"For the Love of God -- PULL!!!!"

Thursday was the 4th and 5th grade Track and Field Day at our school. The kids are loaded up on buses and driven out to the High School practice track and football field, to run and jump and race and throw. It's pretty much the highlight of Kellen's entire year.

The only dark cloud on the day was the fact he didn't get to participate in the 800 meter run. You might remember last year (or you might not, you know, what with you having slept, and having LIVES OF YOUR OWN and all ...) that Kellen came in second place in the 800, losing to a kid with one shoe. He and this little boy, who is a classmate of his, talked smack all year about the re-match, all in good fun. At least I *think* it was in good fun .... Anyway, Kellen and three of his friends also wanted to run in the 4x100 meter relay, and the two events were back to back, so Kellen had to choose. He chose the relay with his friends, and even though he was a little disappointed not to compete in the 800, he and I stood on the sidelines and cheered for the boy who beat him last year. (Who came in second this year, WITH both shoes, I think he was a little disappointed, to be honest.)

But all told, Track Meet Day is Kellen's favorite.

He loves the hurdles:



He loved running the relay:



And loved it even more when his team won:



But this boy:



Loves long jump:



Most of all:



It cracks me up that he's able to get those long, gangly legs all going in the same direction, but he loves it.

I, however, woke up Friday morning and couldn't figure out why my upper arms were so sore. Putting my hair in a ponytail was difficult, and I had to stop and rest half-way through brushing my teeth. It was the oddest thing .... and then I remembered ....

Parents vs. Kids tug-of-war.

I pulled once for the 4th grade parents, even though I don't have a kid in 4th grade, because there weren't enough 4th grade parents there and no WAY were we letting the kids win. (even though it was really close and they obviously have some freakishly muscular kids in the 4th grade because I was almost pulled completely over .....)

Then I pulled once as a sub for Kellen's 5th grade teacher, and then I pulled again for the 5th grade parents.



The funny part of this story .. well, funny to *me*, anyway ... was my sister. The kids' classes are pitted against each other, and then there's a "pull-off" for the losers bracket, and a "pull-off" for the winners bracket and its all very exciting. Very Exciting. Like, Olympic-worthy excitingness. Some of the parents just stand around taking pictures, and the teachers are pulling, and whichever classes aren't pulling at that time are screaming encouragement to the classes that are.

So a few of us .... um .... more "helpful" parents try to "coach" the kids while they are pulling. Mainly we yell something along the lines of "1-2-3-pull!" in an attempt to get the class pulling cohesively. But because so many kids are yelling at the same time, we helpful parents have to scream at the top of our lungsyell really loud, and maybe sometimes get right up next to the kids, making pseudo-pulling motions with our arms, in an attempt to really help.

Only I'm not sure we're helping so much as traumatizing the children.

So when it was time for the parents to pull against the winning class (Kellen's) there was no-one standing there to yell and encourage *us*. So my sister was yelling "1-2-3-pull! 1-2-3 pull!" and then it deteriorated into "For the Love of God, PULL!!!!!!!!" because --again -- no WAY were we letting those kids beat us, and my sister was hysterical, and I was laughing so hard I could barely pull anyway.



Then a bunch of kids jumped onto the rope at the other end, then a bunch of kids jumped onto the rope at the parents end, and then we had about a hundred people pulling on the rope, and I was still laughing at my sister yelling "For the love of God -- PULL!!!!"

Hmmmm. Maybe that was one of those "you had to be there" things, because I don't think it translated as well into the written word. But trust me --- it was freakin' hilarious.

PS. The parents won.

PPS. Kendrie's poor 3rd grade track meet has been cancelled TWICE due to rain. This morning she was in tears when she went to school, worried that they will run out of possible days to reschedule and she won't get to prove her own long-jump-superiority ....... Dear Lord, please just let the sun shine one day between now and the end of school, for those poor, pitiful 3rd graders. Thank you, amen.