When it comes to collegiate sports, track and field has all the other ones beat. Not because of the athletes or the facilities, but because the sport has two seasons in one year to compete. However, is having two seasons a good thing?

“The great thing about indoor track is that the energy level of the events are that much more intense because of the close proximity of the athletes as they compete; it’s a great spectator sport,” coach Kathleen Raske said.

Indoor and outdoor track and field have a few differences in seasons. Some of the tracks for the indoor aren’t 400 meters, whereas outdoor tracks are. In Washington, where Sacramento State has competed for the indoor events, the track was 307 meters around.

“When I run the 400 meters indoor, I really have to stay focused because running on some of the tracks indoor I have to run two laps or one and a half. So sometimes it gets confusing and messes up my mentality, so I gotta make sure I run through the line,” senior 400 meter runner Alex Jackson said.

Runners compete in more relay events in the indoor, such as the distance medally relay and the sprint medally relay. Indoor, the athletes have the 3K run and outdoors it is the steeple chase. The 3K is the 3000 meter run with no barriers whereas the steeple chase is a 3000 meter run with obstacles every 100 meters. Instead of the hammer, which is an outdoor event, athletes compete in the weight throw as an indoor event.

Sprints, such as the 100-meter dash and the 100-meter hurdles, are shortened to the 60-meter sprint and 60-meter hurdles for the indoor events.

“Indoor, there is less room for errors because of the short distance,” junior hurdler A.J. Reed said. “So you can’t be hitting hurdles.”

Being indoors can help with the weather because indoor track and field is held indoors and out of the cold weather.

“I hate being cold. I can say that is the one thing I really like about indoors, the weather is controlled,” Reed said.

Although being out of the cold can be a plus says Reed, he also pointed out that it can get “musty” while competing indoors due to all the athletes warming up.

For some, such as freshman distance runner Renisha Robinson, it’s a brand new experience.

“I like it (and) I did okay. I just got to get used to it, because it is so different than outdoor,” Robinson said.

Sac State, just like most of the colleges in California except Fresno State University, do not have an indoor track facility; however, the track team is making do with practicing on one of the best outdoor tracks in the nation. After their first indoor track meet, the team has already qualified 19 athletes for the Big Sky Conference Championship.

“I used to think that not having an indoor track would hurt us as a team, but not anymore. We use it as prep for the outdoor season. It is still a full fledge season,” Raske said.

David Green can be reached at [email protected]