From the moment she first stepped foot on the track, senior Amber Glass has been working endless hours to improve her time. All of that paid off when she committed to Longwood University to continue her athletic and academic career in sprints.
Glass started track just for fun her freshman year and wanted to do it with her cousin, but since then has accomplished so much in such a short period of time.
In addition to winning districts and making it to states, Glass was also a part of the girls relay team that broke the 4×200 school record.
She knew she wanted to continue running track throughout college after one of her big races.
“When our relay qualified for New Balance Nationals in 2023 for indoor, we were running at the fastest track in the US, and it was 4X200,” Glass said. “I remember being there and looking around after I finished my race. I was like, if I can be here how much farther can I go?”
After considering many different schools, Glass uses the Goldilocks analogy in order to describe how this school was the perfect fit for her along with the great nursing program they have.
“I went on the official tours, and it just seemed it was the best fit for me, honestly,” Glass said. “Like I saw some big schools, I saw some small schools, and then, this was one that I felt was right in the middle.”
Track, along with all sports, can take a mental toll on athletes and in order for them to clear their heads before games or meets, many have pre-game rituals or songs.
“Religion is a big part of my life. So whenever I’m nervous I’ll always read my Bible before meets, and then I bring a rosary because I’m Catholic, and I’ll pray,” Glass said. “And my favorite song before I race is probably Mr.Rager.”
Having good relationships with teammates makes the whole experience of sports so much better as well as being able to share your ups and downs with them.
“Having these friends and teammates to talk to or do your workouts with is just amazing,” Glass said. “I’ve developed so many relationships through this sport and I’m looking forward to meeting more people going into my college season.”
Cousin and teammate, sophomore Kendall MacMillin, says she’s so proud of everything Glass has accomplished and how much she’s helped support her and their team during the season.
“She has such a great attitude and always is bringing everyone up,” MacMillin said. “She’s always pushing herself and others to be the best they can and it has paid off for her.”
Junior teammate Morgan Greene, shares the impact Amber has made on the team is unmeasurable and she is so encouraging and never fails to bring a joyful spirit.
“My favorite memory with Amber was when we fell asleep at 8pm and woke up to many calls and texts from our parents,” Greene said. “It was because Amber didn’t say goodnight and her mom thought the bus crashed.”
Having a supporter is crucial in any sport and for Glass it was Coach Ron Moore.
“He doesn’t get to come to every meet but the ones he comes to, he’s the reason I PR sometimes he’s just such a hype man,” Glass said. “He really believes in all of us.” Glass said.
Going into her college season, Glass is determined to push herself to the next level and see how far she can go.
“The sprint program at Longwood is really relatively new. It’s only two years old.” Glass said, “One goal I have for myself going into my college seasons I would really like to get on, breaking a record would be a big goal for the end of my senior year.”
For any athlete going through a commitment process patience and communication are key, and those are two things Glass was very efficient with.
“My junior year, I made sure I started competing first, so I had some time to work with. Then I just started shooting emails out to a bunch of coaches and filling out questionnaires,” Glass said. “Once I started competing more and getting my time zone lower, that’s when a lot of schools started reaching back out.”
Along with communication it is also important to have confidence and believe there are schools out there for you.
“Don’t doubt yourself ever. There’s gonna be schools out there for you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them because I know a lot of people, they wait for the coaches to reach out to them, and then it’s too late,” Glass said “You need to take initiative and reach out to the colleges on your own.”
Glass shares her favorite memory from her high school seasons was winning district last year for the 200m.
“I put my whole heart into that race,” Glass said. “Being in front and just seeing all my teammates lining the size of the track was just so amazing after working all season to get there.”
All athletes struggle mentally and it is important to brush off those bad races or improve on your mistakes in order to better yourself.
“The hardest part is people really overlook track being a mental sport. A lot of people overlook how hard it is on the muscles,” Glass said. “It’s so so mental, because one bad race can mess you up, but you have to make sure that doesn’t define you.”
