“Track – Part I”

I have a confession to make. I have been the Sport’s Editor at The Times for over 3 ½ years now. I’ve gotten a few pot shots for not covering a few events but overall most of the comments I get are very favorable. But I must admit that during these 3 ½ years my coverage of this county’s high school track programs has been, at best, poor. There are several reasons as to why the coverage has been poor.

(1) Track season occurs in the spring and coincides with the stick and ball sports of softball and baseball seasons. There are five varsity softball teams and five varsity baseball teams in the county. Throw in Chipola’s baseball and softball squads and I am busting my backside trying to cover those twelve teams.

(2) Track meets are tough to cover in that they are very long and are very spread out. A typical track meet will last a minimum of four hours and can go as long as six to eight hours. And there are multiple events going on at one time. So while a race is taking place, the high jump and shot put may also be taking place at the same time, all in different locations of the field.

(3) The four county varsity track teams (Marianna, Cottondale, Graceville & Sneads) don’t go to many of the same track meets. This would make it much

easier to cover all the county teams. Last Wednesday in Wewahitchka was the first and only time this season in which all four county varsity track squads participated in the same meet.

(4) All of the track meets are held outside of Jackson County and I try not to travel outside the county very much to cover sporting events. The reason there are no track meets within Jackson County’s borders is that there is no full fledge track complex at any of our high schools. (See next week’s column, Track – Part II, for more on this subject)

While in my book these are valid reasons for the poor coverage, the reality is that they are just excuses on my part. The five varsity track squads, along with a solid track program at Grand Ridge Middle School, amounts to more than 100 county athletes. Those athletes work just as hard as any other sport in practicing and preparation for the meets. They experience the same highs and same lows as any other athlete. So they should be recognized in the same fashion as the stick and ball sports (that’s a nickname for traditional sports such as football, basketball. Baseball and softball).

I’ve been trying to do better this season and I hope page three of sports this week (Freeze Frame) is another step in the right direction. Simply Put, our county’s track athletes and coaches deserve it.

From the Front Porch: Coach said our actions are the springs of our happiness or misery.