White Boys Can Run and Jump

Keagan's First Track Meet...He was so nervous this morning, he let his brother eat his blueberry waffles. There was no Leggo my Eggos in this house.

He ran the 50 meter race and got second place, but I swear to you that he lost it by the tip of the other boy's nose. He ran the 100 and got first. He ran it in 16 seconds flat; the Georgia state record is 14:56. My heart was fluttering with the news. He crossed the finish line, and I wanted to scream, "That's my boy!" But of course our matching pale skin color revealed that secret without my uttering a word.

Keagan's field event is the running long jump. He is serious about the long jump....just like he's serious about his meats. Just look at that face. The other boys are looking at bugs in the grass, and Keagan has his eyes locked on the sand pit.

The boy was flying in the air like he had done this for years. How does he do it? I remember attempting the long jump when I was in seventh grade. I swear to you that I jumped less than five feet, and that's when the coach realized there was really no hope for me and gently suggested I give the discus a try. I did, and on the second day of training, my aim was so off, my disc hit a fellow track team member in the knee. I think that's when I was told the 800 meter would be my event. How can Keagan make it look so simple? He won the running long jump with a 9-1 jump, a full foot short of his record, I might add.

I kid you not. I overheard one parent ask another, "Have you seen the white boy run?"
"What's he run....the 800?"
"No, Man, the boy runs sprints, and he's actually fast."
"Really? Hummm. Don't see that everyday."

Guess who asked me to take him to the track tomorrow to train?