Musings

[04/09, midnight coach musings] The statue atop this page - The Townley Discobolus - is a classic, archetypal Greco-Roman sculpture that depicts track. Our sport. The sport you signed up for. Lacrosse, football, basketball ain't got nothin' on track historically. Soccer comes close...but the ancient olympics didn't have it; it had wrestling, though, it was way more violent. Anyway, I digress.

I've seen the statue above in person, along with others, and it's another experience in person. That's a line I'd hear from people older than me when I was in high school...something like, "when you're there in person it's just a whole different experience - pictures and videos don't do it justice." I never really cared when I heard stuff like that, and I was someone who liked history class. I'd just think, "Yea, these videos and pictures don't move me, it's a boring statue/historical site/painting/building. When's lunch, and what am I doing Friday?" Then, studying abroad in college, my mind was blown. A museum tour was branded on my brain for eternity.

To see these hunks of marble, so precisely chiseled to where you swear you can see their ribcages rising and falling because they're breathing, or the robes draped around life-like bodies seemingly billow in a breeze because they are so intricately and smoothly constructed forces deep thoughts into your soul. "How did they do it? When did the start training? Could I ever do that, or have done it? It was two to three thousand years ago...why would they spend time doing that back then? How did it survive until now? But it's just a hunk of marble, why am I thinking about it so much? Will my efforts and actions now last a long time like this statue and the skill of its creator? How long? What positive mark will I make in life? How will I make it? Will it outlast me? For how long? This statue is kicking my ass..."

That's just a snippet of the inner monologue that occurred at the British Museum in the fall of 2007, but I recall it like it was yesterday...those old pieces of rock, influencing my deepest thoughts.

"Coach, why are you telling us this random story? Are you going through a midlife crisis?" Yes, but that's not the point. The point is that you just had you first track meet in the 2022 spring season and you need to ponder it deeply. While you may not have classical masterpieces in front of you to ignite your thoughts, the sport itself is a classical masterpiece. So ponder deeply, gentleman, upon your performance today, so as to adjust and improve for the next one, and

• Were you prepared? This is a big question, as it encompasses so much. Such as…

  • How was your sleep two nights ago?

  • Hydrated?

  • Post-school snack? Healthy/smart meals day of meet/workout?

  • Proper clothing for weather?

  • Thinking about race, having a game plan? (Ask your coaches for guidance here, or about any of these)

  • Letting life/personal/academic stresses get best of you? Did you knowingly avoid or not do something you knew would be beneficial to meet preparation? Why? How will you adjust going forward?

At the meet, did you…

• Properly warm-up/cool-down before/after events? (its gotta occur multiple times if you're in multiple events)

• Goof off/be distracted too much with your down time?

• Sip on water, or sports drink? (sports drink after/between an event only)

• Go to the line with a negative attitude/mindset? If so, why? When did the negative mindset start? About what? How will you thwart that next time?

• Support teammates, scope out competition, even if it's your teammates? (You can learn a lot from observing, and it helps you stay aware of meet flow for your events)

• Help out coaches when asked, or not? (Can help you stay present and focused…and warm!)

• Beat yourself up too much after a result you didn’t like (There's always positives and negatives to every track performance; focus/reflect on each equally)

Nearly all of these questions come down to sacrificing - your downtime, choice of food/drink, your comfort and convenience, your social life...the easy way is always easy. Doing what's right is "too damn hard," to quote Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman." Why do you choose the easy way for certain things?

By the way, that specific statue above is a copy. Ancient, but a copy - yep. Find a master, look at what they do, and copy it, and you'll probably be pretty damn good too. So, what hero/master do you have in mind to be a better track athlete, or person? What a life lesson...thank you, piece of marble.

- Coach Chesebro