Maxim Arutunian is a senior at Glendale High School, and he is one of the team captains of the track and field team. He is also a staff writer for the Journalism class at GHS. He is from Russia, and has lived in the United States for about five years now. 

During his free time, Max likes to play video games. He expresses that gaming makes him feel more relaxed. His favorite game at the moment is Warframe, which is an online action game. Max also says that gaming helps him “socialize with people from school and outside of school.”

Max has been a part of the track team since his sophomore year, and he participates in the 400-meter dash, and the 4×1 and 4×4 relays. He says that his first experiences on the team were pretty difficult, because he joined the team later in the school year. However, throughout his sophomore year, he tried “to put [in] as much effort as I could”, which helped him gain confidence in being a part of the track team.  

Given the whole distance learning situation last year, Max explains that they were still able to have a season that lasted for about two months. Before their season started, they would log into Zoom and watch videos on how to improve their exercise and running techniques. 

During the second semester, some of the athletes on the team were able to return back on campus for conditioning. There weren’t a lot of athletes, but “we made the most out of it,” Max says. 

Max claims that the best part about being on the track team is the self-improvement that one athlete can make throughout the year. He says that track is not only about getting better at running, but it is all about improving yourself, including “your character, technique, and form.” 

However, the most challenging part about being on the team is having to go through conditioning. Max says that if you “haven’t had any kind of workout prior to conditioning”, it will be hard for you to participate in the track events. But once you know what you are doing and the techniques that you have to follow, “everything just gets easier.”

This year, Max is looking forward to seeing “the new members of the track team improve themselves.” Max confirms that being on the team helps students improve their character, and as a whole community, “we all become stronger together.”

Overall, Max feels optimistic about his future and he is positive that he will finish his senior year with A’s and B’s. For college, he plans to attend CSUN and major in Finance and Accounting. Outside of school, Max is confident that he can overcome any challenges that he faces, just as long as he takes it one step at a time.

If you are interested in joining our school’s track and field team, please feel free to contact Coach Bailey at [email protected]! Keep on running, Nitros!