2016 Olympic Trials - Day 2

Where was Ishmael?

No, this isn't a revised version of Moby Dick.

Ishmael was supposed to meet me for an early morning run on Pre's Trail...except he doesn't like working out in the morning...and he told me that last night...and he concealed his room number, just in case. But still...

Nice run on the bark trails.

What do Wayne's World and my morning run have in common?

Answer: Dana Carvey!

He was a pretty good high school runner who idolized Steve Prefontaine. Even met him once...During the filming of Pre's documentary "Fire on the Track," Carvey was a guest interviewee like non other. You have to watch the out-takes!

Dana: "I love Pre so much that I sent my son to Pre school!" The film crew couldn't stop laughing.

On the way back, I think I passed Luke Puskedra. Sure looked like him, and his ultra slow recovery pace was still lots faster than what i was doing. 4th in the Olympic Marathon Trials this year, he had even more challenges when his infant daughter developed a brain tumor. All better now, and he's hoping to run another fast race this year.

Another buttery smooth National Anthem, this time vocal. The Olympic Trials are leading the league in anthem performances.

Decathlon 100m; an athlete at the starting line asks, "Can I take a look at your heat sheet?"

I ask, "Do you have ten dollars?"

Not five minutes later, another kid asks the same question. The first kid overhears and starts laughing. Regardless, I'm going to be rich.

Each race has one primary starter and 3-4 recall starters. The latter check each runner's set position on the starting line before giving the 'all clear' sign to the main starter, who then fires the gun. Any of the starters have the authority to call a false start by firing their gun a second time (each recall starter packs a pistol). While setting up for the 10,000 meters, I was standing outside lane 8 and to the right of a recall starter who kept asking me to move farther. I assumed it was because I was blocking her field of vision.

She laughed. "No, it's because I'm right-handed. If I have to fire my gun for a restart, I might shoot you in the leg!"

That's good enough for me.

Say it with me, everyone: I LOVE TRACK!

From the "Life is Not Fair" category, the escort crew behind me is celebrating a birthday by chowing down on designer cupcakes. And no extras for me!

High School exhibition mile finishing tape is held by Alan Webb, American Mile record holder at 3:46.91 (yes, from memory). Webb holding the finish line tape is like Neil Armstrong driving a Big Wheel.

However, I did notice that Mr. Webb needed some personal instruction in the fine art of tape holding, probably because he has always been on the other side of that evolution.

Last year at the World Championships, Emily Infeld stole the bronze medal when Molly Huddle eased off the gas a little too soon. This time, Molly put Emily away in the last lap and evened the score.

Prediction: a different Molly (Ludlow) will make the team in the 800m. She was an agonizingly close 4th place at both the 2012 Trials and the 2015 National Championships. Evidently, she is sick of 4th place, and I wouldn't bet against her; she's running with lots of confidence and strength.

Anyone guess what this is?

Answer: the back side of 120 individual monitors that make up the secondary video screen, and yes i counted them. I was hiding back here between events (I'll go anywhere for some shade).

Back side

Front side

Sprinters will sometimes have a tape measure to help them place their starting blocks properly. Sprinter Jasmine Todd has hers attached to a rubber ducky.

Not sure people can identify World Indoor Champion sprinter Trayvon Bromell, but the shirt that says "GO TRAYVON" might be a little hint.

Tyson Gay still sports his Amish beard, and also a very un-Amish-like gaggle of gold chains, at least 8 by my count. Wouldn't all that metal be distracting during a sprint? Maybe not at my speed, but definitely at his...

Add Trey Hardee to the list of long successful athletes who have seemingly met their career end. He pulled up in the decathlon 400m and limped home, much to the chagrin of his buddy Ashton Eaton.

 This is one of three similar receptacles near the finish line...kind of necessary in these elevated temperatures where nausea can run rampant. Nice phrasing, eh?

After the events, I headed downtown for the evening. Mass transit is free with a track meet credential, so i jump on the bus. As I walk toward the bar, i go right past the Hilton. Hmmmmm....I'm running a 10k on Monday...fellow umpire Jeanne also works for the race director and said she'd pick up my gear, but it's right in front of me. So I pop in and get my stuff.

