Our Story Part VI

Chapter 8 – State Finals

The next few weeks are interesting times. Chari and I continue dating and talk on the phone more frequently. We have three big track meets during this time, Davis Invitational, BYU invitational and Region championships. Our relationship continues to grow…hanging out together at the meets, sitting together as families, cheering for each other…all that stuff. Roger becomes friendlier to me in person, but then I hear from mutual friends that he is making comments behind my back. In terms of competition, all Roger has is the 110 high hurdles to claim any sort of bragging rights in. I think he has assumed for a long time that the 4A state title would be his. But he has some up and coming competition and he’s not improving. At Davis he doesn’t do well and I think he sees reality setting in. Things go from bad to worse for him when he develops shin splints or a stress fracture of some sort. This takes him out of the BYU invitiational and the Region Championships. BYU invite goes well for both Chari and me. We both place well, and I even get my picture in the paper. Unfortunately, it’s a picture of me winning the 300M hurdle race at the last hurdle, tripping on it, and eventually placing 3rd as I role across the finish line. It was a frame by frame picture…pretty funny actually. Our Region meet is tough, but without Roger, I cruise to victory in the 110 hurdles. The 300 m hurdles are much easier and I win those as well. Chari wins Region in both of her hurdle races too. It rains both days of competition, but Chari and I hang out together and have fun in the rain. All the while, Roger walks the side of the track.

A week and a half later, we all find ourselves at the State Championships. This was an interesting time for me. I’m not sure how Chari felt about it. I had been preparing physically and mentally for this for 3 years. It was my dream. I had worked very hard to keep myself focused. I never imagined I would enter this meet involved in a great but dramatic relationship. I was happy with our relationship, but nervous about keeping focused on the races and what I needed to be doing on the track. Most coaches would have probably counseled me to stay away from her for the two days. Chari’s first event is the 100m hurdles. The boys 110 hurdles are immediately after so I find myself warming up at the same time she is competing. Chari does well in her heat, she finishes 3rd. Her time qualifies her for Finals. Something happens after they are done and she soon finds out she will have to run her heat again. She comes over to me and tells me the news. I try to joke with her about it but soon found she is very upset about having to rerun the heat, worried about something going wrong and not qualifying for finals. It is also one extra race now…that much more energy lost. I sit and talk to Chari for about 5-10 minutes trying to reassure her and boost her confidence. I should be warming up for my own race but for some reason I don’t mind. Chari runs her heat again and takes 4th. She still qualifies for finals. I run my 110 heat and win. I qualify for finals as well. Roger is competing. I can tell he is not 100% but he wins his heat and qualifies for finals. Chari does well in her trials for the 300M hurdles and qualifies for finals. I run my 300M hurdles and finish .03 seconds behind my friend from Hillcrest (Mike). It’s shaping up to be an interesting Final day. We both run on our 4 X 400 relay race and qualify in that as well. At home that night, I talk with Chari on the phone for most of the night. Then it’s off to bed.

Show time. Finals day starts early, and always with the high hurdles for both of us. This is the day I know I’ve dreamed of for a long time. Chari competes first. She starts great but struggles somewhere along the way and finishes 7th. I think if you were to ask Chari where she was at mentally for these races she would tell you she is ready to be done for the season. She had the talent to finish top 3 but today isn’t her day. The men race immediately after in the 110’s. I should mention that these finals are being held at BYU. At this track, when you finish your race, you either walk all the way around the track to the starting tent, or you walk off the track down the sidewalk in front of all the stadium seats. So, while the hurdles are being raised to men’s height, the ladies have moved off the track and walk down the sidewalk. They get their gear and go on their way. Chari has moved to somewhere on the sidewalk to watch my race. My finals goes well. As much as I’d love to be the 110M state champion, I’ve always known it is my weaker event. I hang close to the front until the 8th hurdle. I hit the hurdle and slow myself some. Roger is keeping up but not leading. Chari’s team mate from Skyline (Justin) looks like he’s going to win when Mike from Hillcrest powers forward with 3 hurdles to go and beats us all. Justin finishes 2nd, Roger 3rd, and I finish 4th. I’ll take it.

What happens now has puzzled me for years. We all walk off the track to the sidewalk and start back towards the warm-up tent. Roger is walking in front of me about 7 or 8 feet. Almost halfway down the sidewalk, Chari is standing there talking to another girl. Her back is towards us so she doesn’t see us coming. As Roger approaches her, he grabs her from the side, dips her down like a dancer and begins kissing her! Yeah....Just like that. I think Chari is more shocked than anything. He does this because he knows I’m walking right behind him. What I have never known is why. Why? What did he expect me to do? Did he want me to take shot at him right then? Was he trying to prove something? He had lost. It's all he has when it comes to track. If healthy, you could make the case that there is little chance he loses state. Maybe Mike has gotten too good... but because of his injury he is now never going to be a state champion. Then there is Chari standing on the side. A living reminder of something else he has lost. Maybe kissing her made him feel like he could still do whatever he wanted, like he was still on top of the world and in control. I believe he was trying to get to me mentally…..but not today. Today is my day. I walk past, watching him kiss Chari and all I do was chuckle and keep walking. I still have my two best races and he can’t change that.

Me writing about my races could go on forever. Let me just sum it up for times sake. Chari does well in the 300M event. She finishes 4th. I lead the way in the 300's, only to lose at the last hurdle to Mike…by .03 seconds. I’m devastated….but live. Chari’s team false starts the 4 X 400 relay race and is disqualified. She comes running down the track (in her beautiful new uniform I might add that made all the other guys jealous) and gives me a hug because she is so happy she doesn’t have to run. I guess you could say she is ready to be done. My team does great, but finishes 2nd…..again by less than one second. And just like that, high school track comes to an end.

I don't see or speak to Roger again after the 110 finals. One might suppose that the drama with Roger would end with the season. No more track meets. No more reasons to see each other. But…..it doesn’t. One more chapter to go and I’ll sum it all up.