The track meet

Hello all! I'm enjoying the rain that's falling here in West Texas, a stark contrast from last weekend's weather. You'll learn more about what I'm talking about in this week's column, so take a look and pass it on to your followers! Much love, Me.

Original publication date: Friday, April 24, 2015
Random Writer
The track meet 

Last weekend was a fun time for my family and me. It was extremely hot, but for my niece and nephew, it was completely worth it.

The two oldest in the next generation of Serrano kids, who are in fifth and third grade, respectively, had a track meet, so like any good grandparents and aunts would do, my parents, sister, and I went to watch them compete. I have to admit that I had never been to a track meet in my life, much less one for children, so I really had no clue what to expect. I knew it was going to be hot, but I don't think we expected to be in the sun that long. In all, we stayed outside for a total of almost nine hours...with hardly any protection from the sun ("ouch" proved to be an understatement with the vicious sunburn that occurred as a result).

Anywho, once we got to the stadium, we found my oldest brother who was with his youngest child--too young to participate in the meet, so he made his best attempts to watch. But it proved to be too early for him, so he slept for most of the morning.

The meet was for students in first through eighth grade, with a kindergarten fun run in the middle (it was adorable seeing those little kids run!). This meant that my niece and nephew were mostly in the middle for each competition, so we watched as each grade competed in their event. The kids had on black track uniforms which allowed them to blend in with the crowd of other students from their school, but it was easy to spot my nephew with his long-sleeved white shirt underneath and my niece with the blue headband in her hair.

My nephew's first competition was the 1500 meter relay--almost four laps around the track. We swelled with pride and started cheering for him when the gun fired and he started running. Unfortunately, his next event was immediately after he ran--the long jump. And because we didn't even know where the event would take place, we didn't get to see him compete.

My niece competed in the javelin throw (they were foam, so no worries) in the middle of the field, but her group was placed to where she was throwing into the wind which put her at a disadvantage. She also ran the 400 meter relay--one lap around the track--and by that time her other grandparents showed up, which proved to be a very loud cheering section.

Both kids competed in the 50 meter run--a straight line across. My sister took a video of each race, as both of them sprinted with all their might toward the finish line.

My niece and nephew didn't come in first place, nor did they place in the top 5 of their events. But I can tell you this--they never gave up. They gave all they had from start to finish in each event. The night before, my brother/their dad discussed the meet with them and told them that as long as their tried their best until the end, then everything would be okay. Whether they placed first or last wouldn't affect how they were treated afterward. Because that day, some kids just stopped running; they didn't give 100%. And then some kids heard their parent yell at them across the stadium, and based on the tone it wasn't encouraging.

But beyond cheering for just my niece and nephew or the students from their  school (they won first place in the team events), my family enjoyed cheering for those kids who tried with all their might but still managed to be at the end of the pack. When a cluster of kids would cross the finish line, but one or two more students still remained, we would cheer for them as they made the final stretch. And the closer they got to the finish line, the louder the cheers would become until their little feet crossed the line.

I loved cheering for my niece and nephew. I enjoyed rooting for the underdog. And I'm thankful that elementary kids can remind me of the ever-valuable lesson to give my all in whatever I do, because everything we do should be done to glorify God (Colossians 3:17, 1 Corinthians 10:31).