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Dave Griffin On Running
The Carroll County Times – Sunday, January 24, 2010
*The Times agreed to accept a special column about the possibility of having High School Indoor Track cut from the budget.
You could say indoor track is like a stage. There’s a confined area where people perform, encircled by onlookers. It takes courage to race on the small oval track, because it feels like the world is watching.
I competed on that stage back in high school, and among the small collection of awards I still keep is a medal I earned there.
I still remember the gathering of friends who waited for me on the far corner. They cheered and encouraged me each time I’d pass. Just a few strides ahead was a teammate, much more talented than I, who I desperately tried to catch.
The last lap is fixed in my mind, like some YouTube video. My friends screamed as I ran by them for the last time, just moments away from winning that medal, which sits next to my keyboard as I type these words.
I don’t keep it because I ran well that day. I keep it because I proved to myself that I could be courageous. I keep it because it reminds me that I always have people pulling for me. Perhaps more than anything, I keep it because it helps me remember that ultimate success is a process, and this medal represents one step in a life-long journey.
I started running indoor track as a shy and apprehensive kid. By the time I was finished high school running, I was more confident and sure. Challenge is the seed from which strength grows.
Maybe you’ve already heard, but Carroll County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Charles Ecker, has proposed removing indoor track from the budget. Our financial woes are real, and some areas need to be cut. He must believe that indoor track adds less value than other possible options. He’s wrong.
We could talk for hours about what you need and what you don’t need to have quality schools, but most of us could probably agree on some basic principles.
For example, most would agree that children need to be challenged. They need to live with high expectations so that they learn to expect a lot from themselves. They need to recognize that they own a door to achievement and it only opens from the inside.
My youngest child will graduate in June, and I’ve stayed pretty engaged as both my children have progressed through Carroll schools. I can tell you without hesitation that the system spends a lot of money on things that don’t encourage these core principles. In fact, many dollars are spent on things that distract from them. Let’s cut those things first.
Some might say I’m biased. Fair enough. But my biases are built upon a lifetime of experience.
Running is a simple sport. Distance is fixed. The measurement of time is constant. And, it doesn’t matter whether you finish first, last or somewhere in between, something important is learned from the simplicity – preparation and effort impact performance. It seems to me that we would want more, not less opportunities for our children to understand that.
I think I’ll always keep that medal, but more importantly, I’ll keep what was gained in earning it.
Note – To provide feedback about the proposed budget, or to get information about the public hearings, visit www.carrollk12.org
Dave Griffin
Dave Griffin is the Times’ running writer. His column appears every other Sunday. Reach him at dpgflyingfeet@aol.com or join the Facebook group, Flying Feet Running Programs.