Alex Brown
North Catholic High School
Senior
Events: 100m, 200m, and Shot Put
Favorite Invitational: Butler Invitational
College Fall 2024 The University of Alabama
How did you first become involved in track and field?
I began my journey in Track and Field in the 3rd grade at what was then known as St. Alphonsus School, now Blessed Seelos Academy. Under the guidance of our fantastic head coach, Jack White, I was coached and encouraged to persist with the sport, continuing my involvement through middle school. Coach White ensured my participation in every possible meet, including the Diocesan championship. His unwavering support and dedication are the reasons I remain committed to track today. I owe any success I’ve achieved in this sport to him.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about track and field?
What’s one thing I wish more people understood about track and field? It’s that the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) offers a wheelchair and para-ambulatory division, allowing high school athletes throughout the state to meaningfully compete alongside their teams. Being part of a team is a tremendous blessing. Despite track’s individualistic nature, it thrives on teamwork. The most formidable teams are those that support each other unwaveringly. Unfortunately, for many with physical disabilities, opportunities to be part of such inclusive teams are scarce. Track and field provides this unique platform, and for that, I’m deeply thankful. Having competed with my school friends, forming a resilient team, I earnestly hope others in similar situations seize the chance to join their high school track and field teams.
What are your goals this season?
My goals this season are to become a better leader for my teammates, set an example by my work ethic, and win gold in all my events at WPIALs and States while hopefully having many teammates compete with me on those days, too.
How do you approach setting and working towards both short-term and long-term goals in your Track & Field career?
That is an excellent question because they build off each other. I have a goal in my mind every time I roll up to the line of what I want to achieve in that race or in that throw if I were doing the shot put. The long-term goals would be what I am aiming for in districts and states. That is my destination, and every event marks another stop in the season’s journey for me. I’m not going to achieve my goal in every event, but I will remember the feeling of failing to achieve my goal much longer than I would have if I had achieved it. No doubt, I want to feel that feeling as infrequently as possible, but failure is a part of every season. It’s inevitable, but it’s what makes the wins even sweeter. Those short-term goals motivate me on an event-by-event basis, but it is all in pursuit of achieving those all-important end-of-the-year goals, and I look forward to beginning that journey soon.
How do you manage stress and nerves before a big competition?
I always keep a rosary in my left pocket during my meets, and sometimes all it takes is a prayer or a gentle squeeze of those beads to put me at ease instantly. I think prayer is the best medicine or antibiotic you can take against stress or anxiety. Anyone can do it anytime, anywhere, and the God who made you will hear you. If I can be close to God with each event, that is time well spent.
What is the most significant lesson you’ve learned from your experiences in track and field?
Be prepared. 90% of what happens in an event is determined before the competitors begin. Have you been practicing? Have you been eating right? Have you been putting yourself in the best position to succeed? I can honestly say my answer has been “No” to all of those questions during my track career, which has held me back. All success is predicated on effort, and when I was not putting in the effort, the results were not showing. I wonder why? The bottom line: If you are prepared to race, I assure you it will be a pretty good day.
In your opinion, what makes track and field a unique and rewarding sport, and how has it shaped your character and values?
Track and Field is gratifying because it is all about the team. The team has many individual parts, and everyone plays a role in its success. If someone has a bad day, it affects the team even though it’s an individual performance. The team is at its strongest when everyone is united in a common goal and supports each other. That is what makes Track and Field so great. It helps us become better leaders, better motivators, and better friends.
Track and field events can be both physically and mentally demanding. Can you discuss a specific competition or race that challenged you the most, and how did you overcome the difficulties to achieve success?
For me, the most formidable challenge on race day is the weather. We do not have predictable weather here during the spring, and sometimes, in the early mornings of invitationals, it can be pretty cold, affecting my entire warm-up routine. Once I complete an extended warm-up, I try not to think about how cold I am. I have been to meets where it has been snowing, and those days, I have not had good times or throws, but I feel that I am stronger mentally now than I was at those points in my career.
Athletes often draw inspiration from others. Are there any track and field athletes, past or present, who inspire you, and how do they influence your approach to the sport?
Trevor Paschall is my biggest inspiration. He was the fastest man I had ever seen in person and a phenomenal teammate. He lifted our entire team with his positivity and his smile. As remarkable as he was on the track in high school and is currently at UNC, he is an even better man, and that is what I admire him for the most.
Looking beyond high school, do you have aspirations to continue your track and field career in college or at a higher level?
How do you envision your future in the sport, and what goals have you set for yourself? I will continue to compete in Track and Field at the University of Alabama as part of their adaptive athletics program. I would love to continue earning PRs and will try to put myself in contention for the 2028 Paralympic Summer Games.
Alex Brown from North Catholic is a pioneer for the para-ambulatory division in the state of Pennsylvania. He worked hard with the PIAA to pass the Adaptive Athlete Policy, which will set athletes up to have the same opportunities as Alex for many years to come. I met Alex one time, and one of the things he said was, “This is not a participation trophy.” He loves the competitive sport of track and field and hopes athletes in the future will break his records when given the opportunity like himself. With Alex only focusing on the track this season and not having to write proposals to the PIAA, I could see him having a great season, hitting times of 18 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 36 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
Alex Brown wins the Boys Wheelchair Shot
https://pa.milesplit.com/videos/658711/alex-brown-wins-the-boys-wheelchair-shot
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