“Kids are just not
running as fast they used.” I heard a coach say over the past six weeks of recent
spring track and field competitions. When I attend my youngest’s track and
field meets, I pay attention to just about everything. I talk to parents from
other teams, who I’ve never met before. I converse with coaches from other
teams or officials, usually standing by awaiting some announcement. Sometimes kids from other teams will comment
about something that seems awry. If I’m in earshot, I will converse with them
about whatever it is that was their wonderment on the field or on the track.
And in that first line of this piece, that coach is correct. I’m seeing it only
from a Bergen County, New Jersey standpoint. We are way down across the county
in high school track and field performances, in the past decade or more.
Why? I could guess. One is that the competition in academics
could interfere in the latter years of high school. Yet, that is a must to
survive in the ‘real world’ nowadays. However, I digress. It’s somehow always
been that way. It’s just that we are a tighter world now. Many things for
teenaged boys and girls have improved in many areas concerning athletics. Our
nutrition is better. Footwear and the availability of the best is better than
twenty years ago and certainly compared to forty-six years ago when I started
running, then throwing a year later.
In speaking with a coach this past week from another Bergen
County Track and Field team. He felt that we are now relying on parents. I told
him, “…in my day, we had enough specialty coaches… or so it seemed.” When I was
a teenager my high school had over 1200 students. That might have been a
benefit. And only those who qualified ran, jumped or threw in all the meets.
Yes, we left some of our runners, throwers and jumpers home. And they knew why,
they were ineligible to attend every meet based on their past
performances. But that’s what happens
when you have a large population of tracksters to pick from.
In all of that, if anyone has heard of my coaching adults or
recently high schoolers here and there, they’d never know how competitive I
have been in athletics all of my life. Yet, that same spirit folds into my work
ethic. No matter whether I was in the Marines, worked for someone in corporate,
did charity, ran my own therapy business or wrote books, and screenplays to
make a living. It’s all the same energy. As well, that same energy went into having
been a wife, being a mother, cleaning our home, gardening and the like. And
still does.
Parents, siblings, best friends may not always be there clapping
for you. However, there are those not related to you or from another team that
no less will cheer you on. As a teenager and an adult I discovered that there
were people who I was not related to… As well, not yet related to, who would be
enthusiastic for me. Off the top of my head I can name two. Mr. Domerski, my
high school Woods teacher for three of my four high school years. And my
father-in-law to be, Herbie, also known as ‘Dad’. Both were enthusiastic for
nearly everybody.
Mr. Domerski, I’d never known him to be a coach. But I knew
he had daughters. He was a young father during my high school years. Herbie was
the total non-athlete. He was a World War II veteran. And as I met him, he was a
CPA, a father of three and a grandfather. Both He and Mr. Domerski had cheered
me on concerning my running. They did it when I had no one. After my freshman
year of high school my mother was too sick to watch me compete. My Dad didn’t
like my running, because I was a girl. As well, it could have been because I
had some birth defects. My foot plants were not a pretty sight, yet he was
barely around to watch. To add on the
fact that my brother, to my Dad’s dismay was invested in his music not
athletics as my Dad desired him to be.
Because of my athletic efforts. Over the years, I’ve had
some men say to me, that I was the son my Dad always wanted. Yes, that is how it has been. This brings me
to teenagers volunteering their time to do athletic endeavors such as track and
field currently. This is not a mandatory life event. Yet, if treated properly
much will be gained by those teenagers who volunteer their time to train and
compete in track and field.
Now I will divulge what is being meant by ‘treated
properly’. It is this, first I want to make certain that the high school
athlete is kind to others and themselves. Anybody can be ‘nice’, but not
everybody may be ‘kind’. Next is, to pay attention to your academics
and take responsibility for them. The reason being, it will show the world your
discipline. And it’s a matter of self-pride. Take my word, you won’t get too
far without that.
As an athlete, especially a young athlete it must be fun. I
will go as far as saying, it should be delightful to the young athlete to train
and compete. With a sport such as track and field, it should benefit you, the
athlete first. No one else, but you first.
My past coaching of adults and some teenagers privately has
been aimed at bringing about what they want for themselves in their individual
athletic performance(s). Not what I want for them. Not to have a twin of my
efforts. But their own expectations, or desires of understanding sport. And if
they so desire, helping them reach a potential or their desired athletic
outcome.
With all that, everyone has a different reason for wanting
to be part of an athletic team. It could be for social reasons. It could be for
reasons that may get you noticed by a college. It may be for staying in shape
for life. It may be for any reason outside of the few I’ve mentioned here. That
does not have to be announced by the athlete. As a teenaged athlete in track
and field, you truly don’t need to explain your existence on the team to
everyone.
However, there will come a point when you must be frank with
yourself and perhaps a coach as to why you even show up to train and compete.
That, you need to be honest with. It is unfair to the team, if you don’t care
about your performance during a team effort. Nothing half-baked ever gets done
well. Especially, if you are not honest about wanting to understand your own
efforts, why and the lack there might be. In the end, you do hurt yourself.
Metaphorically, perhaps. But it still will have an effect in some respect to
your future. --- Jody-Lynn Reicher
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