Due to the now-concluded teacher’s strike, boys’ indoor track was forced to forfeit their impressive 27-year win streak Wednesday, Jan. 31.
The scheduled meet for that day was set against Brookline. According to junior Jacob Finkel, the team had sought permission from athletic director Michael Jackson to proceed with the event despite the strike, but their request was denied.
According to Finkel, the team considered running anyway, but decided against it. “All the other teams aren’t competing either,” said Finkel, “so there’s no reason we should be any different.”
“If we ran the meet, Michael Jackson would be held responsible for us, and we didn’t want to put him in that position,” added senior Theo Teszler, a captain along with seniors Reeve Derby, Jonas Helman, DJ Harvey, and Gabe Grove.
The meet had already been rescheduled once due to the strike. However, given state championships and the end of the season approaching, there was not sufficient time to reschedule another meet, according to Teszler.
While the team’s season is not yet concluded, there is still an opportunity to finish on a positive note. The Baystate Conference Championship is scheduled for this Wednesday, involving all schools in the conference.
Despite the setback, the team maintains assurance and confidence. “None of us are really counting this as a loss,” said Teszler. “I wish we got the chance to go and beat them so they would stop talking. But at the end of the day, we know we’re better.”
