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This week, three local athletes will travel to Austin to participate in the state track and field meet.

For me, the end of track and field is always bittersweet. Watching track and field events is one of my favorites to cover. Raw talent is refined and pushed to its peak and celebrates the height of human capability.

But track and field also means that the UIL competition is soon to end and the summer, while fun, is void of school sanctioned competition.

Therefore I like to take more time to enjoy these particular events and the athletes that worked so hard to reach the top of their respective crafts.

Sanaria Butler and Cyrus Jacobs of Port Neches-Groves will join Memorial’s Ke’Andre Jones at the competition. Butler leads the pack by qualifying for the long jump, triple jump and 400 meter dash. Jacobs will run in the 800 meter dash and Jones will compete in the high jump.

Each of these athletes have trained all year and for some, much longer, to get to this point. Regardless of the outcome, these student athletes should appreciate the fact they are in this position. Very few get to make it to this point and anything after this is icing on the cake.

That being said I know the competitive nature of these kids is pushing them to come home with a medal.

It has been a pleasure to watch their seasons unfold as they broke personal records each week as they strived for greatness. That is the goal of most sports. Each coach will tell you that they want to see their athletes get better as the season goes on. And for the most part, they do. It is just more difficult to see in other sports. A football team could go out and beat an opponent 42-0 one week and then squeak out a 17-14 win the next. Judging by the scoreboard, they did not play as well in the second week. But there are other variables at play like opposing team talent.

In track and field, it is the athlete against the stopwatch or tape measurer. Yes, they are competing against other athletes, but it is difficult to scheme speed or athletic ability. One can practice and improve form but there aren’t many underdogs in track and field. Usually the people who ran fastest and jump highest and furthest win.

There is not shame in that and the goal now should be to do the best they can. They have been coached well all season and have performed well. They are ready. Good luck.

 

Chris Moore is the sports editor for Port Arthur Newsmedia. He can be reached at chris.moore@panews.com.