The NC Warriors track team competed against other surrounding schools at Kennesaw Mountain High School on Wednesday, March 30. While several athletes reached personal records in the 100, 200, 400 and 1600 meter events, not all of them used fair techniques to reach them. At the end of the boy’s 4×100-meter dash, officials stopped the meet. Officials caught four NC athletes wearing roller skates.

At the beginning of the 4×100, the boys obtained a convincing lead. The first leg ran a shocking 9.42-second split. The second leg received the baton in the curve, dominating the straight with a 9.78 split. The third leg started strong and finished with an 8.9-second split. By the time the anchor leg took off, the entire crowd rose to their feet. They watched as the NC boys left the other teams in the dust. The fourth leg ran an astounding 8.7-second split.

Not only did the NC team celebrate, so did the other teams. Everyone knew the school record changed because of the performance. Questions started to arise though. 

“How did they do that?” wondered the minds of everyone watching. 

Unfortunately, after reviewing the race, officials noticed discrepancies on the NC athlete’s feet. After further looking, officials became aware that the boys wore roller skates during the race. The team thought they could hide the skates under their long pants; however, the wheel markings on the track revealed the dirty tactic.

“I would have never in a million years thought my athletes would unmistakably cheat during a race. I have coached track for a very long time now and no school I have ever coached at would have thought to do it. I am very disappointed in my team right now. All of them have so much talent and did not need to cheat at all,” head coach Chad Talley said. 

The boys planned to cheat the night before the race. Afraid of not meeting their previous personal record of 44.56 seconds, they conspired on ways they could beat the record with the limited time they obtained. One of the boys joked around saying they should wear roller skates. The idea became a reality, however, when they realized they all owned a pair of skates. 

“I just thought the team was doing really well during their race. They did really well in practice and we all thought they would beat their personal record by at least three seconds. When we found out they were using roller skates during the race, I burst out laughing because I thought it was a joke. Even though it’s a bad thing they cheated, it was really funny,” Magnet junior Brooklyn Bolden said. 

The 4X100 team received a disqualification from the race. Coach Talley plans to punish the boys by making them run two miles every day after practice. They currently cannot compete in the next track meet and a new 4×100 team undergoes construction. 

The boys expressed regret in their actions. They claim they meant no harm and did not intend to disrespect the coach and their fellow athletes. They formally apologized to the faculty and staff of Kennesaw Mountain and to the other schools competing for holding up the competition. 

April Fool’s, you fools!

XOXO,

The Chant