By Matt Browning
Rather than focusing on speed or acceleration, Marion’s Jesse Snyder emphasized strength during the offseason to improve his performance.
“Throughout my off season I have focused more on improving on my lifts such as hang clean and squat to really work on explosive power,” Snyder said. “Since December I have managed to improve my squat by over 20 pounds along with 15 added to my hang clean.”
Snyder identified a key weakness from last season and has made it a priority to address it.
“For this upcoming season I am focusing on being more explosive with my starts as last year it was a noticeable weak point with all of my races,” Snyder said. “While my starts may not be the best, I have a decent top speed that has helped earn points for me and my team at various track meets.”
Snyder is also part of Marion’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams, both of which feature a strong group of athletes. He is optimistic about the team’s potential for a successful postseason.
“This season I would like to get my 400 time below 50 seconds since if I do, I have no doubt in my mind that our 4×400 relay consisting of myself, Trip Peterson, Wyatt Soyez, and Landon Hendricks will have a shot at winning state,” Snyder said. “A successful season for Marion would be if a large group of our athletes could qualify for state like last year as we had nearly 30 make it either in solo event or on a relay card.”
