Tyler Malone is This Week's Whiz Kid

Stoneham Patch Whiz Kid of the Week 

• Tyler Malone, 17
• Accomplishment: Malone participates in triple jump, long jump, 4x400 relay and the mile. He hopes to become a Middlesex League All-Star in the triple jump for a second consecutive year.

Key to Awesomeness: The Stoneham High School boys' track team is off to a 2-0 start to the 2012 season and Malone is right in the middle of the team's success.

"I attribute my success to hard work and the training designed by my coaches Xavier and Jon Garcia," Malone said. "My success comes from showing up to practice ready to push myself to new limits every day."

Malone also points out that his teammates have played a role in his recent success.

"My teammates drive me to run faster times on the track," Malone said. "Additionally, I have succeeded by practicing technique for my events."

Malone’s day-to-day activities during track season consist of many exercises to get the blood flowing before practicing his specific events.

"We do a mile warm-up and then get into other warm-up exercises such as squats, planks, push-ups and jumping. Then I either do hurdle drills or work on sprinting drills to improve my fast-twitch muscles," Malone said. "Depending on the day, I will either run after that or do jumping drills and then run. The running varies depending on what race I am training for, but it is specialized to improve my endurance and speed.

"Lastly, we do exercises to improve our core strength and core stability at the end of practice."

Like his teammates, Malone had high praise for his two new coaches.

"They have had a tremendous impact on me throughout the indoor and outdoor track seasons," Malone said of the Garcia brothers. "Their dedication to the team has really inspired us to strive for excellence on and off the track. They have helped turn the program around."

Malone also added that the team has come a long way since the arrival of the Garcias.

"Last year, we were one of the weaker teams in the league, but in the indoor season this year, we were able to be the runner-ups for the league championship," Malone said. "This season we are in contention to win the league. The Garcia brothers have helped me set new personal records and reach new limits that I couldn't have imagined reaching before."

During the season, Malone would like to work on increasing his speed and his strength.

"It would be very beneficial if I could sprint to the board at a faster pace and if I could explode off of the board with more power," Malone said. "I also need to work on using my arms when I jump to maximize distance."

To stay fit during the season, Malone takes care of his body by eating healthier and working out every day.

"I eat less junk food and eat more fruits," Malone said. "I run every day and on our days off, I will play something like basketball in my yard to keep active.

"During the season, I do a lot of planks and exercises to improve my core strength as the core is essential for performing well."