Another race shirt for the collection

Then I run into Raydeen, another umpire whose husband took a teaching fellowship in New Zealand 3 years ago. When i found out they'd be in town, I suggested we meet for a drink. Unfortunately, her husband begged off. Fortunately, i got carded by a bartender half my age. Raydeen and I caught up on old news and had a nice visit....as we were getting ready to leave, an unfamiliar man dropped a $20 bill on our table and left! Uh, thanks?

Raydeen, the world traveler...

 From there, I walked next door to the Electric Station for dinner. As I entered, i saw the bar TV and started laughing...

Yes, it's the US Olympic Trials from Eugene, Oregon. The heats of the men's 100m, and it took about 10 seconds for my smiling face to show up on the screen. The hostess must have thought I was crazy or famous or something. 

Had a nice dinner with Skip: met him 8 years ago in Sunriver when I overheard him talking serious track. He's in town with son Will and friend Mike, who just happens to be a fellow US Naval Academy grad, fellow nuclear engineer, and fellow track nut. Dinner was great: I had the ravioli with beef and veal....as we were leaving, i realized the woman at the next table was none other than 800m runner (and probably newly retired) Maggie Vessey. No over the top outfits tonite, though. 

Typical Vessey...

Today was 10 degrees hotter than predicted, so I have quite the pinkish hue...ok, maybe not pink. But definitely tending toward well done. 

Uh....sunscreen much?

With that 10k race coming up on Monday, I might take it easy and only do one workout tomorrow instead of two. Some time in the pool, and possibly even less than that. 

I'm a tired boy. Looking forward to a solid night's sleep. 

I love track!

Olympic Trials - Day 1

2016 Olympic Trials - Day 1

When I attended the 2008 Olympic Trials as a volunteer, I never thought I'd be an integral part of this event someday.

Never, ever. Yet here I am, an official official!
                       

                         

The bleachers, the track, and my thumb...

More track (and more thumb)

                                   
Tough morning at work yesterday, mostly because of anticipation. I lit out of there at 1030, and the trip to Eugene flew by. Upon arrival, I made short work of dorm check-in and credential pickup; I was warned to avoid the masses, as gear pickup on Sunday was 300 people deep. Not me; in and out in 10 minutes.

Right badge, wrong shirt

                                 
Leaving the dorm, I see a car pull up and a woman get out. I yell, "No Long Islanders allowed!" She sees me and cracks up. It's Sue, our assistant Chief Umpire and resident of the Empire State. Huge accent, too. She gives me a big hug...I notice her luggage could be described as 'cruise-worthy,' simply enormous!

Buddy Nate got permission from a neighbor for me to park my car in their driveway; the neighbor's house is unoccupied and they like it looking like someone is there. A quick bike ride down the hill to the pre-meet briefing. And the swag....

                                

6 shirts, nice ones. And a really nice jacket.

I love track.

Everyone's favorite Starting Line Clerk is there, looking much better than at Indoor Worlds when he had a near permanent out of body experience.

Starter Tom arrives: a good New England Irishman who's also the Finish Line Marshal for the Bahston Marathon. He told me he'd be renting a bike, so I brought mine. When he returned with the bike, he realized he forgot to get a helmet, so another trip to the shop!  We had a nice 10 mile ride along the river...

                                       

and we somehow managed not to hit this eye-level tree branch across the path...

                             

But I need to work on my underway selfies....

At least I didn't take an unplanned header (as if a header is ever planned).

We passed UO Sophomore Raevyn Rogers, who is a wildcard in the women's 800. She carries a big bucketful of attitude when she runs.

Lots of bike racks on campus, but they have signs saying "all bikes will be impounded." ???? Meanwhile, the dorm lobby says 'No bikes.' Make up your mind, people: in the meantime, I'm keeping my bike in my room (not the lobby, so I'm not breaking any rules, right?).

                                        

Yesterday, the 20k race walk was held in Salem, an hour up the road, with 2,000 curious spectators lining the course. Great idea by the organizers; they've pushed hard to get the public more involved in track. For example, the Fan Festival at the Trials, where anyone can watch the event live on the JumboTrons for free. Or the athlete introductions at the World Indoor Championships, complete with fog machine and fireworks like an MMA event.

Anyhow, the race walk was not without its controversy. A local woman was red-carded 3 times for bad (cheating) form, but the judges didn't properly update the status board during the race, so she screamed bloody murder. However, she was also yellow-carded at least a half-dozen times by different judges. Of course, the newspaper only printed her side of the story.

