Strap on those spikes

I didn't run track in high school. I've probably written that in here once or twice but people are often surprised when they meet me as "that guy that runs a lot." My junior year of high school some guys I knew on the track team asked me to come out, as I was the fastest non-varsity letter winner in gym class. So, I was the fastest not good athlete. I took a hard pass on that. I did go to a few of Andy's meets and even watched Scott try his hand at the pole vault. (Pause to imagine that) But, it really wasn't until I started running a lot that I started paying attention to the wilder world of track. My DVR is set to constantly seek out track and field meets. I paid particular attention to the lead up to the 2016 Rio Olympics and I plan on making the trek to Hayward Field sometime in the next couple of years to watch the NCAA finals and maybe the 2020 Olympic Trials if I'm lucky. I have already mentioned track athletes a few times before in my blog, including my track girlfriend Brenda Martinez (no, just becuase the Olympics are over doesn't mean I've "broken up" with her), so I won't go too much into it. Just know that I enjoy watching them, feel a kinship with them (Large Grunting Men) and drawing inspiration from them (I'm no artist but... and Running Samurai pt 1) and learn techniques and strategies from studying them.
Yesterday I volunteered to help out at a large middle school invitational track meet here in San Angelo. Due to the area we live in, most of the students were up at 4 to catch a bus for a 1-2 hour ride. We showed up at 7:15 am and the area was already abuzz with students warming up and chatting.

After wandering around, trying to figure out where to go, we were directed to the meeting room. A group of students from Goodfellow also showed up, a pleasant surprise for Jon, who had organized our volunteer group. We were assigned the high jump, to be run by some of the San Angelo Glenn Middle School coaches. Jon, Jammie, and I walked down there to find... we weren't actually needed. The coaches thanked us for showing up and one assured us that we would need to fill in for him when an inevitable heart attack hits (he was probably near 70). This gave us a chance to just watch the boys' high jump and long jump as well as some of the girls' running events.

The 8th grade girls 2400m (1.5 mile) winner ran a 9:47, what I'm hoping for (but not exactly expecting) for my PT test next month

It was pretty cold, about 35 at the start

What I noticed the most was everything that a youth sporting event should be. I watched kids from different cities and schools chatting and forming friendships. I saw kids that had obviously put in the hard work, see the payoff. I saw great examples of boys from other schools cheering each other on, commiserating in their failures, and then turning to cheer their female teammates on.
However, what struck me the most was the coaching. From where I was standing, I saw nothing but outstanding coaches. These men were setting the example for their athletes. They offered advice, encouragement, technical expertise, and even a verbal kick in the butt when needed. But first and foremost, they supported their athletes. One example in particular has stuck with me. A young man from Midland triple faulted (ran up without attempting a jump) because he just didn't have the confidence to jump. One of the coaches in charge of the event (from Glenn) pulled him aside to encourage him and even give him some technical pointers. His own coach yelled out some technical advice as well. When it was the young man's turn to try again he didn't make it. The Glenn coach applauded his effort and gave him a hi 5. In front of everyone, the Midland coach praised the effort, saying he did exactly what he was supposed to do and that he should be proud of himself. That is what youth sports should be about. Later we watched one of the girls middle distance coaches making a fool of herself screaming at her athletes. It was to a point that we looked at each other and questioned whether she understood that they were 12 year olds. However, she was just one bad coach out of dozens of great ones. It was encouraging to see.
Otherwise, we laughed at the kids trying to flirt with each other and even some of the parents' grumblings about the length of track and field events. "Track isn't an easy sport on the parents" was a quote that we heard. At the halfway point, the event coordinators told us that they no longer needed us to help out. We had, after all, made a good team of setting the high jump bar during the 7th grade boys' division. After sticking around to see a few more events, we headed home. We had a good time, plan on attending Angelo State University track meets this spring, if not volunteering at them, and will defnitely offer to volunteer at this event next year.