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06/03/2023 06:44 AMEvery young athlete has aspirations, whether that’s to compete in a sport at an elite level, be the best leader they can be for their team, or to break records. At the start of the track and field season this year, Guilford junior Andres Gutierrez saw something in the locker room that caught his eye, solidifying his goals for the spring.
“Everyday when I walk into the locker room we have our school records posted up,” the junior says. “So everyday I walk to the locker room and I see the two records: the 300 meter hurdles and the triple jump.”
The triple jump record for Guilford is 43’10.5, set by Tim Williams in 1981, and the 300 hurdles record is 39.8, set by Bill Smith in 1982. Andres says he’s coming for both of those school records, and Guilford boys’ track and field Head Coach Liam Norton knows it too.
“He came in on the first day of practice and he came to me and said, ‘Coach, my goal this year is to set the school record in the 300 hurdles and the triple jump,’” Norton says.
The junior’s determination and elite performance have placed him as one of the best jumpers in the state of Connecticut, as he’ll be competing in both the triple jump and 300 hurdles at the Class MM State Championship on Thursday, June 1 at Willow Brook Park. It’s Andres’ willingness to improve on a day to day basis that makes him so unique from other athletes that compete on the track.
“He’s been the best jumper on our team since he started (as a freshman) and his sophomore year, he took a leadership role among the jumpers, and this year as a junior he’s furthered that and made a great candidacy to be a great captain next year along with acting like a pseudo captain for the jumpers this year,” Norton says. “(Andres) has helped develop the Guilford High School’s triple jump program to have five Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) qualified jumpers and two qualified jumpers going into the Class MM meet.”
Andres also came in fourth in the 300 meter hurdles (40.93) and fifth in the triple jump (43’.5) during the SCC Championship meet on May 23. The junior has taken a liking to teaching the proper technique for jumping to his fellow teammates on the track team. He says helping others has assisted him in getting better each day as well.
“If I see someone else do (something that needs to be corrected), then I’m like ‘oh, I have to fix that. That will help me,’ “ Andres says.
Norton’s noticed that Andres is working alongside his teammates to help them perfect their craft. The coach says Andres is a valuable asset to the program, whether he’s winning events at meets or playing the role of player-coach in practice.
“He’s someone who is basically able to help every kid with form and we share the facilities with the middle school program so he’s had an imprint on them as well,” Norton says. “He gives them pointers whenever coaches aren’t around, he’s just the perfect kind of guy to have on your team.”
Andres was signed up for track and field by his father Leonardo Gutierrez, who ran track when he was a college student in Columbia. Leonardo encouraged Andres to run track, so as a freshman after his dad signed him up, Andres joined the team and his selfless approach immediately caught the eye of his coach.
“He and another friend wanted to try triple jump at the same time, and Andres took to it pretty quickly to the point where he was qualifying for states as a freshman and he really helped his friend along,” Norton says. “He was able to give pointers. He did research on how to do the triple jump, I mean, he teaches me at practice most days. From the jump, he was one of those kids that you see it in his eyes. He wants both the team to be good and himself to be good.”
Andres’ parents Leonardo and Viviana Araya have been instrumental in Andres’ high school track and field career. When Andres comes home from practice, the work is just beginning.
“Everyday it’s work, I come home he’s like how’d it go, what did you guys do. My mom video tapes all my races, all my jumps and afterwards we analyze it,” Andres says.
The junior says his dad keeps him motivated, as they both share a passion for track and field and winning. He says his dad has been imperative to his success.
“Everyday you’re reminded of what you have to do, what my dad wants me to do and he knows what will make me better and if I stick to it, I get to see the results. I think that’s pretty impressive,” Andres says.
As Andres continues to impress, win and help others, he’s further endeared himself to his coach. Norton says coaching an athlete as cerebral and intelligent as Andres has been a privilege, and the junior has impacted his approach to coaching his team.
“Sometimes having kids do reps over and over isn’t helping them,” Norton says. “Sometimes instead of having them do triple jump reps or long jump reps, I send them out to do a couple strides on the track and work on speed to take his mind off triple jumping, so he can remind himself how strong and fast he is.”
Andres will, in addition to film sessions with his parents, do some independent research and watch videos on Youtube to learn more about proper technique for jumping and running the hurdle competitions. For Andres, the less glamorous details are crucial to any victories.
“Without focusing on the little things, you’re not going to get to where you want to be,” he says.
Little things such as preparation and stretching have became points of focus and emphasis for Andres, according to his coach.
“I think it started when he was a freshman, seeing the really elite triple jumpers at the Southern Connecticut Conference meets and State meets and seeing how they warm themselves up and they make stretching part of their definite routines,” Norton says. “Andres has more instilled that stretching and cool-downs is something we do at every practice to make sure we’re healthy. Now, he’s someone who sits in the middle of the team circle and helps lead the younger athletes through all the stretches we do.”
Andres is hoping to sit alone as the school record holder in 300 meter hurdles and the triple jump. As of May 24, the junior has not yet reached the apex of the Guilford Grizzlies record books. However, he says he’s going to keep giving it his best shot.
“Just seeing the records there and visualizing them has given me the mental power to keep going forward because I want it,” Andres says.