This month I will release the project that I've worked on with more blood, sweat, and tears than any other in my life. The Track Team is an embodiment of my passion, and I am truly excited to put it out into the world. And, whether it fails or succeeds, I am immensely proud of the effort I've put into it.
I first has the idea for The Track Team many years ago, when I was in my early 20s. At that point it was raw and unrefined: an app for track and field athletes and coaches. I put a bit of effort into some mock ups, and then it faded as my life took a different course. And then, roughly 2 years ago, it came back to me. This time, however, what I wanted The Track Team to be, was far more clear. Also, equally as important, I'd had a number of years of additional professional experience to refine my craft as a software engineer and, dare I say, hone the skills necessary to follow through with the project.
So I started to design, build, break, and rebuild The Track Team. And I knew exactly what I wanted it to be. Because I'd endeavoured for a long time to find an app to aid in my training for athletics, but couldn't find anything. There were apps out there for other mass-participation sports - like "Training Peaks", "JOIN Cycling", and "Nike Run Club" - but nothing catered specifically enough for Track and Field. And so I put that at the heart of what I was building. Which wasn't difficult, because I myself am a track lover and seasons of training and competing have consumed nearly two thirds of my young life. Moreover, I've had experience with different coaches and athletes in South Africa and The Netherlands, so my relationship with the community is an intrinsically personal one.
Now here I am, two years later, on the precipace of publishing The Track Team. Of course, I am just a little bit terrified. I've probably spent far too much time obsessing over little things and inevitably not spent enough time on thorough testing. So there will be bugs, and issues, and imperfections, and I'm scared of those getting found out. But, I am far more excited than I am scared. Because I have put so much work into this, which is not easy to do while you have another full-time job. And I'm excited because I'm a track athlete, and aside from building The Track team, I have been waiting for something like it for a very long time.
To the Track and Field athletes, coaches, and enthusiasts out there: this one is for you. What a wonderful sport it is we have. What sport could be purer than the idea of "faster, higher, stronger"? What makes athletics so special to me though, is that in spite of it being an individual sport, at track clubs around the world you will a home, with groups of people training together, cheering for one another, and collectively feeling the wins and losses of individuals who are certainly competing for more than just themselves. So this one is for you, the people that make the thing that I truly love.
Remember to have fun ;-)
"Every passion has its destiny."
- Billy Mills