Our usual practice protocol over at the aforementioned Big Blue Doughnut calls for our sprint team to work out on Mondays and Wednesdays at the indoor track, while the distance men and women do their endless laps there on Tuesdays. This being the first week of intersession training, with athletes trickling back in waves, everything is kind of disjointed. Plus! Our first meet of 2015 is on Saturday, at West Point, so today was the logical workout day on the track for both groups.
This led to a logjam of Marist track athletes on a tight and narrow, elevated 3-lane track. There were more than 30 of us crammed onto that track. It make for some nerve-wracking moments, but there were no crashes and everyone watched out for each other. However, another interesting dynamic was the first-time blending of our XC/distance crew with our dedicated sprint crew at the same time and the same venue. We have a lot of new faces in both groups, and this led some of our older men's distance athletes to wonder aloud who some of these newcomers were. Of course, this cuts both ways as our newcomers -- who have been working so hard for months -- probably wondered who those guys were.
This delicate dance happens every year, and it usually gets smoothed out once we all share a bus or a van for a few weeks en route to practices and meets. That's the uniqueness of track and field: Several different teams within a team. There will be plenty of time for introductions and getting-to-know-you moments over the coming weeks and months. Until that time ... have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste ...
No comments:
Post a Comment