For two runners on the Palomar women’s track and field team, positivity and practice are the wellsprings of their success.
Jessica Betancourt, an environmental science major, and Jessica ‘Jessie’ Steinhoff, a nursing major, are both decorated members of Palomar College’s track and field team.
Steinhoff has qualified for the state track and field meet in the 10k with a huge personal record. Betancourt headed into the Southern California Community College Finals last week as the top athlete in the steeplechase, according to an email from track and field coach Jennifer Williams.
Coach Williams said that Steinhoff and Betancourt are both excellent leaders, always responsible with their practices and are all-around excellent additions to the team.
“I haven’t had two people on the team like this in years,” Williams said. “And I’ve been coaching for 16 years.”
Steinhoff has been on the track and field team for two years. She started track and field her senior year at Fallbrook High School. Prior to that, she had played soccer.
Betancourt also has experience running for a high school track and field team. She grew up with gymnastics, horseback riding and a stint on the volleyball team before making the varsity track team her freshman year.
After high school, she ran for Modesto Junior College. She came to Palomar, took a year off to focus on her academics and started running for track and field this year.
Steinhoff is a native of the San Diego area. Betancourt is originally from Northern California, but moved to San Diego to attend Palomar College.
Betancourt attributes her success to practice and attitude.
“My coach always just says that perfect practice is perfect performance,” Betancourt said. “You’re not gonna wake up on race day and run great unless you run great every day.”
Steinhoff said her coach and her teammates are the sources of her success, as well as the drive to push her own limits.
“I always try to improve myself,” Steinhoff said. “My inspiration is just trying to get better and challenging myself.”
Both women support and challenge each other, and are great friends. Williams said that since Betancourt and Steinhoff started training together, they had a chemistry that allowed them to help each other out.
Betancourt is more of a speed runner, while Steinhoff has a bit more endurance, according to Williams. It helps when training partners have different strengths to play off of, she added.
Betancourt said her favorite part of the season so far are the relationship she has with her coach, as well as her friendship with Steinhoff. Steinhoff’s bubbly personality and positivity has caused her to change her attitude, Betancourt said.
“She’s the happiest person ever, she never has a bad day,” Betancourt said. “I’ve never seen her upset.”
Betancourt enjoys snowboarding in her spare time, although her coach has cautioned against it for fear of her getting injured. Not being a native to San Diego, she said that showing her family around and visiting new places in the San Diego area is a favorite thing for her to do.
“My family’s been so supportive, even living eight hours away,” Betancourt said, adding that they make as many trips down as possible and always wish her good luck before meets.
Both women plan to transfer in the near future. Betancourt has received offers from various colleges in the Midwest, as well as Sacramento State. She has two more years of competition for the collegiate level and is planning on running her remaining college career. Steinhoff is talking to Texas A&M University and CSU-San Bernardino.
“They’re both talking to quite a few schools,” Williams said, “But they haven’t nailed down where they’re going.”
“They’re going to be terribly missed next year,” she added.
