For most of the boys competing, making it to the State Meet is their number one goal for the season. They may not have a shot at winning their State Finals event, but just getting there is a huge, exciting accomplishment. It may well be the culmination of their entire high school track career. So every athlete is primed and ready to finish in the top two or hit the State qualifying mark. Lots of pressure - it's do-or-die time. It makes for some very compelling battles.
But there is one thing that becomes quickly apparent at a Sectional meet - F.A.T. (Fully Automatic Timing) is a cold-hearted, cruel dream-killer.
Since the Sandburg Sectional was scheduled for Friday night, I took the opportunity to check out the Plainfield North Sectional (at Plainfield Central) on Thursday. And what a meet it was. Great 4x1 and 4x2 relays from Plainfield East & North. Superstar performances by Ty Moss of Neuqua Valley and Kahmari Montgomery from Plainfield Central. Montgomery's win in the 400 might have been the first high school meet I've been to where two guys running low-48's (Steven Strange and Zac Espinosa) got blown away (by Montgomery's incredible 46.87).
And kudos to Coach Tony Holler for lining up the timing system with the big results board at the finish line. Seeing those athletes names and times flash on the screen moments after the race was awesome. It really added to the excitement of the evening for the fans!
But my most memorable moment was the finish of the 3200 meter run. Jake and Luke Hoffert of Yorkville had set an aggressive early pace and a slew of runners raced behind them, chasing that magical qualifying time of 9:29.04. As one of our primary rivals, I always keep an eye on the Neuqua Valley distance runners and in this race, both junior Connor Horn and senior Michael Widmann went thru the mile in great shape. During the season. Widmann had already run under 9:29. But as the laps piled up he began to struggle and the last two 400's were clearly taking a toll. The big cushion that he had built up was rapidly disappearing and it was clear that it was going to be tight at the finish. As seven runners streamed over the finish line to qualify for State under 9:29, including teammate Horn, Widmann gutted out the final stretch, nearly collapsing in the last few steps. When his time flashed on the screen, the result was crystal clear - 9:29.17. He missed by 13/100's of a second. In the old days of hand timing, the "grey area" might have allowed him to make it. But F.A.T. is clear-cut - his dream was denied.
As I leaned on the fence near the finish line, a man and a woman stood on either side of me and shouted encouragement to Widmann - still lying in a heap on the infield. Almost certainly his parents, they told him he ran great and that they were very proud of him. Don't be disappointed, you've got no reason to hang your head, they yelled. But as a senior, this was his last chance to go out on top - to run at the State Meet. F.A.T. said no - you're not going.
This happens a lot at Sectional track meets. Yes, there are winners and qualifiers. Yes, there are outstanding performances. But there are also many close calls, many dreams that don't come true. Sometimes I hate you F.A.T.
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For another view on this subject, read Hinsdale Central coach Noah Lawrence's great Blog entry - The Fundamental Unfairness of Track:
http://coachlawrencehcxc.com/2015/05/24/the-fundamental-unfairness-of-track/