Darnell Butler Is Living in the Shadow of his Own Record

by Stephanie Ogar

With his name hanging on the wall for everyone in school to see, junior Darnell Butler prepares himself to beat the outstanding track records he set last year.

“At districts I had to be part of the top six to move on to states. I got first,” Butler says.

After being first in the district he moved on to states. He ran in the 200 meters and placed first again with 22.96 seconds. Butler was the only sophomore competing against all seniors.

“I’ve never had such an exhilarating moment in my life. I could hear the crowd scream, and deep breaths of the guys running behind me, pushing me harder to the finish,” Butler says.

Butler was excited when he received his gold medal, moved on to All-States and found out that he had broken the school record in the 200 meters by .5 seconds.

“It was a great feeling surrounded by all my peers and random friends there to support me,” Butler says.

Having such a great record, he feels some pressure to live up to what he accomplished last season.

“I plan on breaking my own record. I feel like I expect it from myself more than my peers,” Butler says.

To make this happen, he has been working out with the school trainer Courtney Cray to keep in shape and be ready when the season comes.

“My family and friends are expecting a lot out of me, and I like that because I expect a lot from myself. I plan on doing my best in every workout, so I can set higher goals for myself and be able to beat my own record,” Butler says.

Butler has already set new goals to make sure he can meet those expectations in the coming season.

“I plan on living up and surpass what I have done previously by working hard with everything I do both on and off the track. On the track I want to push myself and fellow teammates harder, making each other better. I’m going to push harder during each and every sprint finishing as hard as possible. Off the field I plan on eating right and exercising and making smart and healthy decisions that will affect me on the track,” Butler says.