Mike Wheeler
Bellville Boys Track Coach
Room: Bellville Junior High
Email: mwheeler@bellvillebrahmas.org

Jayme Kana
Bellville Girls Track Coach
Room: 306
Email: jkana@bellvillebrahmas.org

The Bellville Boys and Girls Track & Field programs represent Bellville High School in invitational, district, area, regional, and state competition during the spring. Follow athletes throughout the season for meet results, individual and relay accomplishments, postseason advancement, and stories about the preparation, improvement, and teamwork behind their performances.

Upcoming meets and schedule changes
Meet results and team standings
Running, hurdling, relay, jumping, and throwing events
Individual places, times, heights, and distances
Personal records and season-best performances
School records and important program milestones
Relay-team performances, exchanges, and lineup changes
District, area, regional, and state qualification
Athletes competing in multiple events
Close finishes and decisive team points
Training, conditioning, technique, and preparation
New varsity athletes and emerging team leaders
Injuries, recoveries, and returns to competition
Senior recognition and final home meets
Awards, honors, and postseason accomplishments
Boys and girls track-and-field features and season recaps

Covering the Track & Field Beat

Start Here

Introduce yourself to Mike Wheeler and Jayme Kana and explain that you are covering Bellville Track & Field for the BVP Newsroom.
Coach Wheeler is the contact for boys track and field; Coach Kana is the contact for girls track and field.
Ask how each coach prefers to be contacted and how far in advance interviews, photography, or video coverage should be arranged.
Request the current meet schedule and boys’ and girls’ rosters.
Learn which athletes compete in each running, relay, jumping, and throwing event.
Ask where and when athletes practice and which practices reporters may attend.
Find out how official results, team standings, personal records, and schedule changes will be communicated.
Ask which upcoming meets are especially important for district, area, regional, or state qualification.
Check with both coaches regularly so the boys’ and girls’ programs receive consistent coverage.
Submit possible stories as pitches before beginning full coverage unless your teacher tells you otherwise.

Your Responsibilities

Check for boys and girls track-and-field updates at least once each news cycle.
Track meets, team standings, individual results, relay performances, and postseason advancement.
Maintain contact with Coach Wheeler and Coach Kana.
Follow running, hurdling, relay, jumping, and throwing events.
Watch for personal records, school records, close finishes, important team points, and qualifying performances.
Look for athletes showing improvement, versatility, leadership, or perseverance.
Pitch promising stories to the newsroom.
Arrange interviews, photography, and video coverage in advance.
Confirm names, event results, times, heights, distances, team standings, and postseason qualification before publication.
Follow up after meets for official results, photographs, reactions, and information about what comes next.
Provide balanced coverage of boys and girls athletes and a variety of track and field events.

Important

Track and field includes many events happening during the same meet. Always identify the athlete, boys’ or girls’ program, specific event, final place, and official result. A time, height, or distance means little without explaining the event and whether it represented a personal record, school record, medal, or qualifying performance.

Be precise when reporting results. Do not confuse preliminary and final times, relay splits and official relay times, or feet and inches with metric measurements. Verify official places, times, heights, distances, team points, records, and advancement with the appropriate coach or official meet results before publication.

Remain outside the track and active competition areas unless an official or coach gives you permission. Be especially careful near sprint lanes, jumping areas, and shot put and discus sectors. Never cross the track or enter an event area while competition is underway.

The result is only the beginning of the story. Explain what the athlete accomplished and what it required—training, technique, improvement, strategy, teamwork, recovery from a setback, or a performance under pressure that helped the athlete or team succeed.

Reporting Your Track & Field Stories

Possible Story Ideas

An athlete sets a new personal record.
An athlete breaks or approaches a school record.
A relay team improves its time or changes its lineup.
The team prepares for an important district or qualifying meet.
An athlete qualifies for area, regional, or state competition.
A race is decided by a close finish.
An athlete wins multiple events at the same meet.
An athlete competes in both track and field events.
A younger athlete earns a varsity position or important team points.
An athlete learns a new event or changes events.
A relay team works to improve its handoffs.
A jumper or thrower makes a technical adjustment that improves performance.
An athlete returns after an injury or setback.
A senior prepares for a final season or final home meet.
The boys’ or girls’ team competes for a meet or district championship.
Athletes overcome difficult weather or competition conditions.
An athlete balances track and field with academics or another sport.
Experienced athletes mentor younger teammates.
A student receives an award, medal, or postseason recognition.
A behind-the-scenes look at training or meet-day preparation.

