Valia: Pole vault
Journal entries by Lena Tang
MONDAY
Brown long sleeve, pink jacket, and black shorts
I bought the brown long sleeve from the team gear store my freshman year. Brown is such a nice school color because it’s easygoing, earthy, grounded. It reminds me of nature and people. It’s understated but classy. Ironically, the team issued brown long sleeves with a load of Tufts Athletics clothes this year, so I wouldn’t have bought it in hindsight. But now I have two, and honestly, no complaints. The pink jacket is a star. It’s super slim-fitting and contouring. I feel like a pilates princess every time I wear it. The dusty rose color is stunning and unique. And the pockets actually fit my phone and more, which feels revolutionary for women’s clothing. 10/10.
TUESDAY
Light brown long-sleeve and red shorts
There is no greater kindness than receiving clothes from friends. Sharing clothes, whether as a loan or permanent gift, carries so much intimacy and closeness in a way I can’t fully explain. My friend and Tufts Track & Field alum Sarah gave me the shirt I wore Tuesday, and that alone makes wearing it so much more meaningful than anything I could buy myself. The red athletic shorts I wore Tuesday are simple and somehow still showstoppers. Something about the color red makes me feel like royalty, especially the ruby shade of these shorts. 10/10.
Track X Fashion: What I Wore to practice For a week
Triple jump, sprints, steeple chase, pole vault, javelin, hurdles.
Looks inspired by the first Olympics--the origin of track & field.
Tessa: Heptathlon (Javelin specialty)
Josh: Hurdles
Grace: Distance (Steeple specialty)
WEDNESDAY
Purple second-hand shirt, light blue shorts, light blue shoes
I felt like a fairy wearing this combination of blue and purple pastels. The shorts are baby blue, adorable, and very Tufts, but the lavender shirt was the real je ne sais quoi. It’s form-fitting with subtle variations in the fabric, which give it depth. The sleeves are capped daintily (no farmer’s tan for me), and the length is elite. It’s tight, but it’s long, falling well past the waist. The proportions transport me back to the 2000s in the absolute best way possible. You just can’t find clothes like these anymore.
Seneca: Triple jump
THURSDAY
Gray Tufts Athletics shirt with black shorts
First outdoor day of my field event, pole vault! Once the poles and equipment are moved outdoors, there’s no going back, so this felt like a big moment. The gray Tufts Athletics shirt is classic. It’s uniform across all Tufts athletes, which makes me feel unified and exclusive at the same time. It has an understated, timeless design, something I tie closely to my freshman year memories of the seniors wearing this shirt often. I hope they keep it around for a while longer. Classy!
FRIDAY
Track meet uniform (top and bottom), brown short-sleeve with the mascot and barbell, gray OPRF sweatpants
Sweatpants that can fit over shoes: genius design for track and field. Coaches, if you’re reading this, we need wide-leg sweats next year. These sweats are from my high school gymnastics team. Freshman year, I would have hesitated to wear them because I thought it was embarrassing to wear high school gear on a college team. The truth is that I love that team; it shaped me and got me where I am today. So why not wear it with pride?
Miles: Sprints (400m specialty)
SATURDAY
Blue Tufts Athletics T-shirt over uniform and gray sweatpants.
Clothing swaps are the best! Yep, that’s where I acquired Saturday’s sweatpants. Apparently, reutilizing and sharing clothes has been a theme of this article, and I’m not mad about it. As earlier discussed, wearing clothes that belonged to people you think are wonderful is a really special experience. On the uniform: despite how much my teammates might say the bottoms are cut wrong, the singlet has too much fabric in the wrong places, or “surely a man designed this”, and I agree with these qualms, it unites all the Tufts Track & Field Jumbos through the sky blue color and proud
T-U-F-T-S on the front.
There’s a little insight into the wardrobe of a Jumbos track & fielder! Now it’s time to make it all count. Championships in 2 weeks. Let’s go.
Credits
Starring: Josh Wilkie, Grace Doyle, Tessa Player, Miles Sandoski, Seneca Wallace, Valia Droulia
Photographer: Nina Corso
Stylist: Acacia Blyth
Article by Lena Tang