Oh. Dear. God. I have survived another track meet. As I write this, I am lying in bed, slamming down a big, fat cocktail, while Jimmy is procuring food for our family.
We were at this damned meet from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm. And yes, Jude and I were there at 10:30, and we really didn't have to be there until 11:30, but I knew that nobody else would get there on time to snag a decent spot in the bleachers for our team, and damn if I wasn't right. Jude and I staked out this aforementioned decent spot and sat there by ourselves, fending off the other team's parents with their canopies and coolers until our other folks/coaches showed up.
And this meet was way out in East Botswana. Well actually it was in a place called La Puente, California. Which is basically the armpit of the 10 freeway. Sorry if anybody is from La Puente. But really, if you are from La Puente, you know perfectly well that you live in the armpit of the 10 freeway. It's not prime real estate.
At the beginning of the meet, one of the coaches conned me into coming out on the field and wrangling kids. After about 45 minutes of walking back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and yelling at little boys who don't listen, I finally just bailed. I did. I told them I had to go and sit in the stands again. I feel a little tiny bit guilty about this. But really, only a little tiny bit.
Anyway, Jude did really well. He seems to be establishing himself as a come-from-behind kind of guy. He always seems to take somebody down in the last 100 meters. Here he is, about to pass a guy in the 4 X 400 meter relay...
...and I have the worst video ever taken of him passing a guy in the 400 meters, but I'm too tired to upload it to YouTube. And anyway, it really is the worst video ever, as I was jumping up and down and screaming so much that I seem to have recorded a bunch of empty space and the sky and stuff like that instead of my child.
This meet was all Catholic schools in the Greater Los Angeles Area, about 15 schools all together. The poor announcer who was calling the races had to wrap his mouth around sentences like "And coming into the last 100 meters, it's Saints Felicitas and Perpetua in the lead, followed by Our Lady of Assumption in second and Holy Redeemer in third!" And I appreciate the irony of listening to a parent screaming things like "Goooooo Immaculate Heart of Mary!!!! Get him! Get him! Take him down!"
I have to admit that even though I complain about my exhaustion and the endless day in East Armpit, I really love these track meets. I get completely caught up in the excitement. I scream my voice raw, not just on Jude's races, but on all the races. All these kids just running their hearts out, really giving it their all.
And running is such a pure sport. It's just mano a mano, no equipment, no tricky moves. Everybody just runs as fast as they can. It's very exhilarating.
Ah, Jimmy has arrived with the food. I am now going to eat and then I'm going to take a long, hot bath, play a little Farmville and collapse. All that spectating and rooting has worn me out.
Next weekend? A track meet AND a swim meet. I'm gonna have to invest in a big bag of Epsom salts.
Wow, go Jude! And what an awesome pic!
Posted by: Alaina | 04/15/2013 at 05:54 AM
Ya gotta love a man that will purvey food for you after a long hard day at the track meet.
Go Jude and the long ass name of his school!
Posted by: Michele | 04/15/2013 at 06:03 AM
Hot damn. I do love track and hope that one of my girls (mainly the middle one) will opt for it one day. And you're right; it's a great sport because of its sole reliance on the runner, nothing more.
Posted by: Arnebya | 04/15/2013 at 08:18 AM
Yes, the exhaustion of sports -- it's a unique thing. After watching three baseball games and a college lacrosse game on Saturday, I thought I was going to die of tiredness, and I actually went to bed at the unheard of early hour of 9:00. But I was just so damn tired.
I love the picture of Jude running -- so much motion and beauty!
Posted by: Elizabeth Aquino | 04/15/2013 at 08:32 AM
That's a great picture!
That does sound like an exhausting day though. I'm glad Xander isn't quite there yet. Also, he seems like his patience for Participating In Things might never be that great.
Posted by: Keely | 04/15/2013 at 11:59 AM