Regardless, I don't like subjective criteria (judging) in sports. Makes it tough to get it right all the time.

I'm also violently opposed to golf in the Olympics: the Olympic motto of 'stronger, higher, faster' doesn't apply to that activity....but that's another story.

Went to the grocery store: in the energy bar section, right next to Clif Bars and the like, I found this:

                         


Not sure how I feel about that. Expecting sweet, and instead get animal protein?

This morning: up at 0450 for a quick bike ride to the Amazon Pool and an hour's worth of laps. Then another ride with Tom. Gotta justify my appetite somehow.

At early meal today, the sign next to the breakfast ham said, "Contains pork. No gluten."

Oy.

The first of many briefings...

                                    


                                     


Feel Good Story of the Day: Adam Nelson qualified for the shot put final. That doesn't mean much except that Adam Nelson was the runner-up in the 2004 Olympics. Turns out the guy who beat him was retroactively busted for steroids; today, Adam is going to be awarded his long-overdue gold medal!  And he's fighting for another Olympic berth at age 40.

A local volunteer whose husband does wood working had done me a tremendous favor. A gift that every umpire should have....

                                   

Not the hat, but the restraining device. When the wind kicks up, these hats go airborne very quickly. Bev's husband put some foam inside for a snug fit, then added grommets and a sporty looking shoelace to tie under my chin when conditions warrant.

I need to remember something: it's the little things that are the big things.

Another friend works for the events company that does Monday's Butte to Butte 10k run. Packet pickup starts today and runs through the weekend; I thought I'd have to hustle downtown to get my gear and then get back to the track, but security around the Trials venue could mean a long wait. And that could make me tardy for the events. Instead, Jeanne volunteered to pick up my stuff for me, saving me an hour and a ton of hassle. I told her I'm buying dinner for her family after the race.

Before the running events, there was a parade of champions. If you're not a bonafide track geek, you might as well skip this part.

Otis Davis, the first University of Oregon athlete to win Olympic Gold: 1960 400m in Rome. O....M....GAWD! I have been reading about this man since I was 10 years old! (and if you don't believe me, I'll tell you WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP that his full name is Otis Crandall Davis).

Dave Wottle, 1972 Gold Medalist in the 800 meters, and owner of one hellacious kick!

Francie Larrieu, member of 5 Olympic teams ranging from 1500m to the marathon....and some guy named Shorter, who was also a pretty good runner.

After seeing these folks, it took me awhile to stop hyperventilating (and genuflecting).

Next door at the Fan Festival, where folks can watch the meet for free...

                            


This is how Nike originally sold shoes: out of a van.

I can't remember why I took this picture...

???????

My guy Adam Nelson was awarded his 2004 Gold Medal in a very nice and bittersweet ceremony, followed immediately by the National Anthem played on trumpet by a UO professor. Had a HUGE lump in my throat for those few moments, because the melody was played absolutely perfect, with amazing tone that was so full, round, buttery, Lobster-Benedict rich. I really hope someone uploads the video: that performance, and the perfectly timed fighter jet flyover on the last note. 

I freakin' LOVE track!

Duane Solomon, 4th in the last Olympic 800 and owner of a 1:42 800m, runs the stupidest race I've ever seen in the prelims. He's the class of the field, yet he leads with a slow pace and then EASES up at the end. This allows three guys to sneak past him: the number of heats provide automatic advancement for the first 3 in each heat, along with the next four fastest overall. Did I mention his heat was SLOW? He ran a 1:48, a light-year slower than his best, and didn't advance. 

Nike sued 800m stud Boris Berian over a lame/weak contract dispute, then withdrew their suit when they realized the bad press wasn't worth it. Boris then went to New Balance. Meanwhile, freshman phenom Donavan Brazier decides to go pro after breaking a 50-year-old college record, and Nike quickly snatches him up, probably for a king's ransom. Then Donavan has a bad race and also gets booted from the rounds. 

Nike had a bad day. Some would say it was well-deserved. 

I saw the end of a lot of great careers today: Sanya Richards-Ross, Reese Hoffa, Adam Nelson, Bernard Lagat, Phoebe Wright, Maggie Vessey, Nick Symmonds (who didn't start his race), and the soon-to-be-done Jeremy Wariner, who is hanging by a thread. All those folks have been at the top of their game for a long, long time. 

