Cross Country Event 9/12/17
Location: Summit Academy Independence, Bluffdale UT
Schools: SA Independence, SA Draper, Ascent Academy (Lehi)
Course: One mile up a slight uphill road, and then one mile downhill to the finish
Jensens
Joshua ran without his kneebrace but took some Ibuprofren before hand this time. He didn’t complain about his knee at all. He finished 15th at 14:53. This is about 20 seconds slower than last race but 2 places higher. That placement is higher because there were only three school present.
I think he would give more effort if he thought he could “win” but has settled into a slightly slower and easier pace knowing that he can’t actually win. This is a different type of competition for him and he isn’t used to the idea of compteting against himself or opponents who aren’t right in front of him. He’s just happy to go his pace. Which is fine. I just want him to be happy. I think he is enjoying the events even though he doesn’t finish first.
Kristie is still the shortest girl I’ve seen run. I don’t imagine that is fixable either. She finished in 12th place at 16:25. That is 2 spots lower in ranking but an almost identical time to last meet’s 16:26. She knows how fast she can run, sets the rhythm she can handle, and keeps it going. For her size (the shortest I’ve seen) and age (a young 6th grader running with 6/7/8 grades) I continue to be impressed by her effort and results. She is awesome!
It must be in her genes!
Helping Out
I helped out at this race since it was at OUR school. I volunteered for “crowd control” and used the van to block off the roadway they were running on. It was a low-key spot without much traffic that was the 1/2 way point in the race. I mention myself only to tell the story of the bozo who drove right past me and the cones set up.
The van was parked in the middle of the road, blocking one lane entirely and parts of two others (15 passenger vans are long). On top of that, there were 2 rows of colored cones (yellow, red, blue) all the way across the road to mark the running path for the racers. I had an orange safety vest hung on the mirror of the van and a big red STOP sign.
A few minutes after I get set up a local PD comes up and tells me he is glad to see me, because he thought HE was going to have to do it. Instead he went to check on the other sections of road to be closed off.
Really, Guy?
In between the two races (boys and girls) a work truck comes up and sees me, slows down a bit, then guns it and runs right past me and over the cones. This means he is now cruising down the racetrack that these middle school kids are running on.
Just as he flies by, the local PD officer I had already talked to came up to the intersection from the other direction. The driver had been so busy scoping me out he didn’t see the cop. The cop saw him though. As I stood up and yelled at they guy, this cop flips on his lights, corners around past me as well, and runs the guy down only about 1/4 mile from where he passed me.
Decision Making Process
The cop did what cops do and then came back my direction. I asked him what excuse the guy had and he tells me, “He said that this wasn’t an official barricade and that he shouldn’t be required to stop.” I’m not sure if he cited the idiot or not, but apparently he gave him an earful about his decision making process.
Does he typically see citizens blocking off roads for their own amusement/purposes? The officer was thought he was going to be here instead of me. Can I assume that the PD car with lights flashing on top would have made it “an official barricade” to him? I wonder what he thought he was going to find at the other end? What would he have done when he ran into a mass of students and parents with no exit but to turn back?
No one was hurt, and no one was even in danger at that time. I’m glad he didn’t try it with any kids running by. If they had been running by I assume he would have seen them and been smart enough to realize there WAS a good reason for the road to be blocked off (children’s protection) and have chosen differently.