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 I have been reflecting on this dilemma since last Friday, when my
daughter competed in the Class AA long jump and when the great relay
team she was also on, consisting of Kelsey Bunner, Kylie Sparks and
Bridgette Hyde and alternate Allissa Martin, did the same. The only
advice I got about this dilemma was from those who pointed out that
I have rarely been objective and unbiased about the
Lady Railers over the last decade in my writing. It was a point well
taken. Their suggestion? Write like I always write -- as an
unabashed fan of women's athletics at Lincoln Community High School.
It is now late Sunday evening and no other solution has come to
me. So barring any last-minute advice, here it is: my totally
nonobjective, biased article about the Lady Railers at the Class AA
state finals and the success of its long jumper and its relay team.
Coach Neil Alexander took these five Lady Railers to Charleston
on Thursday to compete in the 36th (and last) Class AA IHSA Girls
State Track Meet. The Railers got to compete against the best female
athletes in the state for the last time before the IHSA moves to a
three-class system in track next school year. We can only hope that
this new IHSA creation will not be fatal to a great high school
track tradition. This year, though, the Railers did not step back
from the competition with ALL of the state's "big dogs."
The weekend's first battle was for the Railers' individual state
competitor, Hilary Hobler, in the long jump competition. Hobler
entered the preliminaries as the 11th seed among 39 state finalists.
All finalists placed either first or second in their respective
sectional competitions in 16 different locations throughout Illinois
or they met the state long jump standard of 17 feet, 3 inches
Thirty-two sectional winners and seven additional competitors all
came to EIU's campus with the same two goals: first, get to the
finals on Saturday by being in the top 12 on Friday, and second, to
shoot for a state championship.
Hobler got halfway there.
In Friday's preliminaries the top 12 competitors advance to the
state finals on Saturday. All three of Hobler's jumps were over the
17-foot mark. The second jump was the best, as she set a personal
record by landing in the sand 17 feet, 10 inches from the jump
board. That jump was good enough to move Hobler up into a tie for
ninth place with Ashley Stacey from Harvey Thornton and placed her
among the top 12 qualifiers to move to Saturday's finals. The top
qualifier, Southeast's Alex Harden, shocked the field with a first
jump of 19 feet, 2 inches. While Harden's jump appeared to be out of
reach, only 11 inches separated the second-place qualifier from the
12th-place qualifier.
At Saturday's finals Hobler hoped to reach another personal
record of 18 feet plus. Three final attempts, two of which were
again over 17 feet, could not get her there. One jumper, who was
behind Hobler in the final seeding, surprised herself and others
around the long jump pit by jumping 18 feet, 10 inches, exceeding
her Friday performance by an extra foot. In the end Hobler's
17-foot, 10-inch jump found her back in the 11th position, where she
was originally seeded. A state finalist but not a state champion was
the final story for Hobler … this year. As a junior, Hobler has
another year left to put both pieces of the puzzle together.
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The 4x200 meter relay team also competed on Friday afternoon with
an uphill battle before them. Seeded 48 out of 50 teams that
advanced, the prospect of advancing to the top nine on Saturday
seemed remote even under the best of circumstances. That fact,
though, did not deter the Lady Railer relay from giving it their
best shot. Under sun-drenched blue skies on the blue EIU track, the
foursome let their feet do the talking. The result was a new
personal best for the Bunner, Hyde, Sparks, Hobler combo, but not a
top nine finish. The official time for the Railers was 1:47.63. And
while the Railers did not finish in the top nine, they significantly
improved from their initially seeded position.
Great job, ladies! You all made us proud. Kelsey, you are a great
athlete and much better than you give yourself credit for. There is
no one better than you to have as a teammate. Allissa, you are great
when you give it your best. Don't let anyone or anything cause you
not to do your best. Kylie you are one tough competitor. If I ever
needed someone to run somewhere like my life depended on it, you
would be one of my top two choices. Bridgette, keep the great sense
of humor that allows you to compete while at the same time putting
it all in perspective and taking it all in stride. Congratulations
to Kylie and Bridgette on your upcoming graduation from LCHS. May
God bless your futures.
Hilary, your journalist dad has already told you how proud I am
of you! You learned some major life lessons over the last few weeks.
Hard work pays off. It takes both "skill" and "will" to compete at
the highest level. Listening is the key to learning. Goals are
necessary to measure progress. Perseverance makes things happen in
life. You can compete with anyone, at any level, in any location.
Success is really sweet. Defeat is really, really hard. Great
family, great friends and coaches, especially your incredible Coach
Johnie, make all the difference through both success and defeat. God
probably doesn't care about track meets, but he DOES care about you
and he expects you to use the talents and the gifts he has given you
to glorify him.
Learning lessons about life is what high school sports are
supposed to be about. You each learned several this season. May
these lessons serve you well as you move forward in life.
The Lady Railers will officially conclude their 2008 season
Tuesday night at Bloomington High School. Some of the Lady Railers
have been invited, based on their times and distances, to the
Bloomington Honor Roll Meet to compete with the best athletes in the
area.
GO, RAILERS!
[By RICK
L. HOBLER]
Respond to the writer at
rhobler@lccs.edu.
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