Youth Track 2014

Here's a few cute shots of my little track stars and their teammates this year

But Can You Do BOTH?

I often tell people that in track and field, there are three just things to do.  First, you can run.  2 year olds can run.  Second, you can jump.  Two year olds can also jump.  And then you can throw, which, let's face it, those athletes' arm muscles are in a league all their own and I'll leave that out of this equation.  So what we are left with (excluding shot put and discus) is perfecting a motion that you are taught to do from all of the time after you turned one.  Sounds easy right?  Well, for the most part, it is.

Except hurdling.  Hurdling takes a special kind of crazy.  You have to be able to not only run, but also jump.  You have to be able to run and jump and then keep running and jumping 8 to 10 times for up to a quarter mile.  That's some crazy zombie eluding skills, folks.  To make matters even more complicated, in the shorter distance hurdles, you have to be able to convince your brain that your muscles are strong enough to carry your body where your eyes do not believe that it can go.  You only get one landing step and then three strides (called three-stepping) if you are going to be at all competitive.  So those feet have to land in the exact same spot for 100 or 110 meters repeatedly.  I have often professed that in their prime, hurdlers are better with their eyes shut.  They can run straight and know where the hurdles are without looking at them.  To see them and allow one's brain to judge distance is a detriment to their race.

That's why I think I enjoy coaching hurdlers so much.  It's not just that they are the special kind of crazy that jumps into snow-runoff waters in the lake in March, but also that they are smart.  Good hurdlers are usually naturally fast or naturally smart.  Great hurdlers are both.  They can convince their brains that their muscles will do what their eyes profess to be impossible.  I have had several good and great hurdlers run for me as their coach.  This year was no exception.  Hurdling attracts some great kids.

ROCing Out

We climbed up walls, we slid down chutes, we clung to ropes over mudpits, we bounded through tires, we stumbled across the finish line, we bounced across inflateables, we jumped across trampolines, we crawled through tunnels, we took a group shower, we watched marines try to outdo each other in a test of strength, we raced across barrels, we got our picture taken with the Joker, a cowboy, superheroes, a rainbow of people, some midgets, and a man in a wedding dress.  Did I mention we ran too?  Oh yeah, and we ran 3 miles too.  Blech.  Whatever with that....the rest of it was fun though.  Always a pleasure Mrs. D.

Trail of Ten Falls

As a last minute decision at the end of the year in 2012, a friend and I took a quick flight North and then drove home.  On the way, we stopped in Salem, Oregon to view several breathtaking sights along an awesome hike called "The Trail of Ten Falls".  If you are ever in the area, I highly suggest making the stop to see these gorgeous landmarks.  We drug my mom along with us for the hike and she is not a hiker.  Somewhere beyond 3/4 through she was cursing at us like a sailor and suggesting we just leave her and save ourselves but in the end she made it the whole way. I was very proud of her and I think she was proud of herself.  So be forewarned.  It is not for the faint of heart, but definitely worth the walk.

We Meet Again

My daughter recently had her first track meet of the year up on our mountain. She is so psyched about her team this year, the "Fireflies" and their awesome coaches, Julia and Brooke. Her team is all Kindergarten so most are about a year or so older than she is but what she lacks in age, she makes up for in spunk. We finally got her to jump a couple of the hurdles rather than step over them, she's big enough to land on the high jump mat now (instead of climb onto it), and she ran anchor for the relay. We need to do a little work on the throwing events, but some of the implements weigh about a quarter of what she weighs, so we're going to cut her some slack on those for a while. Hey, how far could YOU throw a 35lb shot put? Her favorite event is the long jump but in my opinion, her best event is the 100m dash. She has really been working on her form and this year she is really competing with the other kids. Being the proud mom, I want to brag that she got second (I thought it was first but Daddy corrected me and he was closer) in her heat, but I won't :)

Not Quite "High" Enough

This year is the first year that my little darling is participating in the youth track & field program. She is LOVING it. I have to say, I was a little choked up to see her run with the other kids and be able to keep up and even beat some of them (who are all at least a year older). It turned into a bit of comedy of errors though to see her barrel though the hurdles, without even attempting to jump over then and then, well, let's just say she's not quite big enough for high jump...

Keeping 'em Busy

There are several activities to keep one's self busy at a track meet. However, if you are a spectator, you basically just sit. Therefore it takes a certain amount of patience between watching events. If you are almost 2-years-old or just turned 3-years-old, the wait can be pretty miserable. My two kids have found a variety of ways to keep occupied during track meets and last weekend at the state CIF meet was no exception.

They had a tent to play in, snacks to eat, cups to fill with whatever little treasures they found, fellow spectators to entertain (under mom's supervision of course), a wagon to play in, a nearby tree from which to pull off the bark (hey, I'll take what I can get) and although I don't condone tying up your kids to keep them under control, if they bungee cord THEMSELVES to a fence, well then, that's another story altogether...

A Fun Evening

Since tomorrow is our last track meet of the year I suggested to all of the hurdlers that they have pasta for dinner to stock up on carbs before their big day. They, of course, had the great idea that pizza constitutes "pasta" and so we planned dinner together at the local pizza place. It was also a nice way to celebrate the last practice and meet for the year.

It all started innocently enough, with some food and playing the video games and air hockey but then it somehow took a turn. One person wanted to jump in the lake...then another said "I'm in" and before I knew it I was walking with all of them down to the dock to watch their antics. I have to say there is no way I would have gotten in that freezing water with them but they all looked like they had a great time doing it. I guess you have to be careful what you say around high school kids and perhaps rethink your phrasing when you suggest that they "go jump in a lake"...

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I was not born for DDR

There are two kinds of people in this world:
-Those born to win at "Dance Dance Revolution"
-Those who are not
I learned recently when the hurdlers joined us for pizza and introduced me to the game that I fall into the latter category. Not only were they all much more agile than I was at this endeavor, but they made it look easy. Whereas each athlete could last for several minutes and in many cases, several rounds, I only lasted several steps. All this time I thought I had some kind of rhythmic abilities and yet now I picture myself more on the same level as Elaine from Seinfeld (a show which most of my hurdlers probably have never seen - sigh). Oh well, I am consoling myself in the assumption that they have nothing better to do with their time than go home and practice this game until their feet are calloused and have sweated through their shirts. Sour grapes maybe, but it's all I've got.

Coach Knows Best

For the last five years or so I've been volunteering my time with the local track & field team, coaching the hurdlers. Every year is different, but I have yet to have a year that was not extremely enjoyable. My kids get to go outside and play during practice, I get some exercise, and prior to me volunteering there was no coach for hurdles so I figure my advice is better than nothing, right?

Interacting with the hurdling team this year in particular has thus far been a real joy. I have about 12-14 hurdlers (a few not pictured here) and from what I can tell, they all get along well. There are a several seniors, a few freshmen and a good mix of gals & guys. We've only had one meet so far and swept the guy's races and did well in the gals races considering we were missing two returning varsity and it was the first real meet for most of the gals.

I'm really looking forward to seeing all of these athletes develop through the season and hope by the end of the season that they are all fast enough to kick my butt in practice (I'm trying my hardest to stay ahead of them!).