School Story
I was an athlete for about two weeks sophomore year - indoor track. I didn't have a pair of sweats so I didn't continue to the outdoor season. Although it doesn't rank among the greatest feats of HS athleticism like three touchdowns against Polk High, my Al Bundy moment occurred in the Proviso West fieldhouse, where the varsity and sophomore track teams had a triangular meet against PW and Glenbard North. Their indoor track had 6 lanes. My event was the 440 (no meters back then), and Keith Jackson and another Lane teammate sent me out to start in lane 6 - the far outside. This was my first time running on an actual track (we ran in the halls at Lane), and it meant I was the guy in front with nobody to watch to set a pace. So the gun goes off and I bolt. I run as fast as I can for as long as I can, and somewhere about halfway into the second (final) lap Keith and the other Lane guy blew past me like I was standing still. I get to the top of the final turn and a coach for GN points directly at me and yells to his kid, somewhere in back, "That's your guy! He's done!" My knees are moving sideways, but I push through, and ... the kid from GN catches me at the line. I finish fourth, but they awarded 5-3-2-1 points for the top 4 finishers. I scored ONE for the team!
Epilogue: The final event is the mile relay. Three teams, and they award points 3-2-1. I wasn't running because they didn't need a guy pushing a wheelbarrow. We're two points behind GN and I'm thinking we'd be tied if I hadn't let that kid catch me. Sadness. But LAne is fleet, and after three perfect handoffs anchor (might have been Keith again) catches the kid from GN at the line for first. We finish in second, a point back. BUT WAIT! The kid from Glenbard SLAMS the baton to the ground after he passes the line, also disgusted that he was caught at the line, and GN gets DISQUALIFIED from that event for unsportsmanlike conduct. GN loses their 2 points for the relay, and LANE WINS!! My point made a difference after all. GO LANE GO!!!
As an aside, I didn't marry Peg Bundy.
