybe after a month of training once you’ve been back, you’re kind of used to just getting whooped every day. But mentally, it’s very challenging, because you go in there (like), ‘Okay, I’m going to do some really hard stuff today. It’s going to be exhausting, but I’ve just got to stay on top of it.’”

Some athletes stay driven to train every day by reminding themselves of personal goals or listening to a motivational speech. But for Brownfield, the drive she has to swim comes from her appreciation for the sport.

“I don’t have something I say to myself or crazy tips, I just go back to the fact that I love the sport so much and it brings me so much happiness,” Brownfield said. “That’s so simple and not anything special, but that’s truly why I keep going.”

Correction: The spelling of the name of Zoe Zurasky, a sophomore economics major and member of Chapman women’s track and field team, was originally misstated upon original publication. This error has since been adjusted.