Take five

My spring break this year with the track team down to Florida will probably be one that I remember the most in the years to come for a number of reasons.

First and foremost it’s my senior year, I’m surrounded by a unique mix of teammates made primary up of seniors and first-years, with not a lot of variation in between. We have been provided with a great opportunity as older guys to showcase what we have learned and worked for over the last four years and help pass these skills on to the next generation. This year’s first-year class has really been unique in the fact that there are so many of them, how well they have integrated into the team and their immediate contributions which you can’t pin on talent alone. They all have a great work ethic and a desire to win and improve this program. Another memorable moment from this year’s trip was our last track meet at Birmingham Southern College which turned out to be a real character builder as far as meets go.

You can imagine how surprised we were to arrive at Birmingham Souther College only to be greeted by the same weather that we drove so many miles to try and avoid rainy, wet, dank, and cold. Even though the conditions were anything but great, the team really pulled together and cheered each other on as they proved themselves against Division I athletes.

I had the unique experience of being the final event to compete, six hours after our scheduled time, which meant that Steve Conway and I spent the evening throwing javelin under stadium lights: a precarious but unique experience made all the better by the fact that instead of getting frustrated by the delay, our teammates showed their full support, lining the track above us and cheering us on as we competed that evening.