Blue collar athletes

On a track team, there are glamour events (think sprints and jumps), and blue collar jobs (think distance running and throws).  If you doubt me, think of any track meet you've ever seen televised.  You get the fifteen minutes of viewing time while the sprinters stretch, warmup, wipe their noses, say their prayers, adjust the blocks, and on and on.  You get thirty seconds of the distance race at the start and finish with an ad in between. Granted, the sprinters can score thirty team points in a total of 35 seconds, while distance runners labor for 15 minutes to score one or two, but still, we know who is really working harder.  The throwers of the world never get enough credit either; they demonstrate power and strength that is unmatched on the track and field yet are relegated to the far corners of the stadium.

Maybe it is a case of opposites attracting, or maybe it is just being the neglected athletes of the sport, but I have noticed that distance runners and throwers are often friends, which was my experience as well.  And on more than one occasion, I found it to be a mutually beneficial relationship.

Years ago, my college track team went to a meet in El Paso, Texas, and for an evening excursion, we crossed into Juarez, Mexico.  Back then, Mexico may have been safer ior I may have been more naive, but my thrower friend and I had worked out a plan just in case of an emergency.  If anything scary happened, she would fight the bad guy off, while I ran for help.  We both knew I couldn't do much fighting and she couldn't do much running, so it was pretty easy to agree to the terms of the arrangement.  Fortunately we never had to test the plan, but ever since then I have realized the advantages to having friends who are bigger and stronger than myself.  

I guess the moral of this story is be nice to the hard working, blue collar athletes. Throwers are good to have on your side in a pinch, and you should never undervalue the skill set of a distance runner.  You never know when you might need someone to run for help. Happy running.