When David played basketball in both high school and college, he talked trash. Brady has a bit of the same gene in his system, but nothing like David. The Bad Boy Pistons were a great team during David’s high school years. I suggested he follow Joe Dumars’ example. Dumars spoke little and let his game speak for itself. David’s reply was, “I want to be like Bill Laimbeer.” Laimbeer talked a lot of trash.
Eva has been running track this spring. She loves it, and her whole demeaner has changed. She talks track but not trash. She runs the 200, 400, and 800. She’s run the1600, AKA the mile, but it’s not her favorite. She’s run legs for the 1600 relay team and anchored it at least once. She’d like to give the hurtles a try, and may before her season ends, because they “look like fun”. She’s only a freshman and constantly improving. I marveled at the fact that she runs a “cool down” lap after each race. It’s the first time I’ve heard of someone running to cool down.
Her coach works well with her, and she speaks highly of “Kyle”. He’s encouraged her to try different events, and they’re both learning about her strengths and weaknesses. His motivation has a lot to do with her success. He knows what makes her tick.
We went out to dinner after last Wednesday’s meet. She had done well and was feeling good about her performance. Her conversation was one of the most animated I’d witnessed in a long time. She talked while David, Lindsay and I just listened. It was wonderful.
When we first spoke about track last November, Eva told me she was looking forward to it because, “It’s a lot like swimming. You compete with yourself, trying to improve your time, and you don’t have to rely on others.” Her hard work this season is paying off, and she’s repeatedly lowered her PBs, personal best times.
Lindsay and David both ran track in high school. They both excelled and held a school record, or two, during their tenure. Like most accomplishments, it’s a point of pride. That’s how Eva got the running gene. It was passed on from her parents.
David went on to run two years in college. He preferred basketball but used track to open the door to play on the basketball team. Ruth and I drove to most of his games (basketball) and meets (track). We once drove four hours one way to watch him run for 47 seconds on a Saturday, so driving an hour and a half to watch Eva run a single 400 last Friday, was no big deal. She ran another PB
I don’t know if she’ll continue her running ways, but I hope so. Her school has cross country and indoor track teams. Kyle has encouraged her to run, so perhaps she will. If she continues to improve, she could run in college like her dad.
If she never runs again, I’ve got last Wednesday’s joyful voice locked in my brain. I just love it when she talks track.