Antioch Co-ed Quad @ Lakes

On Friday night, we were able to give more people a chance to step up to the competition. The facility at Lakes is simply stunning with a great racing surface, jumbo results board, and plenty of space. I'm going to be honest, though: the meet felt like a whirlwind with both the men and women competing. Here's what stood out to me:

Women Taking Risks: 

• Hurdle Crew!  Wowza! These women have not had a chance to formally practice, some since last year (looking at you, Tati and Sierra-Rayne) and some at all in their lives (Tanasiah, MarMar, Lanay, and Mary).  Yes, getting back into blocks and managing all those barriers can be nerve-wrecking, but Tati and Sierra-Rayne helped get this group believing. I was really proud of everyone in this race for taking a risk! 
• 4X200 Squads:  The handoff situation is always rough indoors. There is just no way around it because there isn't enough space. Our 4X200 women handled that chaos with grace and wisdom, finding each other to make it work! Remember this throughout the season--you can persevere through any mess.
• 800 Beautifuls: As I was handing out uniforms, I offered Pamela and Mia a spot in the open 800. They have been training with the sprinters, so this offer was definitely asking a lot! They both seized the opportunity and looked great! Proud of them for stepping up to the challenge! Itzel and Colleen doubled back from the 4X800 relay, also an impressive feat! Itzel ran FASTER in her second race!
• 400 Beautifuls:  Leah, Abi, and Jireh looked fantastic in the open 400, a real woman's race. And then in the 4X400?  Tanasiah, Mary, SaMyra, and Victoria ate it up! This relay was impressive because they ran the race as one should: they fought for each other HARD. I was so impressed the way each woman went out aggressively and then drove home hard in the final stretch. They had our team racing across the infield and cheering their heads off!
• Shot Put Beautifuls: This crew is BRAND NEW, and I love the energy they brought to the meet! Congrats to freshie Melissa for leading this crew!
• Jump Squad Beautifuls: Mary, Angie, and Lanay all used the meet to practice the high jump today since our pit is still in storage. Fantastic work from these three!  Our sand jumpers also bravely used the competition to start figuring out marks and wake up their jump skills. Clara and Grace both PRed in the triple!  

Overall, I was pretty impressed by the way everyone managed the first-competition jitters. I loved the energy at the end of the meet as we supported our 4X400 teams. While a great performance can help ignite a teammate's competitive fire, so can hearing supportive cheers. When you are not warming up or cooling down, always think about how you can be positively contributing to the team's energy. Nice work everyone--we definitely grew by 1%!