In Holly’s first-ever track meet, she took first place in the long jump with a leap of 12 feet 4.25 inches. Even though there was a 20-25 mph wind, her jumps were not wind-aided, as she was jumping into the wind. That same wind made the low-40s temperature feel like low-30s. There were lots of near-miserable kids huddled up in blankets waiting for their events to start.
Holly’s second event was the high jump, and this didn’t go as well for her. She failed to clear the opening height in 3 attempts. She hadn’t had much practice, and hopefully will get a chance to do better next time.
Her final event was the 400 meter run (one lap around the track). She says that by this time her feet were nearly frozen solid. She was assigned the outside lane, meaning the staggered start had her way out in front early in the race. I warned Michelle that it’d look like the others were catching her quickly as they made the final turns. Holly took off like a shot, though she looked a little stiff from the cold. It turns out that she took off too fast, not having enough experience to get the pacing right. Holly looked like she had the proverbial monkey on her back after about 2/3 of the lap. Though the other girls were trying to make up the stagger, Holly was able to hold off all but one of them. She finished 2nd in her heat and 5th overall. It was the first time she had ever run that race and I’m sure she’ll improve tremendously with experience.
Despite the cold, she enjoyed herself lots. She didn’t know she’d be hearing her name cheered by so many people in the stands, but I think she liked it. I for one, can’t wait for next week’s meet.
