High School Years-Chap.6 – The Track Team
In my junior year, Alan and Denver had joined the Cross Country Track Team. I believe Laura and Michelle convinced them to. George was on the soccer team. And even Sean joined the Golf team. I was content playing hockey. Dek hockey was at night and only street hockey went on when my friends were involved with their school sponsored sports. On days I didn’t play hockey, I would go to the school, when Denver and Alan were at X-Country practice. I’d run with them around the perimeter of the school avoiding the sightlines of the coach as not to get them in trouble. The whole time, I’d be yapping away talking about the high school drama of the week. When I talked to Laura or Michelle while we were running, a girl named Danielle would have a scowl and generally be pissed off. She was trying really hard and there I was running and talking and not even be winded while she was huffing and puffing away. I told her to cheer up and she just blurted out, "You try and run three miles and still smile." That next year I did.
My good friend Eric was the Team Captain so it didn’t take much to convince me to join. I told my parents I joined the team and they were happy for me. I told my mother I needed running shoes. She got me a regular pair of sneakers; I didn’t care enough so I ran in them. Denver bowed out and opted not to join the following year. Instead, George’s parents had opened a Pet Food store in town. Denver worked there after school and I worked there weekends. It never did any business, so it turned into a social hang out for us.
The team was small so we all became really close. Outside of practice and meets we all hung out socially. There was tension between Danielle and Eric over a date or two the year before that didn’t work out, but generally, little drama. A lot of the girls went to the X-Country Coach’s church and joined their "Youth Group" and tried to get us boys to join. It didn’t take. Despite Alan being pretty spiritual, even he didn’t take a shine to it. A lot of it seemed phony. A lot of the kids were using it to meet others of the opposite sex. Plus, Laura, being Jewish, felt excluded. It was a little annoying how they kept trying to convert us and "save our souls.” It didn’t help when Eric would goad them with comments about Satanism or ritual sacrifice. Or when he insisted Plastic Jesus died for his sins by melting all over his dashboard.
In the spring we all reunited again for Track. George and Dan were on this team and again Eric was team Captain. We had a blast. My events were the two mile, 4X8 Relay and occasionally the one mile. I made conferences which was the competition against the best in the division. For the two mile race, Alan lent me his running sneakers, and even though they were too big for me, psychologically they helped. I ran my best time for the two mile. Actually, I had blown away my one mile record on route to my coach’s amazing. He was in shock that halfway through the race he was screaming at me, wondering why I had held back all season.
In the end, I made a lot more friends and regret waiting until the final year of school to join the team. I missed out on so much more fun.
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