Silliman Meet & The Big Reveal

As most of you know by now, Dad made a special appearance at Emma's most recent track meet. Although he'd lost a little weight since being in MD, and looked a little washed out and nearly paper thin, he stood next to me to watch Em's races. The wind nearly blew him over a few times, but some of the other runners and their parents took turns helping me hold him up.

Somehow, during all the planning, we were able to keep Dad's trip a secret from Emma. As she warmed up for her first race, and focused on the hurdles in front of her, Dad and I lined up at the finish line and waited. Here's Dad cheering Emma on:

Look how he just blends in with the crowd!

Emma ran the 300M Hurdles at her personal best time, and came in a close second place. She crossed the finish line and bent over to catch her breath. She still hadn't seen Dad. It was only when she stood back up and faced us that she saw him, and her surprise was classic! I wish the video of her reaction would upload so everyone could see it. I'd say she was totally surprised! It was really fun for us to do that for her!

The rest of Emma's track team had fun seeing Dad as well, and a few wanted pictures with him. Dad really worked the crowd...check out some of his photos:

Emma and Dad smile for the camera!

Michael, Emma and I loved spending the day with Dad!

Emma and Dad pose with one of Emma's relay team members, Caroline.

Michael, Dad and Emma got a good visit.

Another one of Emma's relay teammates, Mary Claire, wanted a photo with Dad.

Between videotaping and keeping up with Dad, I didn't have enough hands to take any photos. Noel and Michael arrived in time to catch Emma's last race, the 1600M Relay, and helped take some pictures. The photos are very blurry, but you can still see Emma. She's just too fast for my camera!

Emma approaches the track at the start of the race. Since one of the regular relay members was hurt, Emma ran the first leg of the relay. See her with the baton?
There's Em out front, leading the pack!
Emma gets close to the handoff, and is about to pass the other teams' second leg runners waiting for their handoffs.
Still in first, Emma spots Laurel...

...and the handoff is smooth. Laurel's off!
Em slows down as everything around her keeps moving.

Emma had her personal best time in this race. I think it was 62 seconds (wow!). Way to go, Em! Their team came in 3rd, just behind the second place team. The two teams in front are not in our district, so that's good. Most importantly, though, is that Em's team beat their rivals, Huntington, by a good 20 or 30 seconds! Yea!

Not all of the video I have would upload, but several are below. Have fun watching Em!

The Long Jump

Emma's first jump:

She jumped a distance of 13' 9" on her first attempt.

Emma's second jump:

On her second attempt, she jumped a distance of 14' 1/4".

Emma's third jump:

Emma's final jump distance was her best of the day at 14' 6 and 3/4", which put her in 2nd. Great job, Em!

400M Relay:

100M Hurdles:

To recap, here's how Em finished in her races:

Long Jump..................................................2nd

300M Hurdles............................................2nd

800M Relay................................................3rd

400M Relay................................................4th

100M Hurdles.............................................??

1600M Relay..............................................3rd