Six thousand two hundred and sixty-eight steps in a meet, but that doesn’t even make a dent into the amount of memories I have with this team. If you were to show freshman-year me the step count on my watch after a singular track, I would have called you crazy. Back then, I didn’t realize that being a manager was so much more than standing on the sidelines with a stopwatch; I didn’t know that it would eventually require me to be in five places at once.
Over the last four years, every season has looked different. My roles have changed, and the ‘managerial’ side has evolved from learning the ropes to mastering the chaos. I’ve seen coaches come and go, and I’ve had the privilege of working under some of the greatest mentors I have ever met. But even as the staff changed and the roles shifted, my love for this experience never did.
Being a manager gave me a front row seat to things I never thought I would get to experience. I got the opportunity to join the team at Drake Relays for three years, feel the electricity of that stadium, and watch legends compete there like Tara and Hunter Woodhall run – a memory I’ll keep forever. I’ve traveled to Council Bluffs for State Qualifying meets and watched the team compete at State for three years in a row. These were the “highs,” but those steps weren’t always easy. For every ‘high,’ there are the lows that nobody sees – the moms disliking me filming or weird men giving me their business cards for athletes.
Now, as my last season winds down, the hardest part isn’t the work, it’s the realization that soon, I won’t be walking out the school doors to head to the track. I’m going to miss seeing the people who have become my home away from home. But as I look at the distance I cover during a meet, I realize those steps represent more than just movement. They are the steps taken to assist timing, film content, take photos, and film events. They are the steps logged in the rain, the heat, the cold, and the wind – all for a team that has become my second family.
It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to realize the ‘last” of everything is approaching. There’s a specific kind of sadness in watching the sun set on your final season, knowing that soon I won’t be counting those steps anymore. But looking back at the freshman who had no idea what she was getting into, I can’t help but feel grateful. If someone were to ask me what song captures the essence of these four years – the highs, the lows, and all the experiences in between – I wouldn’t even have to think about it. I’d just say Ronnie Milsap’s ‘I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World.’ Because even though this is a bittersweet ending, I would do it all over again in another lifetime.
Finding and being a part of this team has been my greatest blessing in high school. So with that; thank you to this team, the athletes, the coaches, and the parents because without you this greatness wouldn’t be possible.
