Angelo Equizabal ran track his freshman and sophomore years at Seymour High School but sat out his junior year.

He missed the sport, so he returned to the competition this spring.

“I just wanted to try it out again. I wanted to come back because I thought it was fun,” Equizabal said.

This spring, his main events were the 800- and 1,600-meter runs with his favorite being the half-mile.

“I kept a pace behind most of the people so I could keep my speed,” Equizabal said. “On the second lap, I would just let loose and I didn’t have to worry about keep running. Every time I made it to the second lap, I always felt like I did all right.”

Equizabal said the mile was harder for him to run because it was twice as long as the 800.

“The mile was a bit more difficult since I had to keep a steady pace for four laps,” he said. “I kept a good pace for the first two laps and stayed between people most of the time. Then on the last two laps is when I would use the rest of the energy that I would have left and finish strong. I would pick out runners that I thought I would be able to keep up with. That way, I would keep a steady pace and at the same time stay with them. That way, I wouldn’t get left behind.”

Equizabal enjoyed the home meets.

“The new track is really nice. I liked running on it,” he said. “One of my favorite meets was when we went to (Columbus) North. There were a lot of teams there, a lot of competition.”

On the track, Equizabal always tried to stay focused.

“It is very important to keep a good mentality of how you’re going to do things while you’re in that race,” he said. “Sometimes, I would stay behind (other runners) and then pass them on the second lap and I would just keep going. It was more like a ladder movement, and I would just move up.”

He said he is happy he chose to run this spring.

“I enjoyed it for my last year here. It made it more fun,” Equizabal said. “I had something to do for the time I was here. It was a really fun time to run for the school. It got me out there. It keeps you healthy.”

He said attending SHS was a fun experience.

“I had a lot of teachers that were very funny and very nice at the same time. There is a lot of opportunities,” he said. “I would say try to take as much in as possible. Don’t let yourself down. Keep moving forward.”

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Name: Angelo Equizabal

High school: Seymour

Parents: Hilda Bavarano amd David Equizabal

Sport: Track and field, three years

Organizations: Tutoring and helping translate

Plans after high school: Enlist in the U.S. Navy

Favorite food: Tamales

Favorite TV show: "Married…with Children"

Favorite movie: "Jurassic Park"

Favorite team: German soccer team

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