May 15 through 17 - Big Ten
Outdoor Championships
Ohio State University
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Well, I have made it through all of the pictures now. I tried to make sure that I posted at least one of each athlete that I got to see compete. I know I missed some of you. BUT, hope remains - Mark Plencner was shooting, too. He will send me his shots. I will highlight on the home page when I post more shots.
What can I say about the competition, now that a week has passed? I am so impressed by the depth of each team. We did so well not because of our first place finishes - though those were Terrific. We did so well because of the combined team effort. Whether it was earning a single point for an eighth place finish or cheering on your teammates from the sidelines. That encouragement and support is important to keeping the spirit of everyone high and striving toward success. It was amazing when you consider that the spread between first and second in the Women's competition was less than 1 point. That demonstrates how critical the performance of each team member is. Believe me, I can appreciate the frustration of not making finals or getting 9th place. I was chatting with one of the parents about how our heart seems to be beating along with that of our son or daughter as they compete. We all want to do our very best. But, stuff happens. Sometimes it just isn't your day. Sometimes the other person is just having an amazing day.
I continue to be blessed by how nice you all are. The congratulations, hugs, help getting up, getting each other a glass of water and all of those other acts of kindness and good sportsmanship do not go unnoticed. I particularly liked all of the hugs! (That feeling probably does not surprise you.)
So from me and the other fans - we salute each and every one of you!
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May 8 - Minnesota Open
University of Minnesota
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Well, it is the last regular meet of the season. I realize that is really hard for the seniors and the weather was less than cooperative. But, still we had a great day with lots of fans, some new qualifiers and a lot of fun.
I can't sign off without acknowledging the great get together at the end of the meet. It was so much fun to eat together and greet each other. Given the weather, it was particularly nice that we could meet inside the practice stadium. A HUGE thanks to the Storvicks, Linnemans, Silovichs and ALL of the other folks who helped up with the food, grilling, etc. (It is always dangerous to list names, so if I missed a key person, please accept my apologies.) It will be a real challenge to the parents next year - Hans, Luke and Mike are graduating. Someone else needs to step up to organize these parent / athlete events. If you are interested, I am sure this year's parent crew can give you some tips. Jo Rider can help with the communication, but the parents end up having to do a lot of work to pull this together. Personally I can say that I really, really appreciated it and send them all a great big THANK YOU! Hugs - Becky
Next week on the Big Tens!
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May 2 - Meet of the Unsaintly
Hamline University
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O.k. I know - the sun came and went pretty much all day long. I know, it could have been warmer. I know, it was too windy for pole vault. BUT....I still think it was a great day for track and field. I saw lots of smiles for what was fundamentally a great day for track and field in Minnesota. We have many successes on the track and in the field. We had a lot of fun. There were a LOT of fans there. While I was standing by the finish line I heard a guy talking on the telephone. They had come to campus to meet someone and got there early. They had been worried about how to spend 3 hours with nothing to do and followed folks over to the meet. He was explaining on the phone how great a day it turned out to be!
I took a LOT of picutres - over 2,000. That is what happens when it is sunny. And, well, I LOVE shooting pictures of the steeplechase water hazard. So, I may have gone just a little bit overboard on that one..... Anyway, many of the pictures from the meet turned out, not all of them, sorry. If you saw me taking your picture and you are not posted it is because I messed something up. If you had a great day and I wasn't there to capture it, sorry. There are also multiple pictures of many of you - I just couldn't decide which I liked best. Remember, I shoot bursts of shots whenever I shoot. So, if you want to see the surrounding pictures, just sent me an e-mail. AND, as always, please send in your shots.
Thanks for all of your efforts!
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