I’m not sure I knew this

Mom died in 2012 and Dad died in 2014. My younger brothers have been slowly cleaning out our parents house and recently told me that at the present rate they should be finished by, IIRC, 2050.

In my last trip to Idaho there was a stack of stuff waiting for me. The following newspaper clipping was among the things I found:

OrofinoHighSchoolTrackRecords

In the 440 Yard Dash section I’m listed as tying for 8th and 9th place for all-time record times. I don’t think I knew this. I never thought myself as all that great. Doug Meyer (2nd), Morgan McEntire (6th), and Greg Heathco (7th) were competing in some of the same years I did and I compared myself to them. And Olsen frequently talked about Chris Johnson (1st). Johnson was rather ordinary until his senior year and Olson said that he just had to give Johnson the instruction to lift his knees more. The result was amazing. So, I indirectly compared myself to Johnson as well. Olson was never able to figure out what to tell me so that I could do significantly better.

Probably the best thing that would have made a difference was for me to be born one day later. Had I been a day younger I would have been in the class of ‘74 instead of the class of ‘73. Instead of being the youngest student in my grade I would have been one of the oldest. At that age another year makes a significant difference in athletic performance.

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