Signs There May Be A Story

Pay attention when:

An athlete repeatedly improves a time, height, or distance.
A personal or school record is within reach.
An athlete begins winning or placing consistently.
A relay team changes its lineup or running order.
Relay handoffs become a major focus during practice.
An athlete begins competing in a new event.
A younger athlete earns an important varsity role.
An athlete qualifies for district, area, regional, or state competition.
A race is decided by a very small margin.
A team championship depends on the final few events.
An athlete competes in several events during one meet.
A jumper or thrower makes a major technical improvement.
An athlete returns following an injury or extended absence.
A senior approaches a final meet.
Weather conditions significantly affect performances.
Coaches or athletes discuss a challenge spectators may not recognize.
The team accomplishes something it has not done recently.
An athlete receives a major award or postseason recognition.

Questions to Ask: The 5 W's and 1 H

You will not necessarily ask every question below. Select the questions that fit your story and ask follow-up questions whenever an answer is unclear or incomplete.

Who was involved?

Which boys or girls competed?
Who participated in the featured event?
Who earned medals or team points?
Who qualified for the next level of competition?
Who ran each leg of the relay?
Who helped the athlete train or improve?
Who provided leadership during the meet?

What happened?

What event did the athlete compete in?
What was the athlete’s official time, height, or distance?
What place did the athlete or relay team finish?
Was the result a personal record, season best, or school record?
What technical or strategic adjustment affected the performance?
What went especially well?
What did not go as planned?
What does the result mean for the athlete or team?
What events remain in the athlete’s season?

When did it happen?

When and at what time was the meet held?
When did the featured event take place?
When did the athlete begin preparing for this event?
When did the athlete realize a record or qualifying mark was possible?
When is the next meet?
When will district, area, regional, or state competition take place?

Where did it happen?

Where was the meet held?
Where did the athlete compete within the facility?
Where does the athlete usually practice?
Where did the decisive moment occur?
Where will the athlete or team compete next?

Why does it matter?

Why was this meet or event important?
Why was the performance significant?
Why did the athlete choose or change events?
Why was a particular technique or strategy used?
Why was the relay lineup or running order changed?
Why was the performance difficult?
Why does the result matter for team standings?
Why was the accomplishment personally meaningful to the athlete?

How did it happen?

How did the athlete achieve the result?
How did training or technique contribute?
How did the athlete handle pressure?
How did weather or facility conditions affect the performance?
How did the athlete recover from a mistake or slow start?
How did relay teammates prepare their exchanges?
How did the athlete improve from previous meets?
How will the athlete prepare for the next level of competition?

People You May Need to Interview

Depending on the story, consider interviewing:

Boys Track Coach Mike Wheeler
Girls Track Coach Jayme Kana
The athlete directly involved in the featured event
Every member of a featured relay team
Athletes who won events or earned important team points
Athletes who set personal or school records
Athletes who qualified for the next level of competition
Team captains or other student leaders
A younger athlete earning an important varsity role
An athlete competing in a new event
A senior participating in a final season or meet
An athlete returning after an injury or setback
A teammate who helped the featured athlete train
An assistant or event coach who works with the athlete
Other school employees involved with a particular meet or event

Whenever possible, talk to the athletes who actually experienced the story. The coaches can provide official results, technical information, and context, but athletes can explain their preparation, strategy, challenges, emotions, and what the performance meant to them.

What You Need to Collect

Before writing or producing the story, collect:

Correctly spelled names of everyone involved
Each student’s grade level
Whether the athlete represents the boys’ or girls’ program
The exact name of each event
The athlete’s official time, height, or distance
The athlete’s final place
Whether the result was a personal record, season best, or school record
Names and running order of all relay members
Complete relay time and place
Official name of the meet
Date, time, and location
Boys’ and girls’ team standings when relevant
Points earned by the athlete or relay team when relevant
District, area, regional, or state qualification information
Previous performance for comparison
A clear explanation of how the athlete achieved the result
At least one useful quote from an athlete involved
Comments from Coach Wheeler or Coach Kana
Useful photographs or video from the event
Names of everyone identifiable in photographs
Information about the athlete’s or team’s next competition

A number by itself does not tell the complete story. Explain what the time, height, or distance represents and how it compares with the athlete’s previous performances, other competitors, qualifying standards, or existing records.

Before You Leave

Ask yourself:

Do I have the correct spelling of every name?
Do I know each athlete’s grade level?
Did I identify the boys’ or girls’ program correctly?
Do I have the exact name of the event?
Have I confirmed the official time, height, or distance?
Have I confirmed the athlete’s final place?
Do I know whether it was a personal record, season best, or school record?
For a relay, do I have every runner’s name and the correct running order?
Do I have the correct meet name, date, time, and location?
Do I know the relevant team standings and points?
Have I confirmed any postseason qualification?
Can I explain how the performance was achieved?
Did I talk to the athletes directly involved?
Did I get a strong quote—not merely “I ran fast” or “It felt good”?
Did I speak with the appropriate coach?
Do I have useful photographs or video?
Did I identify everyone shown in my photographs?
Can I explain why this result matters?
Do I know what happens next?

The Bellville Herd

NEWSROOM

A Brahma Video Productions Student Newsroom