During some long-forgotten heats, I'm standing trackside, minding my own business. A female athlete materializes in front of me, squealing, "I HAVE TO PEE!!"  I resist the urge to say, "that's the best news I've heard in years!"  She's looking for an escort, not an umpire. Can't help you...

Shot putters crack me up: these huge guys, wider than they are tall, and all with massive layers of chalk on one side of their necks. 

Stephanie Brown Trafton, who wanted to be Mary Lou Retton when she grew up. Except Stephanie kept growing well past 6', and currently has an Olympic Gold Medal in the discus somewhere back home. 

Between the 400m heats and the men's 10,000m final, I take a very short break from the track and head to the weight room...the very empty weight room, where I continue my pull-up regimen. 

                                            

Already 100% more reps than when I started 4 weeks ago, and rapidly closing in on my lifetime best from the Naval Academy (17.99999, and yes I'm still mad about the one that got away. It cost me a perfect score on my last Physical Readiness Exam!). 

Great day out there!

I love track.

Olympic Trials - Day 2

Who's that guy on the mike??

So there's Awesome Molly, who runs events in town...I volunteer a lot for her stuff, 'cause it's fun and she pays well.

For example, she gave me this little gift in lieu of my requested box lunch...

                                          


Anyhow....USA National Duathlon Championships were coming to town, and the organizers wanted a second person to help with the announcing chores. They asked the local tourism board, who promptly asked Molly...

who promptly volunteered me, saying I'm the right person for the job.

uh, thanks...except I've never done any race announcing.

Is this what it feels like to lie on a resume? Except it was her lie, not mine!

I was somewhat apprehensive, but they had me at "We'll give you a shirt, food, and $200."  Besides, I needed to push my limits a bit. And they told me I'd simply have to read the names of the finishers, and maybe some sponsor plugs. I can do that.

They didn't need me there until 0700 on Saturday, and the venue was less than a mile from my house, so I took my time getting ready. Of course, I heard the first public address announcements starting at 0530; no doubt my sleeping neighbors heard that as well!!

Typical Oregon forecast: 38F in the morning and climbing to 80F. One of the staffers at the announcer's booth was shivering while dressed for the warmer temps, so I gave her my fleece: i had 3-4 layers on and was already warmed up.

The road crew did a great job with setup:

Lots of expensive bikes in the transition zone:

The head announcer is a great guy named Tim, very well organized. He gives me the drill...and part of my job now includes working the sound board!

See that iPod on the right? Yes, it's an iPod Classic, probably 10 years old. Anyway, Tim has lots of race playlists ready to go. While he gave instructions to the racers on the starting line, I cued up the tunes, then let 'er rip two minutes before the gun.

My apprentice gear...

Announcer Tim is perfect for the job; huge enthusiasm, great radio voice, and he knows all the top racers by sight...he sees many of them on a regular basis around the world. And he looks just like Frank Underwood....or Kevin Spacey! Tim also has the energy of basketball announcer Dick Vitale. 

He walks down to the starting line about 100 yards away and gets the waves moving. I'm sitting next to the timing guy, who starts to look confused. And i realized what happened: Tim started one wave 5 minutes early....the six waves all had varying intervals between their starts: 10 minutes, 15, 10, 10, 15. The timing guy had to do some quick reprogramming, but all was right with the world in short order. 

The race format is 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run. Leg-sapping hills on all segments, too. These folks are going to be hurting...but the race leader does the first hilly 10k in 35 minutes; he's going to pay for that later. 

Sure enough, he fades back into the field, while local favorite Matt Lieto crushes the bike and cruises thru the final run portion. 

Oh, the announcing....I thought i was simply there to read off the prompter. Uh uh...after talking with the lead announcer before things got going, he realized that i could converse without tripping over my tongue, i have a pretty deep knowledge of sports information, and I'm some kind of an athlete myself. So he engages me in conversation over the open mikes...."So Nick, it looks like our racers will have their work cut out for them today. What do you think?"

Pause. Seemed like hours, but it was only a couple seconds. Ok, I'll dive in. Pretty soon, I'm talking about the first Ironman Triathlon back in 1978 and the possibility that Bend resident Jesse Thomas will shortly become the first American winner in Hawaii since Tim DeBoom fifteen years ago. 

I love this!   NBC, the color man...

