Number of Participants: 1
Hours Donated: 40
Value of Time Served: $338
Event Type: Family Services
Sport: Track and Field
Date: April 30, 2024
Location:
Methuen High School
Ranger Road, Methuen
MA
About:
METHUEN — With each and every throw, Methuen’s Ilene Rickard holds her late brother close to her heart.
It was Michael Rickard, after all, who encouraged his younger sister to try track two years ago.
Now, in her final season as a Ranger, Ilene has dedicated the spring to Michael.
“I’ve dedicated the season to my brother because he inspired me to do what I loved and always put 110 percent into it,” said Rickard. “He was the person that helped me start my track career at Methuen High. I want it to be him that I’m thinking of as I finish it as well.”
Ilene is a Methuen High senior who, after three years as a starter for the Rangers softball team, made the switch full-time to track this spring, having already excelled as a shot putter in winter track. Last week, she won the Nashua North Invitational title (32-0).
Track became a big part of the bond between Ilene and Michael, a former football and track standout for Methuen High who passed away tragically in an automobile accident in November.
She admits it was initially a struggle to return the track following his passing.
“His loss has definitely set me back in most aspects of my life,” said Rickard. “His loss also set me back with the shot put because he was the reason I started. I’ve just been working through it day by day and working with my coaches, Michael Nguyen and Brittany Caprio, to start getting back to where I was. I’ve been spending time with friends and family and getting tons of support from them.”
Her brother’s memory has also helped drive her to succeed in the sport that they shared.
“He has absolutely driven me as an athlete,” said Rickard, who will next compete for Bridgewater State track. “He was an amazing athlete between football and track and worked so hard for it and I had always admired that. When we threw together he inspired me to work hard and push through rough patches. Now I’m working to do that every day.”
Spring switch to track
For three years, Rickard was a stalwart for the Methuen High softball team, as both a pitcher and hitter. She was a top pitcher on the 2022 squad that advanced to the Division 1 semifinals.
But this spring, Rickard decided to switch to track full-time.
“It was an extremely hard decision to make,” said Rickard. “I had been playing softball for 10 years, and all of a sudden it came to a halt. But at the end of the day I just didn’t have the same love for softball that I used to, but I did have that love for track.
“I made my decision right before tryouts started for spring sports. I had been going back and forth trying to decide for about a month though. Ultimately, I decided to go with track because I could see myself continuing to do it in college and I wanted to be prepared for it.”
Love for the shot put
Inspired by her brother to try track as a sophomore, Rickard began to fall in love with the event last winter, when she placed fifth at the Division 1 meet (33-11.25).
“My junior year I finally became comfortable and confident in the circle,” she said. “There were a couple meets where I had back-to-back PR’s, and one of those meets I had a throw that measured 35-6.5 and that throw qualified me for nationals.”
This past winter, she placed fifth at the MVC Championship (33-0) and seventh at Division 1s (34-5). This spring, she took fourth at the Haverhill Ottaviani Invitational (33-4) and has earned wins against Central Catholic (33-1) and Lowell (33-11).
“I love that although the track team is working together to gain points, it’s an individual sport where you are competing against yourself,” said Rickard. “I also love seeing the results of putting in hard work after being in a rough patch. To stay successful, I always try to find something specific to focus on during practice and fix that before moving on to something else.”
And the Methuen track team loves having Rickard, both in the circle and out.
“As an athlete Ilene, has a lot of raw potential,” said Capiro. “She is a natural competitor, and I think that truly helps when her technique isn’t there.
“As a person, Ilene is easily one of the most empathetic people I have met. She truly would put herself on the line for anyone she cares about and it is one of the best qualities she has. I’ve had the privilege of seeing her grow into a mature, charismatic and kind young woman who will succeed in anything she sets her mind to.”
