Meet # 9 - Neenah, WI
Neenah was a weird night (to say the least).
We got there and were told the pole vault had been canceled due to the rain. Everything else was OK'd to start so the girls long jump and the boys triple jump were my athletes' first events.
While the two were jumping, it became apparent that the boards were going to be slippery due to the rain. There were a number of jumpers that came off the boards erratically and some even seemed to injure themselves.
After a few slips I met with a few of the other coaches and discussed safety concerns. I then left to discuss my concerns with my head coach, and in that time the events were cancelled. I discussed this with the judge and he cited a fear of injury (which I agreed with).
Roughly 10 minutes later there was a call for all head coaches to head to the press box (which is never a good sign). Our head coach headed up and walked into a discussion where the vote was already 8-0 in favor of canceling the rest of the meet. Although I thought the jumps should be watch for possible cancellation I didn't see the point in the entire meet being cancelled. I was pretty surprised...
The kids were really upset, but all we could do was pack up and get back on the bus for another 1.5 hour drive.
When we arrived back home so athletes and coaches stayed behind to hold a small "mock meet" and the kids had a blast. I didn't stay because I didn't think my jumpers would compete well after being on a bus for 3 hours (total) that night, but apparently they did very well on the track events they "competed" in.
That's what our team is all about - competing and a love for the sport. When we were told the meet was cancelled our kids were upset and felt "cheated". Other teams were so happy that they'd no longer have to compete in the rain that they were celebrating. That is why our team headed back home and got to work - absolutely amazing!
TOMORROW
Monday will be all about approaches. Next week is an extremely important week. It is the last week prior to our conference meet, and we have 4 meets next week! Approach work needs to be perfected to help every approach/jump from here out count.