Hit the Dirt

Two days ago I was at the UHSAA State Track and Field Meet at BYU with my Unified Track Team from Cedar High School. Two years prior was our first visit to this track meet with our two original athletes. One of those has since graduated and is serving an LDS Service Mission in the St George Utah Mission. The other original member of that track team is in his Junior year. That team is bigger today. We had 16 team members made up of 9 special needs students, 6 partner athletes, and one special guest athlete, my former student that is a service missionary who was there to support his younger sister. One of our partners didn’t make it and they allowed me to have this former student and current service missionary fill in as a member of a relay team. It was awesome. 

2 years ago these two students threw a shot put as far as they could at that BYU meet.  At the track there the shot put circle is 20 feet away from the dirt. They both came up well short of the dirt, landing in the grass. We left that track meet and set the goal to hit the dirt. Last year we went again and though they got closer, neither hit the dirt. 

On Friday, things were rushed. They ran things different up there this year and my athletes were hopping. They had multiple events happening at the same time and really rushed things. As a result I was not at the shot put pit. Only later did I learn that dirt was hit. The throw was a personal record of 21’10”. The practice and preparation over the last two years paid off and the goal was achieved. It was awesome to celebrate that victory with that student.  It was awesome to celebrate hard work and achievement with all of our athletes. It was awesome to watch Elder Harker the service missionary put in some special service that day. 

This year I coached Unified Soccer, Unified Basketball, and Unified Track. I watch in amazement at the impact this program has on these students. I have seen so much growth as confidence has increased dramatically. It has been a lot, it is hard to find the time. At the end of the day, when that student hits the dirt, it is all worth it.