It was the spring of 1976 and my eighth grade year of school was winding down. I had always looked forward to being on the track team, but the year before I had chickened out as far as actually trying out was concerned. Eighth grade was much the same way. I didn’t try out for the track team even though I knew I could have made it. It wasn’t until several weeks into the track season that in my gym class and we were all doing the 100 yard dash and being timed. There were lots of boys and we had to wait our turn to run. It was more like a wave of boys. When it was my wave's turn I got to the starting line, Mark, set, go. and I blew the field away. My gym teacher, Coach Rank was also the track coach. He yelled at me, "Hey Loveless, how come you're not on the track team?" He later told me to show up that night for track practice. By the end of track practice that night I found myself on the 440 yard relay team for the eighth grade boys and I was told to get some track shoes with spikes. My Mom took me to get some and I used them all through junior high and high school.
A few days later was the division track meet at Granger High School. We were to get on the school bus to go to the track meet after lunch. I was so nervous that I couldn't eat lunch but bought a candy bar from the vending machine. I would eat it a few minutes before my race to give me quick energy. It was neat, we got to get out of school for the whole afternoon to go to the track meet. I became good friends with another team mate, Joe Higbee that day. Another team mate from the relay team, Lance Nielsen, would be my friend through out high school and we eventually went to the same LDS mission. He was my zone leader there. He was quarterback of the football team in high school. We did well enough in our relay to qualify for the district track meet to be held the next week. We practiced all week on our hand offs of the relay baton. It wasn't until the day before the meet that we knew who was going to make up the final relay teams. Coach Rank locked himself in his office and studied the times in all the races and selected the best combinations of people for each. We joked that if we went in to his office we might catch him on his knees in prayer. We were young, naive, yet full of energy and curiosity. When he emerged from his office and read off who would run, I was on the list. The final team worked together that afternoon practicing the hand offs. The next day was the track meet It was at Granger High School again. Even all these years later, every time I drive past Granger High, I think of that day. The whole track team fit on the bus, just barely. Many of the rowdier boys took the back of the bus. They were quite vocal, and everyone was excited to go to the meet. We did well. We all had a good day. I know we had won the track meet for the division the week before, I don't think I heard how we had done in the final tally of the team points, but It didn't matter. We got to run and race and that was the excitement of the whole thing!
No comments:
Post a Comment