Why I love Track N' Field

People who know me personally, know that I enjoy sports. In my youth, it wasn't uncommon to see me participating in some form of competitive outdoor activity. I grew up on a cul-de-sac in Cincinnati, a street that was closed at one end into almost a perfect circle. All the neighborhood kids filled this circle as it was the perfect set up for baseball, football, foot races, and bike races.  It is here that I learned the fundamentals of team sports, like teamwork, strategy, and even how to form a team. I also learned about friendly competition, bragging rights, and trash talking. Those fundamentals easily transferred to organized sports in Junior High and Highschool. But my love of track n' field started well before the organized racing. See it was in that cul-de-sac, with a majority young boys, that I learned that I was FAST. Not just regular fast either, FAST FAST. I could outrun and often did, any boy my age. I also found out that I could outrun any boy in my neighborhood, my class, and even my elementary school.  How did I come to know this you may ask?  Mr. Rooks was my elementary teacher. Mr. Rooks thought I was a future Olympian. He picked up on how much I loved to race and win.  His observations from my athletic talent in his gym classes was all the fuel he needed to encourage me. So, we held races.  All classes, all students. We utilized the 4-5 white lines on a concrete slab drawn into lanes.  I destroyed every opponent that dared to challenge me. My years of playing and trash talking with all boys in my neighborhood would come in handy, as I wasn't the girlie girl I desired to be. I knew I was different, special, and I didn't care how bad you talked about me because I knew you couldn't beat me.  

While in History class, we learned about WWII. I learned about Nazi Germany, Anne Frank, and Jessie Owens. I was elated to learn that a young African American man, from my Daddy's home state, Alabama, who went to college just up the highway, at The Ohio State, went on to completely undermine the propaganda of the Big Bad Wolf that was Adolf Hitler during the 36' Olympics. The power of running and the defiance of hate both intrigued and captured me.  He became a Hero to me and often the subject of many book reports and assignments. He was the catalyst to my love of track n Field.

But in 1984, my love for the sport crossed the threshold from one to admire to one to aspire.  The stage was set in Los Angeles, California. I was old enough to understand the impact of the cold war having learned of it in history class and accepted that I was too young to know that the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Olympics. But in 84', it was on US soil. The anticipation of these games was high, not only because of being on US soil, but also because the then Soviet Union and 13 other Eastern Countries had opted to boycott these games as well.  It was also the first games I would witness on network television.  The opening ceremonies dazzled and seized my attention.  The Parade of Athletes excited and wowed me. I had never seen such fuss over athletic events. I didn't see this much fan fair when Dan Marino, Mike Singletary, Eric Dickerson, Joe Montana, or Marcus Allen would hit the field. I was in awe at the celebration of countries, sportsmanship, and national pride. I at 9 years old desperately wanted to be there. When the final flame was lit signaling the opening of the games, I was racked with anticipation. I watched swimming, gymnastics, diving,  and volleyball. But it was what happened on the track that not only made me a lifelong fan of the Olympics, but sparked my own Olympic flame that continues to burn to this day. 

For those of you who may be reading this too young to know anything about the 84' Olympics, understand that it was special not just because it was on U.S. soil as I mentioned earlier. It was also special because we were introduced to some absolute GIANTS in track n' field.  Names like Carl Lewis, Ben Johnson, Evelyn Ashford, Merlene Ottey, I get goose bumps as I am typing this because I am literally typing the names of LEGENDS who legitimized Track N' Field as a completive sport on the World stage.  The names don't stop there, I was introduced to Roger Kingdom, Valerie Ann Briscoe-Hooks, THE Florence Griffith-Joyner affectionately called FLOJO,  THE EDWIN MOSES,  THE JACKIE JOYNER KERSEE, I mean I could go on and on. I was witnessing history in the making, the birth of the nostalgia that would surround Track N' Field for MANY YEARS after. I was wrapped up in the commercials, the commentary, the athlete profiles, the rivalries. All providing the perfect backdrop and context to the complexity of the sport.  It was the first time I was witness someone compete in a variety of events,  sprints & field events, with most of the field events being introduced to me for the first time. It was the first time seeing the Heptathlon and witnessing the Long Jump.  I was HOOKED. The excitement, the adrenaline rushed through my body like a bolt of electricity with every single race. As if the individual races and stories weren't enough to cause me to go into Track overdose, I witness for the first time, the RELAYS. OOOOh the relays. The relays REALLY sealed track n' field in my 9-year-old heart. You mean, I get to run and win medals by myself & then run with my team and win medals too? SIGN ME UP! SIGN ME UP! I watched Carl Lewis and Evelyn Ashford anchor the men's and women's team to gold. Watching these athletes stand on the podium as the National Anthem played in their honor evoked so much desperation and desire down deep inside me. I wanted to experience it all. I wanted to stand proudly on that podium. Something about the emotion of winning, the experience of working hard to reach that goal and finally accomplish it in such a way, resonated with my heart.  
So, I made a plan. I accepted and committed to this new relationship  with Track N' Field. At 9 years old, I decided that I would follow the steps of Jessie Owens. I would get a college scholarship for track N' field and other sports (I Knew then that I was good at multiple sports strictly based on my athletic ability in gym class LOL), attend Ohio State University. become an Olympian, attend Law School and become a successful Lawyer that wrote for Law Journals. I would run the 100 & 200, Long Jump and Relays.  I would be highly revered and respected for both my athletic and intellectual accomplishments and I would not only live up to, but exceed the expectations of all who loved, supported, and encouraged me to be the best I could be.  

For the next 37 years, I would have a love, hate, relationship with Track N' Field. It was the first entity outside of family & Friends, that I ever loved. But what I didn't know then is that  relationship I would have with Track N' field would also break my heart, change the direction of my life, and send me down a path of self-discovery and healing that 9-year-old me could have never anticipated.  Track N' Field, was my first true love.  We never forget our first love. ​