New Rockford Track & Field all about opportunity, hard work

NEW ROCKFORD – New Rockford-Sheyenne Track & Field has gone through a transitional phase to open the 2022 campaign.

After Cherry Heinz stepped down from the position, Elliott Belquist decided to take over the reins.

But, of course, Belquist isn’t wholly new to the track and field landscape.

Through Belquist’s experience in maintaining Belquist SPEED and Acceleration – a high-speed treadmill fitness center located in New Rockford – the former baseball coach decided to set his sights on the track and field program. With two daughters - Kelsie and Emmie Belquist – in the program, the idea of giving track and field coaching a go was more enticing.

“I have the SPEED and Acceleration job in the summer, so obviously running and making kids better and faster is a passion of mine,” Belquist said. “So, the opportunity came, and I just thought I’d give it a try, and we had a baseball guy [Jake Bilden] there to fill the job, and I felt good with passing it over to, and decided to give it a try.”

“Giving it a try” exemplifies both New Rockford-Sheyenne teams quite effectively. After COVID-19 affected athlete turnout several years back, the program has started to get back on its feet (no pun intended) with new members.

Each New Rockford-Sheyenne team, in terms of roster size, has started to develop depth once more. The boys’ team brings 18 athletes to the table, headlined by a collection of baseball players, including senior Kaden Jensen. Meanwhile, the girls’ roster brings 17 athletes to the table, headlined by senior Kennedy Demester.

While each team might only have one senior to their credit, Belquist has been impressed with the team’s grit shown through their first handful of indoor meets this season. Jensen and Kelsie, in particular, have each taken home first-place honors for the program. Specifically, Jensen took home two first-place finishes (high jump and long jump) during the Class B High School Indoor Meet on March 26. Belquist placed first in two events during the same meet (400-meter and triple jump). Belquist additionally finished first in seven separate events across the two following meets (four during the CNDC Indoor Meet on April 1 and three during the Maple River Indoor Meet on April 5).

“Kids have been working hard,” Belquist said. “On the boys and girls, I have had a few kids place high in meets, and some other ones, getting the top 10 and all across [the] sport, people [are] getting PRs [personal records] each meet, so it has been good. The excitement has been there. Kids have been really fun to work with.”

To Belquist, each team’s big push will come not solely from what happens at each track meet but from how much effort every athlete continues to put in. Whether for the track and field season or a future volleyball or basketball season, Belquist sees track and field as an opportunity for each athlete to compete and prepare for whatever they love.

Sometimes, “giving it a try” is just the remedy.

“Just have to keep getting better,” Belquist said. “In track, you just have to keep working and keep putting in the work each week. When your meet comes, go out and perform your best, and if it wasn’t your best, you can’t worry about it. You can’t get frustrated. You have to put in the time in practice, and you’ll see the numbers drop. If it’s a PR you are going after or a high place you are going after, you just have to keep getting after it. I am hoping we can see some of that toward the end of the year.”

Contact John Crane via email (jcrane@gannett.com) or Twitter @johncranesports)

This article originally appeared on Devils Lake Journal: Elliott Belquist, New Rockford-Sheyenne Track & Field working hard