In Haley Goines’ family, track and field season doesn’t end in early June.
Goines, a senior at Center Grove High School, has taken part in summer meets along with her brothers, Christian and Jalen, since she was 8 years old.
“We usually have one meet every weekend, so there are around eight every summer,” said Haley, who is coming off a season in which she qualified for the IHSAA Girls Track and Field State Finals in three events (100 hurdles, long jump, 4×100 relay).
“We’ve been doing track year-round for a long time, so we don’t know anything else.”
Most recently, the siblings competed in the USA Track & Field Youth Indoor Championships at St. Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Haley placed second in the 100-meter hurdles and fourth in the long jump. Christian, who next month begins his freshman track season at Indiana University, was second in the high jump, third in the 110 hurdles and sixth in the long jump.
Jalen, a Center Grove sophomore, won the high jump and took sixth in hurdles in his age group.
The meets are family events that often entail long car rides and even the occasional flight. The parents, Monty and Beth, are usually in attendance along with one grandparent.
“The kids usually compete in both AAU and USATF meets,” Monty said. “At the end of the season we choose the national meet that works best for us.”
Running the same three events in the summer, it’s routine for the siblings to support each other.
“Usually during the hurdles the boys will go first,” Haley said. “Jalen and I will cheer Christian on. And when Christian is done he’ll cheer us on in our races.”
