The Campbell-Savona Meet Part II

Title: The Campbell-Savona Meet

Part II

Pole vault pits are not universal and standards can move depending on the “zero” point.  While I was measuring and checking things out, having the boys start to warm up, Pink walked past the pit headed for the line.  The nice thing about CS pole vault pit is it is near the line and I can sort of keep track of what is going on.  A mystery Arkport girl was facing Pink in the 1500, but how good was she?  I had no idea. 

The gun sounded and Pink went to work, while I got pole vault off the ground (no pun intended:)  A distance race like that takes a fair amount of time but when your running an event you only get to see flashes of it.  I nervously watched the girl following Pink, while Brock got over 7’.  Pink won handily. 

Poor Hunter Heck would have to vault soon and I told him so as he began to walk away from the mile.  “But I have to go to the bathroom,” he complained.  “Bud, the bar will keep going up.  Get your vaults in and then go to the bathroom!”  It wasn’t his fault the event had gotten started so late but that’s how it goes sometimes.  The girls are lining up for the 400 relay.  My daughter had taken Kelsey over her turn and was headed back talking to her.  “Autumn, get to the line!  They are checking the relay teams right now.”  She jogged over with Kelsey.  Why was Autumn showing Kelsey the exchange zone?  Kelsey had her first practice in the 400 relay as a serious member the night before:)  I had to run and get the blocks that had been left down at the 100 dash line, so the relay team had them.

Hunter crashed into the bar as the relay team headed for their exchange zones.  Both CS and Arkport were fielding 400 relay teams too.  I called to Hunter to give him some advice but he was walking away.  “Hunter, get over here:)” I said more firmly.  “Oh, I didn’t know you were talking to me,” he replied.  I said, “You just vaulted, of course I’m talking to you.”  I put my arm around his shoulder and told him not to worry about the bar.  I hadn’t seen Hunter all break so budding pole vault skills had not been developed at all but this was good a time as any to practice.  “Hunter, I think that bar is scaring you.  Look, I want you to get up to it, and if you’re going to crash into it, just kick it or shove it away from you.  Just get up near it, okay?”  He nodded.  Returning to his place.  Brock fails his first attempt over 7’6”

Bang!  Autumn goes off the blocks headed for Kelsey.  The two other teams have girls pushing hard too!  Bad exchange!  Ugg!  It’s not Kelsey’s fault, she is really new and came to a good bit of practice over break but the clock still runs, new or not.  Kelsey dashes off trying to make up ground.  Pole vault can wait, I’m watching this!  Kelsey gets to Dezie and there is another bad exchange.  Again, not Kelsey’s fault but the other teams got farther ahead.  Dez burns rubber but the girls she is up against have a lead and hold her off.  The other teams have a good exchange and it looks like game over for JT.  Dez still roars in gives a good exchange to Lorena.  Taking the baton Lorena sprints after a hopeless distance.  BUT she gains!  In a hundred meter race things go very fast and a big lead is a huge problem but Lorena visibly begins to eat the distance between JT and the other two teams who are neck and neck.  “Oh, my!” I gasp.  What a great effort but there is NO chance that... wait!  Lorena now is almost to them but the line is coming up.  They all cross the line together!!!  I couldn’t believe it!  We got called third but we have the exact same time as the other two teams, which means Lorena crossed the line with the other teams but they got her by a fraction!  I wouldn’t know that until later, when I looked at the statistics.  I asked somebody who won that race (I wasn’t at the line) and they said, “I have no idea!  That was really close!”

Back to vaulting I went.  Hunter almost got over and Brock did get over!”  Now Leland and the Arkport boy were coming in and getting ready to rumble.  Autumn and I have worked with C-S best boy vaulter and I asked where he was.  He was over in Europe and was getting back on Wednesday.  Both Leland and the Arkport boy were in the 400 hurdles, so I had to hustle this battle, because after that race their odds of getting over were bad:)  While the epic pole vault clash began, Paige and Kelsey headed for the line for the 400.  They ran well!  Paige was only a second off her best time (this year)coming which isn’t too bad coming off of break and it was good enough for third place.  Kelsey improved her time by a few seconds which was good, especially after just running the 100.

Leland and the Arkport guy were going for 8’6”.  The boys 400 dash is going and they both get over and we are headed for 9’0”.  Girls hurdles are being dragged onto the track and they both get over 9’0” easily!  “Going up to 9’6”, I yell.  Jillian Miles gets out onto the track and gets ready to take the 400 hurdles on.  I get to watch the beginning of Jill’s race and then I have to watch a vault.  When I am able to look again Jill is behind!  “What?” I think, as she had been doing so well the last time I looked.  What I missed was the epic fall she had, smashing into the hard CS track and scraping her leg up.  She still finished the race beating one girl and placing for us.  That is one tough girl!  The guys went and Leland had a great race coming in second in a crowded field!  I was very pleased! 

