“Take your mark,” three final words have screeched out of the announcer’s mouth.
All patience is lost, as the runner’s ears crave the final shot. His eyes remain locked on the burnt orange track that lies ahead as his nerves tickle with anticipation.
A split second of silence passes and the gun is off.
Senior David Anamosa, four-year varsity athlete, three time regional qualifier, and member the state champion 4 x 800 meter relay, will run at University of Texas at Austin next year.
Running has always been a fit for Anamosa since he first started competing in seventh grade. Anamosa has been a member of the cross country team since his freshman year and runs the 400 meter, 800 meter and the 4 x 400 meter and 4 x 800 meter relays during track season.
Though running in college has not always been Anamosa’s plan, after getting accepted into the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin, he came to a conclusion.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to run or not,” Anamosa said. “I had to weigh the benefits of being an athlete in college and the amount of time it takes.”
Attaining the opportunity to run in college was not easy for Anamosa, as he had to maintain in contact with the coach and keep him updated on his progress throughout the season.
“I first contacted the coach introducing myself and telling him my times and he told me he would keep an eye out for me,” Anamosa said. “We have been in contact ever since and I have been telling him my times and he has been saying good job and that we will bring you up here and show you around.”
After visiting with the track athletes and meeting Assistant UT Austin track Coach John Hayes, Anamosa could not wait to be a part of not only the team, but also most importantly, the “family”.
“I like being a part of the team,” Anamosa said. “The whole team is like a family and I want to be part of the family, it’s like a fraternity that you have to work your way into instead of just buy.”
Anamosa is optimistic about his upcoming year as he already has his goals set for next season.
“My goal would probably be to break one minute and 50 seconds in the 800 meter and probably around 46 seconds in the 400 meter. It’s just a shot in the dark, but I hope to make it.”
Despite having to leave behind his teammates after a rewarding season, being a part of the track team throughout high school has shown him what it takes to become one of the best, and he hopes to carry that with him through college.
“It takes hard work to get on top,” Anamosa said. “You are not going to be given any medals, you have to work super hard to achieve them.”
Not only is Anamosa hopeful about his upcoming year at UT Austin, but so is the head track coach, Brandon Beasley.
“The University of Texas is a great school and has a great track and field program,” Beasley said. “I feel that as David gets older and stronger he will continue to improve as a runner and be successful in the Big XII conference.”
According to Anamosa, the hardest part about being involved in college athletics is going to be waking up early and getting adjusted to the training schedule, as it will be much more time-consuming that he is used to.
“I knew when David was a freshman that he would have the opportunity to be successful,” Beasley said. “He had talent but a lot of runners have talent. After your freshman year those who just have talent are left behind but David continued to improve. David works as hard, if not harder than any other runner that I have had and as a result, he has become one of the best.”