After Lieto wins and regains his senses, I see him walking behind our platform. I say to Tim that 'we' should interview him. 'We' meaning Tim....no, Tim said, "Great idea! Go do it."  So there I am, the neophyte, interviewing a newly crowned national champion for all the world to hear. 

Or at least the ones within audible distance. 

A couple of Molly's co-workers come walking up. They wanted to see what the commotion was about...and they wanted to know what idiot woke them up at 0530 with his microphone....nope, wasn't me. And yes, the race organizers had a permit!

As the racers finish, we read their names off the laptop: 

Announcer #1: "Spike Johnson, a Bend cardiologist!"

Announcer #2: (loud whisper) "That's MY cardiologist!"

(I was announcer #2)

Hard race with the hills and wind. Winner Lieto said that he hid in the trees about a half mile from the finish and tried to relieve his knotted hamstrings. Fortunately, he had a lead of several minutes. 

Did i mention the swirling winds? The entire finish line gantry came crashing down at the end of the second race, and the first couple of finishers had to cross the line and shimmy their way through the fence. 

Didn't get a real-time picture of the damage, but all this stuff was a pile of rubble

At packet pickup the day before, one of the athletes posted disdain for his fellow competitors who picked up their race numbers while decked out in tri gear, Ironman tattoos, even aero helmets! Then I noticed that the same guy posted paragraphs about his racing experience for the announcers to read at the finish line. Hmmmm...

Announcer Tim's wife ran track at the University of Oregon, and both of them will be going to the Olympic Trials there in a week. I hope we can get together for dinner!

Highlight of the day: Sister Madonna Buder of Spokane, 86 years young, finishing yet another race. She's a world record holder: the oldest person ever to finish a full-distance Ironman Triathlon. She been quoted as saying, "I train religiously."   Oooof!

Very neat day. 9 hours without sitting down, so i decided to skip my run. 

Good call. 

2016 NCAA Championships

Another day, another championship track meet in my backyard...

sigh.

Eugene, Oregon locked up the NCAA Championships from 2013 until 2021. This meet is as profound as the Olympic Trials, though in a slightly different way. The Trials are all or nothing, an individual against the field, and a top three slot gets you a trip to the ball.

NCAAs are a team event, where even a single point in 8th place can have huge ramifications. And the electricity for both events is similar. During NCAA events, the teams screaming in the stands for their runners can reach eardrum-bursting levels for a poor umpire stationed in front of them on the backstretch.


                            

A flag for every school...

                         
After our Tuesday night briefing, we had a nice catered BBQ dinner on top of the Weights and Measures building. Hadn't been up here before: it's a great place to be a spectator!

From not so high above the track... 

Even an extra video board

Before the events started, I was walking the track as usual. Officially, I'm looking for debris and things like that. Truthfully, I love walking on an empty track and breathing it all in.

A husband and wife standing along the fence asked what time things begin, and I said, "4:30."

The guy looked at this program and confirmed, "Yes, 4:30."

I said, "Oh, I was just guessing."

His wife roared with laughter.

I love track.

Three very important people in the picture below. One is an Olympic Gold Medalist, the first one I remember watching on TV as a young buck...the VIP is now one of the national officiating leaders. Another man is the coordinator of officials for major meets: he's the guy who makes the final call about the folks who want to work at big events. Lastly, the Meet Operations boss for the University of Oregon. Good people, and I want to be on the right side of them.

                              

Did I mention that if Los Angeles gets the 2024 Olympics, I might be on the short list by then? Better keep living the clean life.

Had a nice swim the next morning at the Amazon Pool. Good to occasionally let the running muscles relax a bit.

All suited up and ready to go. The runners wear hip numbers so we can identify them easily, and I figured umpires should do the same.

Some yoga mats were set up under the West Grandstands, and our officials are good at making best use of their time...

I'm stationed at the start/finish lines...during the 4x100m heats, I'm watching for fouls in the final straightaway, and from behind me, I hear the yell,  "HAT!"   Oops...I'm inadvertantly blocking the photographer pool, and they want head-on shots of the finish. The 'hat' they admonish is that big straw thing perched on my cranium. 

A pole vaulter from Mizzou clears a big height with a half-gainer, triple twisting maneuver. I had to do a double-take on that one. 

 Oklahoma State's John Teeters in the 100m sprint: he appears to be from the Paul Bunyan/John Belushi School of Personal Grooming.

