With a small squad, Pelham’s track and field athletes enter the upcoming season actually looking to inject some “I’s” into “team.”

Since the short roster currently precludes an end-of-season team state championship, the Pelham coaching staff spends practices and meets focusing on individual goals.

“We can’t do the damage at the state meet, so we focus on helping them hopefully cracking the top three,” said Justin Soucy, who shares Pelham’s coaching chores with Jen Jaquith. “Our goal is as always to get as many individuals to the state meet and have them perform as well as they can if they make it there.”

Cam Robidoux is expected to be one of the main performers for the Pelham boys. The junior competes in the 100- and 200- meter dashes, and potentially a relay team.

In the meet prior to the indoor state meet in February, Robidoux suffered an ankle injury, yet he still managed eighth-place finishes in the 55- and 300-meter dash races.

Jumper and sprinter Todd Paquin was slated to be one of the team’s leaders this spring, as he was in the indoor campaign. However, a knee injury means he likely misses the season.

For the girls, Emily Spognardi continues her first season in competitive track; the junior switched to the sport during the indoor season and found early success with a sixth-place finish in the 1,500-meter run.

“Having the indoor season under their belt helps a lot,” said Soucy. “If they get to the state meet and perform well, it gives them a boost of confidence and gets them looking forward to this season, especially for someone like Emily, who is in her first year.”

Kelsi Lynde and Melody Long are also among the members on the girls team with indoor experience from this year’s state meet. Lynde was sixth in the 55- meter hurdles, and she teamed with Spognardi, Melody Long and Emily Long on the sixthplace 4x400 relay team.

“Getting into the state meet is usually a big goal for anyone on our team,” said Soucy. “A huge motivating factor is to look at personal goals and do everything in our power to make sure we hit those.”