The Runner

Tabitha played YMCA soccer for a couple of seasons in Tulsa, and we noticed when she got possession of the ball she almost always darted out ahead of everyone--it seemed like no one could catch her. So we thought she was a pretty quick runner, and we discussed getting her on a track team, but we never followed through with it.

In March, the kids' school here in DC announced that they were starting a track team for third grade and up. Tabitha is in third grade, so we thought, here's our chance to see how fast she really is! We went to the meeting, paid the fee, and signed her up. She started going to practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

When I picked her up from her first or second practice, her coach told me that she was very fast and she was doing really well. As her mom, I loved hearing that, but I still hadn't really seen it for myself. The coach continued to brag on her after practices, how she was working hard and she was learning a lot and doing certain things better than some of the other kids.

The first two scheduled track meets were canceled because of bad weather, so Tabitha's first meet was last Wednesday. Tabitha rode to the field with her team, and the other kids and I picked Harvey up at his office and we drove to the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex, which is right next to FedEx Field, where the Washington Redskins play. We arrived, made our way up to the bleachers, and scoped the track for Tabitha. She was in a big crowd of kids waiting their turns to run the 100.

We were excited, of course, when she lined up with the other nine- and ten-year-olds to run. As the gun went off, she sprinted out ahead of the group and won easily. Harvey and I were going crazy; I'm sure we got some looks as we jumped and shouted for our girl. Her next race was the 400, and she won that as well. We came back down to reality a bit when she ran her last race, the 200, and came in second. Still, not a bad showing for her first meet. She was also the only runner from her school to come away with blue ribbons. We celebrated afterward by eating out at Olive Garden, a family favorite, but we hadn't eaten there since we moved.

Representin the Cornerstone Lions

Monday Tabitha had her second meet, and the results were similar: blue ribbons for the 100, 200, and relay race (which she anchored), and a red ribbon for the 400. It was fun to watch her in the 200 this time, because she was behind most of the race, but she caught up at the end, and we couldn't tell whether she won until we saw them hand her a blue ribbon. Must have been her competitive spirit--she doesn't like to lose.

So those have been the stories of glory for our little third-grade runner so far. Whether or not she makes it to the Olympics someday, we're enjoying her successes for now, and we're proud. And it's nothing to do with us, which in a way makes it more special--we get the blessing of sharing in her victories without having contributed anything ourselves to them--except maybe a little love and encouragement. (And a lot of crazy loud cheering on.)