The gun goes off; the race has begun!  

        It’s last summer in Wisconsin, and Ethan Burkhart speeds down the track in his race wheelchair, leading the pack. The wheels of his race chair cross the finish line — he’s beaten his best time. Burkhardt gets second place with 2:01 in the 800-meter race.

        Burkhardt, a sophomore, is LHS’s only wheelchair track athlete.

        About five years ago, Burkhart first started running track. He began track because he was looking for an additional sport; his first was sled hockey.  Although he still plays sled hockey, track became his favorite sport due to the high-paced races and constant competition.

        “I’m really competitive. I like to win.” Burkhart explained.

        His love for winning pushes him to practice almost every day during the school year, either on the track or in the weight room. Mr. Jason Schroeder, who is the pole vaulting coach at LHS, also works one-on-one with Burkhart indoors when it is too cold outside for his race chair. Mr. Schroeder described Burkhart as incredibly hard working and a very committed athlete.

        Burkhart’s dedication to track is obvious to his teammates and coaches. According to Mr. Schroeder, he is always ready to work hard and is constantly trying to improve.

        “When he does well, he looks at what he could do better and when he doesn’t do so well, he tries to grow from it,” Mr. Schroeder said.

        Burkhart participates in the 100-, 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter races; the 400 and 800 are his favorite. Last year, he went to State with the track team. Although he didn’t perform his best there, he hopes to return this year and do better.

        Burkhart said he feels an incredible amount of support from his family, friends and teammates. At LHS, Burkhart has been welcomed and celebrated by the whole LHS team. According to Burkhardt, many members of the team are surprised by his success at track.

        “A lot of people on the track team are amazed with it, just watching me and seeing me compete against other track athletes from other schools,” Burkhart said.

        The track team has made Burkhart feel confident in his athletic abilities and also allowed him to create many new and stable friendships. The team has not only supported Burkhart, but he has also helped improve the team.

        “He’s been a positive influence on the team through who he is as a person and also athletically by how well he does. He raises our level of competition,” Mr. Schroeder explained.

        In addition to track at LHS, Burkhart runs for the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, GLASA, which is an organization that allows children with physical disabilities to compete in adapted sports.

        Burkhart competes in tournaments and meets in the surrounding areas with GLASA. Some of the competitions include meets in Wisconsin and the Great Lake Regional Games, which are held annually in Lake Forest.

        Burkhart has had an incredible amount of success with track locally, regionally and even worldwide.

        “My biggest achievement would be in eighth grade; I made the American World Junior team and we went to Prague, Czech Republic,” Burkhart said.

        Burkhart was selected along with five other teenagers to be part of the World Junior team, which competed at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports under-23 World Games. The games occur every two years at different cities around the world. The games are a multi-sport event for athletes under the age of 23 to participate at the highly competitive level.

        To be selected for the team, some IWAS scouts came to several of Burkhart’s track meets and practices to watch him perform.

Burkhart was ecstatic when he was given the opportunity to join the World Junior team and compete in Prague.

        At the tournament, he won three silver medals in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter races, as well as a bronze in the 100-meter.

        His favorite part of the trip was being able to compete in such a highly competitive tournament in front of so many people.

        “There were 20 to 30 countries there and being able to compete against so many athletes from all over the world was amazing,” Burkhart explained.

        Not only was he able to compete in such a high-level tournament, he was also able to explore the city. This was Burkhart’s first time leaving the country; he said he loved to learn about Prague’s culture. His favorite place was Old Town, a village in Prague known for its historic architecture.

        Burkhart hopes to qualify for the American World Juniors team again this year; they will compete this summer in Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal. He said he wants to be able to compete against more international athletes and wander around new places.

        Burkhart’s biggest challenge is trying to improve his times. Although it has gotten easier through his constant hard work and practice, it can still be hard to beat his best times, he said.

        Beyond track, Burkhart is a member of the marching band at LHS; he plays the clarinet. He has been playing clarinet since fifth grade. He originally was just looking for another fun and interesting way to spend his time. His mom also pushed him to join because she thought it would help with his sports performance.

        “Band has helped with my breathing, having to blow through the instrument has made my lungs stronger,” Burkhart explained.  

        With all of Burkhart’s extracurricular activities, he has become incredibly busy. During the spring when Burkhardt has to balance track, band and school, he has events every day. Being so busy, Burkhart has to try very hard to stay on top of everything.

        “I personally need a schedule to write down when to do everything to make sure I stay organized,” Burkhart explained.

  Track has offered Burkhart many exciting experiences. It has allowed Burkhardt the opportunity to travel, compete on highly competitive levels and make new friends.

        “I definitely have so many more friends and have met so many more people than I would’ve if I hadn’t joined track,” he stated.