Mr. Teeters

UW's Izaic Yorks cruises thru his 1500m semi, and he's my pick for the final. However, his impressive 'fro runs out of juice, courtesy of a buttery smooth Clayton Murphy from UAkron.

Next morning, I run about 8 miles down to the River Center footbridge. On the way back, I encounter two adults in Tennessee orange, so I ask if they are related to the kid who won yesterday's pole vault competition. Yep, they were his (very happy) coaches.

Some team support folks prioritized their time differently than others...

One of my fellow umpires commented that her garden was suffering a bit, and wondered if it was due to a lack of nitrogen. I told her that Eugene's air has a lower percentage of nitrogen than other areas.

Uh, not really...

Decathletes are a band of merry men. Ok, maybe not 'merry,' especially when they collapse en masse at the end of the 1500m. But they take a victory lap and then a group bow in front of the homestretch grandstands...they earned it.

In between events, I find a few seconds to keep up with my pullup sets....

The video replay judges who occupied the weight room didn't seem to mind...and I nearly doubled my reps from last week! (ok, so I started low...it still counts!)

Ms. Scott from Arkansas is maybe the first blond Dominique I've seen. Tremendous wheels, too, as she lays waste to the fields for a nice 5k/10k double. When she dropped the hammer with a few laps remaining, no one could answer. 

UO's team drops the stick at my feet in the 4x4 relay and quits on the spot. I write up the violation as their own fault. The team does NOT protest, yet the next day's paper quotes the coach as saying his team was obstructed. Really, Coach? If that was the case, how come no protest? Yes, the BS meter hit the top stop on that one...and oh by the way, the video judges confirmed my call. 

Our meals were good: catered lunches, and dinner at the Dux Bistro on campus. Except one night where we finished on the track at 7:58pm, and the bistro closed at 8:00. Someone didn't get the memo about extended hours. No big...dinner that night was: smoked salmon, lentils, sardines, hummus, and more. 

Final day: girl from Arkansas sets not only an NCAA record but an American record in the triple jump. Very rare for a college kid.

A&M's Donovan Brazier erases the 50 year old (to the day!) collegiate 800m record of Congressman Jim Ryun. By nearly a full second...and he eased up in the final 15 meters....and he obviously learned from his DQ at Junior Worlds, when he stumbled off the starting line and veered outside of his lane, right in front of my prying and disapproving eyes.

UO frosh Ariana Washington nips the field in the women's 100m, and the crowd does crazy, Then she doubles down in the 200m. When did UO become a sprinter's school? Later, Ariana and IH hurdles winner Shamir Little have a joyous wrestling match at the finish line.

The men's 100 final has the top 5 finishers within 0.04. I could easily throw a blanket over all of them at the line.

The meet's best hair goes to Arkansas heptathlete Aliyah Brooks, whose gorgeous auburn mane looks like a bouncing sea anemone when she runs the hurdles.

Sea anemones? Look at these bad boys... Hopefully Aliyah isn't quite as nasty. 

When the 400m runners are set in their blocks for the race start, I hear photographer cameras taking shots on full automatic. That's a no-no, boys and girls; wait until the gun fires!

Footballer Randall Cunningham's son wins the high jump. His daughter won Indoor Worlds a few months back. I wonder what dinnertime conversation at that household is like. 

UO's young Mr Cheserek wins the 5 and 10 (again). For a junior to have 15 NCAA titles is, oh. pretty good. He dusted the 5k field with a final 57/1:59....I guess all the 'experts' who said he was washed up this year were a tiny bit wrong. 

As the starting line umpire, it's my job to ensure the track is ready for the next event, so I check for white flags at all four corners before nodding to the starter. Before the last event, the 4x400m relay, I give this report to the head umpire via radio:

"Sir, the track is clear, and all relay exchange zones are showing white flags."

He cusses me out, then laughs in the manner of the Kentucky boy that he is. It's not exactly a stretch; all 4x4 baton exchanges happen right in front of me, unlike the 4x100m passes, which occur at each corner of the track. 

Ok, I guess you had to be there...

Hands down: the absolute BEST part about the meet? The exquisite parking spot I found on the last day, a mere four (that's F-O-U-R) cars from the track. Simply unheard of in a college town, and all due to my expertise and purity of heart. 

Who's got next?

                                   

Answer: me. I'll be at the starting line again in three weeks.

I love track.