Hub sprinter Michael Ramsey was hesitant to take up track and field during his freshman year at Rochelle Township High School. Ramsey didn’t know much about the sport and the thought of attempting a new sport in his first year of high school was intimidating.

Ramsey surged past his fears, however, and the result was a successful freshman season that saw him earn roles in Rochelle’s varsity sprints and sprint relays. Ramsey dropped his personal-record time in the 200-meter dash by nearly four seconds during the outdoor season, and his personal-best time of 12.26 seconds in the 100-meter dash earned him a top-10 standing at the underclassman level in the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference Championships.

“What I like most about track and field is the people I meet,” Ramsey said. “I have made many new friends in Rochelle and in other towns where we’ve competed. I felt like I exceeded my expectations. It was my first year and I had little knowledge of the sport, but I eventually made my way onto a few of the varsity relays and I thought we ran better as the season went on.”

Ramsey was ready to breakout as a sophomore, lowering his personal record in the 55-meter dash to 7.13 seconds during Rochelle’s lone indoor meet of the 2020 season, which was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramsey said he was devastated to learn his season had been lost, but since then, he’s been staying prepared for when the Hubs can lace up once again. Now an upperclassman, Ramsey wants to be a role model for all of his teammates.

“I know that if we had a season, our team would have been able to do great things,” Ramsey said. “Whenever our school was allowed to hold practices, I was there. I’ve also met up with some of my teammates and done some workouts to prepare for the upcoming season… I want to be someone who my teammates can count on and I want to be a reason our team does great things this coming season, whether it’s through running faster times or motivating others.”

Ramsey has taken to the short sprints during his time with the track and field, often running the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Ramsey said his goals for next season are to improve in the 400-meter dash and increase his stamina. He also said he wants to see the Hubs take the next step.

“We have many really great coaches guiding us and we have great athletes who are very talented,” Ramsey said. “I know we’re capable of placing higher in meets, running faster times and bringing home more awards… I thought I did well in my shorter races. I need to improve in the 400 because it’s one of the hardest races, so I’ve been working to improve my stamina.”