2007 Summer Track Meets

A highlight of our summer is 6 track meets on Tuesday nights at the Hillsboro Hare Field. We have done it for 4 years now. It has been so fun to watch the kids improve and find their niche. Jeff is our super long jumper at his personal best of 10'4''. Hannah is a good jumper as well with her personal best being 6'8''. They both take 2nd or 3rd in their age division every week. Jeff is a great distance runner. He has a long stride and endurance. Ben ran cross country so it must be in the genes. Hannah is our sprinter and she loves hurdles. The first 3 weeks, she was the top of her division 4-6 girls, but then the dreaded birthday came and she was the youngest in the next division 7-8 girls. The first 3 weeks she got a ribbon of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in every event she competed in, boosting her confidence and head immensely. The last 3 weeks were a bit different. She received "participation" ribbons for the rest of the year.

A proud moment for me (yes I even cried) was the last event of the year. She decided to run in a relay, 4x400 (one time around the track for each runner). They grouped all age groups together and her team was by far the youngest (4, 5, 6, and 7 years old). Off they went with Hannah being the anchor (the last runner). She got half way around the track, looked around and panicked. She was the only runner left on the track. I ran across the field and encouraged her to finish, running the rest of the race with her. The stands full of people and the track field full of participants cheered her on and clapped her last 100 yards. What a girl!! An example of enduring to the end.