Mixed messages: if you say no correlation you could be wrong

Shot and discus thrower D.J. Reed wanted to run the high hurdles Monday, April 6, at Caesar Rodney. “And he wants to run them again,” smiled coach Charlie Pollard after the race. D.J. looked like a C5 from Dover Air Force Base approaching runway two as many novice hurdlers who are also discus throwers jump high enough to clear a high jump bar. Reed did win the discus with a throw of 121 into a cold crosswind, and if you know D.J., you know that each day he shows up he is getting his money’s worth, and the coaches are earning their pay.

STEELE MAGNOLIA - Alyssa Steele looked not ready for a prime time 800-meter run in the always hotly contested Cape versus Caesar Rodney battle. Laurel was the third school in Tuesday, April 7’s triangular meet held in frigid and windy conditions. Lap one it was Rebecca Pepper and Leann Seiwell of CR. Nicki Haag, a “triathlete in waiting” who was second in the state swim meet in the 50-meter freestyle, was running in fourth. And when the race upfront was over and team points calculated, Alyssa Steele was going toe-to-toe with a Laurel runner battling not for the last place but for Cape and personal pride. Young athletes meet these moments every day in all sports, and I find it exhilarating especially when I’m standing still.

RING CEREMONY - I was writing Wednesday afternoon while watching the Phillies World Series ring ceremony on channel 17 and I thought, “Those rings are hideous! Why is it a good idea to give a giant ring with 121 diamonds to some millionaire athlete?” And I’m a Phillies fan from way back. I feel the same about Super Bowl rings, which I’ve seen in person. A big garish ostentatious ring on a big strong man just seems incongruous to me.

MIXED MESSAGES - I work around young athletes who are given all the right words of wisdom from coaches about dedication and determination and how to be a team player and a person of solid character, Then over the last month, I look at messages in the community being sent out by adults including the celebration of alcohol abuse, the enthusiasm for gambling as if it’s not a life-crushing addiction and a fundraiser for education featuring a rude and foul-mouthed 75-year-old crass comedian. Trust me, some 2-year-olds are all ears, so don’t you think the high-school-aged kids are picking up on the hypocrisy of the rule makers and enforcers? I have abused alcohol in my past and told jokes using bad language, but at least I don’t gamble. But seriously, gambling is hardly ever recreational. I have a friend who lost his family – they bailed on his lying butt – and had his car blown up by bad guys because of a sports-gambling addiction. How about people who vote down school referendums that may cost them $17 before heading out to the slots for some legalized gambling entertainment. If you say no correlation, you would be wrong!

AWESOME SITE - Noah Piper ran on a couple state championship track teams back in the early ‘70s for coach Tom Hickman, Tony Horsey Saez ran on three undefeated teams in the

‘80s, and Peter Cox Beckett was an all-purpose star in the late ‘70s who still owns the Cape track record for running 400 meters on a wet track while carrying a broom in 53 seconds and is the father of 14 children, I think. All alumni who show up and absorb the newly surfaced and redesigned and painted track, the new home bleachers and the field house with that overpowering new high school mercifully blocking the east wind off the ocean talk about what a great facility Cape has and how their middle school kids can’t wait to get there.

RECRUITMENT - There were 240 athletes who competed in Wednesday, April 8’s middle school track meet, and many of the most gifted will choose a different spring sport once they reach the high school level. It is a frustrating time to be a high school track coach, and the only chance at getting some athletes is allowing them to double down and play two sports, with track always taking second position. And then if a kid becomes a track star but is a role player in another sport, then maybe you get a full commitment.

SNIPPETS - I’d like to thank the four people who wished me luck on my scheduled-for-July hip surgery. Many knee and hip replacement stories are now heading in my direction. Postal meets in track used to be popular between coaches whose teams didn’t compete against each other. If all the data were entered, you could easily determine the best Cape track and field teams of all time because the numbers don’t lie, only the coaches do. Old dogs don’t flat-out lie, they just lie flat.