Zaire Rosa, if you’re a WHSAD student, you might’ve heard of him. He is the super athletic Junior who qualified for the state finals for long-jump and came in 2nd in all of New York City. Through this achievement, he was able to make history for the Van Arsdale track team. Therefore, we decided it would only be right to interview Zaire and see what his physical and mental processes were to accomplish these feats.
The track team coach, Mr. Giambrone, describes Zaire as “focused, dedicated, and disciplined”. These qualities are essential for us all who want to succeed, and for Zaire, these attributes will continue helping him on the track and in life.
Zaire mentioned that he doesn’t “like losing,” stating further that he gets “upset even if he’s got in second place”. That hot like lava drive for success shows Zaire’s extraordinary mindset.
City finals are an important deal for high school athletes like Zaire, especially in a city like The Big Apple, and qualifying for the finals is a lot of sweaty hard work and takes the most conscientious preparations. With this in mind, I asked Mr. Giambrone to state the main techniques he employed in order to help Zaire achieve his goals. He mentioned that the school didn’t have a sand pit to work with, so he and Zaire “practice in the hallways”. This further shows Zaire’s dedication to be at the top as he honed his abilities even without some essential resources.
Now you might wonder how Zaire started on track, and for that you have to thank Mr. Giambrone. Zaire stated “ Mr. Giambrone used to always stay at my last period class, and he asked me to join the track team. So I did.” You see, the coaches at WHSAD are trying to scout their prospects and try to improve their team. Mr Giambrone also stated that Zaire was “ very unsure of what he wanted to do and what to do with his talents,” but with time, Mr. Giambrone found that Zaire had an affinity for long-jump. Such inquiry and dedication display another element of great coaching.
We had to ask what made the Van Arsdale track team different from those of other high schools. Mr. Giambrone replied, “The schools we compete against are very large and big, so performance-wise they do very well. Our track and field team is very small. But that’s what makes us great. We are like a family here.”. Indeed they are a family. Through thick and thin, they stay like family and rise like stars. It’s not so long before we see another track star from our school, maybe Sophomore Robert Tirado or Freshman Jayla Trail, who both had good indoor seasons.
For now, Zaire Rosa will take his outstanding achievement into the spring season, and with that hard work, dedication, and good habits, he and his teammates will continue to improve, and who knows you may hear Zaire’s name one day at the Olympics. Only time will tell.