Hurdles are being dragged off the track and the girls from the 800 are assembling at the line.  We have three girls assembling at the line as Cash Perry comes jogging toward me very excited.  “Guess what??  I got over 4’2” AND I won!”  My hearing tricked me for a minute and she had to repeat it but we were both very excited!  “Way to go!” I yelled.  Cash had tested up to varsity this season and here she had just won her first field event!  Later she asked, concerned, “Am I high jump at the invitational this weekend.”  I shook my head no.  “Just at league meets for right now.”  “Good!” she said, relieved.  The gun went off and my girls went off the line.  Dez was in the lead, the Arkport girl was in the mix, Andrea was making a move already, and Pink was cruising in fourth, probably still tired as this was her third running event.  Still Pink worked hard over break, so I was curious to see how she would hold up.  I had to turn back to pole vault to get the Arkport boys final attempt at 10’.  He wasn’t able to get it and I started calling for girls.  Dylan Draper was in a battle in the 800, as I began to put the pole vault extensions on.  Then the girls went by, with Dez in the lead.  I was getting vaulting around so I missed the finish but Dez ended up winning Pink comes in third and Andrea is right behind Pink with a good PR!

Will Dezie be up for her last running event?  That is the question!  I have Cash as the alternate but Cash will be coming off of the 3000 if she goes in!  The girls pole vault heats up as the girls 200 is set up.  Both Jill and the Arkport girl are over 6’ and are headed for 6’6”.  The Arkport girl fouls out and Jill gets over heading for 7’.  Pink wanders by.  “Pink, how did you do in triple jump?”  She frowns and shrugs.  “Not as good tonight but I think I placed!”  I would find out later that she did indeed place top three.  Jill fouls out at 7’ and I call Autumn.  The 200 goes and Lorena hits a big PR placing third!  Autumn goes over 7’6” winning, using her more advanced pole Brigand.  “Dad, can I go back to discus?”  “Yes, that’s fine,” I say.  Cash is now in the 3000 against her cousin... a cousin who had won a sectional patch in cross country!!  The gun and the long race begins.  I was nervous about the race and asked Cash just to follow her cousin as long as she could.  Cash tried to follow my advice but her cousin didn’t seem to want to take the lead and so Cash settled into position as the leader, her cousin following her.  It’s a good thing Dezie and the others were able to run the 1600 relay because I don’t think Cash would have been up to it after that battle!  Cash was still leading into the last lap and turned it on.  Around they both went Cash still leading into the last 100!  Her cousin made her move and Cash threw the kitchen sink to maintain the lead!  They battled to the line her cousin just beating her!  What a race!  Cash is now sitting top five on the D leader board in the 3000 but that has not Cash’s cousins time on it right now and when it is listed Cash will be 6^th... which still awesome for her first year!

Dez.  Is Dez up to the 1600 relay?  I ask her and she says, “I think so!”  I nod and leave her alone.  Autumn returns and says, “I think I just won discus.”  Later I would find out she had and that Miss Paige was second in a crowded field!  Nice!!  Kelsey had done long jump for the first time in a meet and she had placed too!  Long jump was a popular event that night, so that was really great!  I must say too that Coach Laurens has been a huge boost to our jumping unit, taking novice girls and helping them place!  Arkport was running four 1600 relay teams!!!  Yipe!  Only of those teams matter but how big must their team be to run four at the end of the meet?  CS girls were also in that race.  Our relay team had CS beat early on but they were struggling with three of the Arkport teams.  When Dez got the baton though she dropped two of the teams and now it was just between us and Arkport’s number one team.  You could tell Dez was throwing everything she had into it but it wasn’t enough to overcome the lead they had on us but it was still a great race! 

It was an awesome night!  Did you win?  I still am not sure but I hope to get the scores soon.  (I did ask for them but this is a busy time of year so the other coach might have missed my request.  He did send it to the paper so if anyone sees the results, let me know!)  I’d have to say, I’m sure we beat CS but as good as we did, I think we were too small to beat Arkport.  We covered all the events but we don’t have the bodies Arkport has, which is a huge advantage in a one-on-one contest.  It will be interesting to see how we do against them at the County and Sectional Meet this year, as bodies don’t matter there, only points:)  Still Arkport has some talent and a lot of kids trying hard!  I think they will become a huge power in the league... if not this year then soon!  Arkport girls track has been struggling for a few years after Mr. Lang stepped down and they are now firmly back in the game.  Still, I have a nice group of girls too, a good group of girls coming up from modified, and I am only losing a few athletes.  Yes, one of those athlete’s is Autumn, but the Lord has blessed and I have had many excellent athletes over the years!  Despite the hole they leave when they graduate, younger ones have always risen to take their place!  Kaitlyn Smith, Jessica Thomas, Jen Cady, Courtney Cornell, Katie Wyant, Machael Fry, Keah Kraus, Kendall Austin, Kaitlyn Huyler, Brooke Vanskiver, Sadie Button, Morgan Leach, McKenzie Prutsman, Meg Rogers, Alyssa Ross, Vanessa Helgeland, Kaitlyn Miles, and so many others did amazing things for us on the track in their time and this new group looks ready to do the same as Autumn finishes her sixth year with us and graduates!  The future looks bright indeed!

*** Author Adrian Essigmann has eighteen books in print on Amazon.com, soon to be nineteen!  All of them are $.99 cents on Kindle, with the exception of “An Assumed Risk” which will be (Lord willing) an e-book before summer.  All of his books are available in soft cover too!  Type Amazon Adrian Essigmann and his author’s page should come up ***