PLAINS – The Plains Horsemen and Trotters track and field teams kept busy last week, prepping for the upcoming spring sports season.

Plains Head Coach Denise Montgomery was excited for the new season and was pleased with how her team was progressing through the early practices.

“It has been awesome, we have a lot of new kids this season,” Montgomery said.

The head coach stated the first practices are a chance for the team’s athlete to transition from their winter sports and build up their conditioning.

“We need to make sure they are track strong and continue to build on their conditioning,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery was pleased with how her team looked at the start of practices adding everyone is in really good shape.

Another important emphasis of the preseason for track and field athletes is prevention injuries.

“We focus on injury prevention and do a lot of stretching,” Montgomery said.

Another emphasis of the early season is finding out what events the team’s athletes are looking to compete in during the season.

Montgomery noted several of the team’s athletes were not taking part in early practices due to the fact they are on the Plains Trotters basketball team, which competed at the State Tournament in Great Falls last week.

The track coach did not view this as a disadvantage for the team and rather believed it gave the coaching staff an opportunity to work closely with many of the squad’s newest members.

“It has been great to make connections with kids we don’t know as well yet,” Montgomery said.  

The track and field team is returning several athletes and will look for another successful season in the spring of 2015.

The Plains girl’s track team has took home the state championship in both 2013 and 2014.

The first meet of the new season for the boys and girls of Plains track will take place on March 28, in Eureka.

The team had a meet scheduled for March 21, in Seeley-Swan but the original opening meet of the season ended up getting cancelled.

Montgomery noted the cancelation of the Seeley-Swan meet would work to the team’s advantage, given her athletes an extended preseason session.

“It gives us more time to prepare,” Montgomery said.