It is not everyday that a student breaks a track record here at Newport Harbor. Senior Varsity track runner and hurdler, Emma Kratzberg, has broken the 400 record and continues to try to break more of them. Kratzberg described how it felt to accomplish something so great as “amazing because I honestly didn’t expect to do it.” She is “actually working towards the 100 and 300 hurdle records as well and [is] 0.16 seconds away from the 300 record and 0.07 seconds away from the 100 record.” The record breaking athlete keeps positive as she attempts to create more history as she says, “There’s still 4 weeks left in my season so I can still do it!” Track has changed Kratzberg’s high school experience because it “made [her] feel a sense of purpose in high school and made [her] motivated, passionate, and the driven individual that [she] is.” Having an inspiration to compete is essential to the success of athletes and Kratzberg finds that from her “humble roots that started [her] career”. “I decided one day that I wanted to do hurdles kind of randomly and I started out okay, but not great. And slowly but surely I worked my way to the top and now am currently ranked 3rd in California. I wasn’t born a runner/hurdler and I had to work very hard to get where I am. So I stayed motivated by seeing where I was, where I am now, and where I want to be,” says Emma Kratzberg about how she has gotten to where she is today and what motivates her to keep putting in hard work. Not everyone can become an statewide ranked athlete, and those who do achieve this have put in that extra time or practice to get to where they are. For Kratzberg a big part of her success is the “amazing coaching from both in school and outside of school.” Also her dedication to the sport can be seen through the “weightlifting which [she didn’t] think any of her teammates did […and the] practice between two and four hours a day.” After all her achievements at Newport Harbor, what is next for record breaking runner/ hurdler? Kratzberg shares that “track will play a big part in [her] future, [she] is going to Colorado State University on a scholarship for track and field, and will be a 400 hurdler in college. [Kratzberg] has the next four years ahead of [her] at least” regarding her track career future.

Written By: Andie Lee