We had a great night at Social Circle with 19 personal bests and 3 top 5 finishes.
Personal Bests
Ella - 1600
Ife - 400
Braelyn - 400, 800
Brielle - 800
Londyn - 100, 200
Jared - SP, 200
Isaiah - SP, 100, 200
Jacob - SP, 1600
Andrew - 100H
CJ - 200, 400
Ryder - 800
Andrew P - 800
Top 5
Josh - 3200
Andrew B - 100H
CJ - 400
There were several things at the middle school meet that stood out to me.
Londyn Friend, who has been battling very painful Sever’s disease, came around the turn in the 200 screaming at herself (out loud) to “Push! Go! Push! Go!” Her head was one hundred percent in the moment and she was determined and focused. I mentioned to one of our high schoolers yesterday that your brain and body are connected. If you tell yourself you can’t do something or that you are going to lose or whatever, your body will respond accordingly. Positive self talk might sound cheesy, but it is so important and it works! Londyn PR’d in both of her individual events.
Josh Truesdale put on a clinic for how to run the 3200. He was near last place for the first 600 meters but one-by-one, he picked off the other runners and ended up finishing 3rd in his first attempt at the distance. When they came by the high jump pit on the second lap, I told the other coach standing there: I know what my kid can do, so either these other boys are about to put on a show … or they are dead in the water. Josh was patient and he trusted his training and his body. He ran a really smart, very mature race and it paid off with a great finish.
When I looked back at the pictures from the middle school meet, I noticed the faces. Everyone was working hard and it showed. I saw grimaces and deep, determined stares. I was very proud of how we competed in the 4x400. We have some very young relays and, developmentally, there is a huge difference between a 6th grader and an 8th grader. Our teams never quit chasing and never quit working. That is a win!
Everyone did a great job!