Yesterday was the first track meet of the season. Parker is pole vaulting again and it is so fun (and a bit to scary) to watch him fly through the air:
He's a senior this year, so this will be our last year of track meets, because Kailen is not really a track girl.
Parker also ran in the 100, 100, 200, 400 relay, running the 200 leg. He did hold his own pretty well against those really, really fast boys. There are two freshman on our team who are in the top 25 in the nation, and I'm sure there were other kids there who are even more talented. It was really fun to watch all the events!
Parker's pole vaulting career has not been an easy one. He pole vaulted on the Varsity team as a freshman, and started his sophomore year on the varsity team until he fractured his back a few weeks into the season. He sat out the rest of the season and not only could he not pole vault, but he also couldn't play basketball or do anything sports-like for about six months. If you know Parker, this was a very, very long six months because he loves sports and being active. He was really good at doing his physical therapy and taking care of his back so it could heal. He still has some discomfort with pole vaulting, but the doctor told him that would just be part of what he'd have to deal with. I think it's been a good lesson for him on how to not only deal with trials, but to learn that life isn't always fair and things happen even when we're being careful.
Unfortunately, there's no pole vaulting coach again this year, so he's trying to remember what he learned at a pole vaulting camp he went to last summer. It's a bit frustrating for him to not have a coach, and although he does really well on his own, we feel like he could do even better with even a little bit of coaching. He's actually teaching the new kids how to pole vault, which is good, but not quite the same. But he's hanging in there and doing the best he can.
And we're very proud of him for that!
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