Adam Maxwell, son of one of our agents, Bill Maxwell, had an impressive return to track and field this season. Adam finished the 6A state meet with gold, silver, and bronze medals, Adam was clearly ready to compete again after the long break. We wanted to interview him and learn more about his season this year, as well as his high school track and field experience overall.
Q: How old are you and what grade are you in?
A: I am 17 years old and a Junior in high school.
Q: How long have you been doing track and field/jumping?
A: I have been competing in track and field since I was in sixth grade and I have been high jumping since fifth grade. I first high jumped when I was helping at one of my mom’s middle school track meets.
Q: What made you decide to do track and field/jumping?
A: I really wanted to do track and field because my parents had both always done it and had talked with me about how much fun it was. I’ve always been a pretty active kid and have loved running. The main thing that got me into high jump was a kid who helped teach me the proper technique for it when I was in fifth grade, even though he was an eighth grader.
Q: How did it feel to be back competing after such a long break due to Covid?
A: It felt great to be back and able to compete after over a year of not having any sort of practice or track meet. The main thing that I enjoyed about it was practicing and competing with my teammates as well as the overall community involved in track.
Q: How did you stay ready during the long break from competing?
A: Near the beginning of quarantine, I struggled to stay motivated because I was sad that our season was canceled last year. However, as time progressed and it got further through summer, I was able to convince two of my really good friends, Parker and Quentin, to run with me and do track workouts in the mornings. This gave me more of a structure to my days as well as just a way to feel good right after waking up.
Q: How would you describe your track and field journey thus far?
A: I feel as though my track and field journey has been a very fun and exciting one, to say the least. When I first started in middle school, I wasn’t very good but I loved competing with my friends. My high school track seasons so far, even though I missed last year, have overall been incredible. My freshman year I was able to meet many new friends as well as get to know lots of upperclassmen who helped push me to improve.
Q: What was your initial reaction when you won state with the 6’4” jump?
A: My first reaction was excitement when I cleared 6’4” because I felt confident that I could get a higher height to secure a first place victory. When I wasn’t able to clear a higher height I was a little discouraged but I’m still proud I won it for my team.
Q: Along with gold, you got silver and bronze medals as well! What were your thoughts during the Hurdles finals, and how’d you feel after reaching a PR in 300 hurdles?
A: My thoughts during the 110 meter hurdles finals were mainly just focused on making sure my form was the best it could be. For my 300 meter hurdles finals, I was mainly just excited going into it. All of the guys who I was running with were really nice. I had been talking with them all day and getting to know them in previous races. Even though I got beat in the 300 meter hurdles, I was still so happy I ran a PR. All of us were able to congratulate each other after crossing the finish line.
Q: What are your goals for next year/what are you looking forward to?
A: I am really looking forward to improving my times and seeing what our 4×400 meter relay team can do as well. I am hoping to break the school record for at least the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles, as well as the High Jump record of 6’11” if possible.
Adam clearly isn’t planning on backing down for his senior season. Adam persevered through the unknown challenges of the pandemic and didn’t let anything get in his way when it came to his preparation, even when he didn’t know if the season would happen. Congratulations to Adam on all of his accomplishments this year and we wish him the best of luck next year!