O Is For Opening Day

Today is the first day of track season.  I've been a coach for four years, despite the fact that I never ran in school.  (Or ever.)  If I wasn't a little short for my weight, I think I might actually enjoy running, but I fear we may never really know.  I only really became the coach out of a fit of rage (directed at the coach at the time) and took the position when it opened with my colleague to prove that we could do a better job.  She did at least run track.  I knew next to nothing.  But I was willing to learn.

Just the same, while track season is very short, it's one of my favorite things.  Because it is an individual sport, you get to actually know the kids who participate.  For some reason, I always get the job of measuring discus.  (And if you thought my running knowledge was limited, you hadn't seen me on the discus!)  We had our kids throwing the wrong size discus (they looked like dinner plates) and then wondered why they couldn't throw them.  Thankfully, a veteran coach took us under his wing and showed us the ropes.  He still gives us crap about that, though. 

There are so many reasons that I shouldn't be a track coach.  I'm round.  I'm prissy.  (I really want some cute boots for when it inevitably rains and the mud's deep!)  I still don't know all the things I should.  My hurdles coaching is something like, "Just run until you get to a hurdle, then jump."  But I will do it as long as they will let me.  And there's nothing like Opening Day.