A common misconception about high school sports is that students simply join for the sake of having a prep and do not try their best. But for sophomore track member Sunny Margerum, who holds Gunn’s records in the long jump, triple jump, hurdles and sprints, however, that is not the case. “I don’t hold back,” she said. “I put all I have in each meet, each practice.”

Margerum has been jumping and sprinting for about a decade, but only started hurdling last year. She also runs the 400-meter in Gunn’s distance Medley Relay Team, which ranks fourth in state and consists of four athletes, each running a different distance (400, 800, 1200 and 1600 meters). “I put so much work into track,” Margerum said. “It’s basically my life.”

Margerum trains year-round. In the summer, she competes in Los Gatos as a member of the Jack Rabbit’s Track Club. Founded in 1998, the club offers instruction for all ages and in both California and Idaho. Margerum’s mother, Joy Margerum, is the founder and head coach of the club, in addition to being a sprinting and jumping coach at Gunn.

“[My mom] really helps me the most [out of all of the coaches],” Margerum said. “I’ve been working with her my whole life, so I’m more used to her coaching techniques and cues.”

Many other members of Margerum’s family have had success with track and field as well, which is why Margerum often feels as though she must live up to certain standards. Her aunt, Grace Margerum, participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics as a long jumper and plans to participate again this summer in Beijing. “I’ll probably be involved with track [in the future] somehow,” Margerum said. “It would be nice to compete at an elite level like my aunt.”

Margerum is pleased with her success so far. Currently, she has reached her long jump goal of 18 feet (at 18 feet 10 inches) and ranks seventh in state in that event. She also holds school records for the 100 and 300-meter hurdles (15.44 and 45.57 seconds). “This season has been great,” she said. “It’s really nice to see all my hard work pay off after training all year for this.”

Margerum qualified for and attended the state track meet on May 30.