Track // Sprinter's Showcase

 Each year, the annual Sprinter's Showcase is hosted at Lafayette Jefferson High School.   There are time standards that competitors have to meet in order to compete at this venue.  Several of our girls had met the standards for the 100 and 200 so they were going down to compete.  On Monday of last week, we found out that the 4x400 relay had met the time standard and so they had been invited and Melayna found out that she would be running in the event.  That was definitely exciting news as there would be a lot of really fast competition at this event and it could be another great way for her to lower her split time once again.

Morgan had arrived at the house just minutes before Nolan got out of school, so once I got back home, she asked if she could ride along with me to the track meet and then Marissa would stay home with Nolan once she arrive at the house.  It was definitely nice to have some company during the drive.  We had a nice time talking and catching up on the way down and we arrived at the school about 30 minutes before Melayna was suppose to run so we were able to find her warming up.  

A few minutes later, she looked up into the stands and found where we were sitting and she gave us the thumbs up.  Before the meet, she said that she was trying for a 1:02 so we were definitely praying that the Lord would show her favor and that she could run fast enough to get that time.

At this meet, they call each competitor out by name so Warsaw's relay would be running in the third lane.   (This would not be the same relay team that competed in the Tuesday meet earlier in the week so the order and handoffs would look a little different, but hopefully they would still put down a good time)

Melayna would run in the second spot at this event.

After the race started, she would stand and try to stay loose while she waits for her turn.  

Our lead-off runner ran a 1:02, which was a new PR for her, but unfortunately, most of the girls from the other schools run under a minute and so the speed of everyone else made Dee look really slow.   I started filming as the girl in orange is running down the home stretch and as you can see in the video, we were already near the back when Melayna received the baton at the first exchange.  She did a really nice job holding us in the same position and not allowing anyone to pass her.

After she handed off to Lucy, she tried to veer to the right to stay out of the way of the other runners and so she ended up walking all the way over to the outside fence and leaned down to catch her breath.  The official apparently didn't like her standing on the track as the race continued so he took her shoulder and tried to lead her back across the track so that she could rest on the inside.  Morgan and I weren't sure what was happening as we just saw the official trying to lead her by the shoulders and so we thought that maybe she needed medical attention or something.  Nope!  Thankfully it wasn't anything like that.  He just wanted her off of his track and was afraid that she would impede the runners by trying to cross by herself. 

She did let herself collapse to the turf to catch her breath, but she got back up again pretty quickly when her coached told her that she had just run a 1:02.1.  That time would be a new PR for her and would be the fastest split of her team that night!!   

That's so exciting!!  Congratulations Melayna on reaching a new PR -- 62 seconds is a great time and we are so excited for you for meeting that goal so early in the season!!

Since we still had a two hour drive back home, Morgan and I got up to leave as soon as the boys relay race had finished and as we were walking away, we heard them announce the winners for the girls relay.  Our Lady Tigers surprised us and finished in  6th place overall, so they were called over to receive their ribbons.  Unfortunately, by that point, I had walked too far away to get a good picture but I was able to catch Melayna's smile as she walked back across the track and went to cool down.

(Melayna is standing on the ground in the 6th place position and she is wearing the orange shirt and  looking directly at me for the picture)

Melayna would show me this picture on Saturday.  It's a picture of her and two of her future Grace College teammates.  Apparently one of the Dads had seen her walking around with her Grace College sweatshirt on and he asked her if she was running there next year.  When she told him that she was, he invited her over and introduced her to his daughter and then after the meet, the two other girls called Melayna back over and asked her to take a picture with them.  She thought that was pretty fun!!