Can you say STATE BOUND!!!
No, Josh did not defend his 3200m title from last year and he did not even finish second, but he did get third place in the most amazing 3200m race I have ever witnessed. But wait a minute, last night I said the top two runners would advance to state and Josh got third?
Before I explain, let me just tell you that Josh ran the fastest 3200m of his life and completely shattered his previous best time of 9:41 by running a 9:29.53 according to my stop watch. I think the official time will be like a 9:29.68. First and second place times were in the 9:26 range which were both personal records for those two guys as well.
We are also thinking that Josh’s 9:29 will set the new Forney High School record for the 3200m too.
Now back to the third place thing. After the race, Josh’s coach came up to us and told us that this year the UIL is going to allow a ninth runner to go state. There are four regions and the top two will automatically advance so that is eight runners. The ninth runner will be the fastest third place time from the four regional meets and if you haven’t figured it out yet, Josh has the fastest third place time in Class 4A by six seconds. Therefore we will be making a return trip to Austin in a couple of weeks for the state meet.
As the race unfolded it, it quickly became a six man race. By the time the last lap came around it was down to a three man race and a sprint to the finish. The three were battling back and forth as Brady Turnbull from Frisco Liberty took about a 10 meter lead. Tyler Chappell from Cleburne and Josh were fighting back and forth for second. By the time they hit the final straight away, Josh and Tyler had reeled in Brady. With about 20 meters to go, Josh ran out of gas and Tyler nosed out Brady for first place.
Josh was disappointed but only for a couple of seconds until he saw his time posted on the scoreboard and then you would have thought he had won it. He was thinking at that time, if this was going to be my last 3200m run, then at least I went out running my fastest time ever. As it turns out, he will still have one more 3200m race and it will be at the place you would like for your high school career to end…the state track meet in Austin.
Oh by the way, he still has one more race to run later today and that being the 1600m. It is scheduled for 8:00 tonight at Fouts Field on the campus of UNT in Denton. The 1600m promises to be just as exciting of a race as Brady and a kid from Highland Park name Philip Todd have the fastest times in the region but Tyler and Josh should be right there with them. After tonight, anything is possible.
For those in the DFW area, if you don’t have anything up tonight and want to drive to Denton, come on. You are sure to get your monies worth.
As always, I will let you know what happens. Now I have to try to calm down and go to bed.
Brent
Brent Taylor
306 Cherrywood Trail
Forney, TX 75126
(H) 972-552-9688 (C) 214-934-8146
blog: rbrenttaylor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Forney boys win Poteet's "Run The Farm"
The final tune-up before the district meet turned out to be a good experience for the Forney boys’ cross country team Saturday at the Mesquite Poteet “Run The Farm” Invitational. The Forney coach elected to put the guys in the 5A division instead of the 4A and under. After all was said and done, Class 4A Forney turned out to be the top team in the 5A division in front of schools like Dallas Jesuit, Plano East and Rowlett. District foe and host team Poteet finished in 5th place.
Individually, Josh had another good performance finishing 4th overall with a time of 16.22 for the 5k course. At the same meet last year, Josh ran a 16:59 and then came back two weeks later at the district meet on the same course and ran a 16:41. This year’s district meet will once again be held on the same course at Samuel Farm in two weeks on Oct. 31st. Josh is wanting to break the 16 minute mark and if the course will dry out between now and then, he has a good chance of doing it. By the way, the winning time Saturday was a 16:02 ran by a kid from Cleburne who Josh ran against last year in track. He will more than likely see the kid again at the regional cross country meet on Nov. 7th.
As mention, the district meet is coming up after an open week this coming weekend. Forney has a very realistic shot at winning the district title for the first time in Josh’s high school career after coming in second place the last three years. If that happens, it will be the first Forney team in any sport to win an outright district title since moving up to Class 4A about six or seven years ago. Individually, Josh is really wanting to win the district title to go along with his 1600m and 3200m titles from track last spring.
As always, we will let you know what happens.
Until next time…
Individually, Josh had another good performance finishing 4th overall with a time of 16.22 for the 5k course. At the same meet last year, Josh ran a 16:59 and then came back two weeks later at the district meet on the same course and ran a 16:41. This year’s district meet will once again be held on the same course at Samuel Farm in two weeks on Oct. 31st. Josh is wanting to break the 16 minute mark and if the course will dry out between now and then, he has a good chance of doing it. By the way, the winning time Saturday was a 16:02 ran by a kid from Cleburne who Josh ran against last year in track. He will more than likely see the kid again at the regional cross country meet on Nov. 7th.
As mention, the district meet is coming up after an open week this coming weekend. Forney has a very realistic shot at winning the district title for the first time in Josh’s high school career after coming in second place the last three years. If that happens, it will be the first Forney team in any sport to win an outright district title since moving up to Class 4A about six or seven years ago. Individually, Josh is really wanting to win the district title to go along with his 1600m and 3200m titles from track last spring.
As always, we will let you know what happens.
Until next time…
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Nike South lives up to its billing
Well Joshua can now say he has ran against the best high school cross country runners in the state after competing Saturday morning at the Nike South Invitational held at The Woodlands just north of Houston. All the rain that moved through the DFW area on Thursday and Friday moved through the Houston area Friday afternoon and as a result, the course was very muddy. It was not raining during the meet and the temperature was ideal for runners in the high 50s.
Over all, the mud made for slower times than last year’s results, but never the less, there were some very fast times. Josh finished in 28th place with a time of 17:08 for the 5k. The winning time was a 15:35 turned in by the second ranked runner in the state, Craig Lutz of Lewisville Marcus. Josh ran against him earlier this year at the Southlake meet and the results were about the same. Lutz is a junior this year and he missed most of the track season last year with a stress fracture. Officially, there were 147 runners in the Elite High School division so to finish 28th was not too bad. Had Forney ran in the Regular High School division, Josh’s time would have got him third place.
As far as the team results, Forney placed 10th out of 21 teams. There were only four 4A teams in the Elite division with most of the teams being from 5A schools. The winning team was a 4A school from Boerne Champion. They are the defending 4A state champions in cross country and have all of their top seven runners back this year. In fact all seven of their runners finished in front of Josh. Their seventh runner was only 1.8 seconds in front of Josh.
Despite the course conditions, Josh said after the race, “This is my favorite course. I would love to run it again when it is dry.” The experience was a very good one for Josh and his teammates. It showed them how much they need to work over the next few weeks to get ready to compete in the post season meets. They have one more regular meet coming up Saturday in Mesquite. They will run at the Mesquite Poteet “Run The Farm” at Samuell Farm just east of Mesquite on Highway 80. This will also be the site of the district meet on October 31st. Josh ran very well last year on the Samuell Farm course and is expecting to run even better this year.
As always, we will let you know what happens. Hopefully the rainy weather will move out this week and dry things up around here. Over the last month, we have had over 12 inches of rain. Looking at the forecast, it doesn’t look very promising for a dry track Saturday.
I have attached a picture of Josh with all the mud on him after Saturday’s race.
Until next time…
Over all, the mud made for slower times than last year’s results, but never the less, there were some very fast times. Josh finished in 28th place with a time of 17:08 for the 5k. The winning time was a 15:35 turned in by the second ranked runner in the state, Craig Lutz of Lewisville Marcus. Josh ran against him earlier this year at the Southlake meet and the results were about the same. Lutz is a junior this year and he missed most of the track season last year with a stress fracture. Officially, there were 147 runners in the Elite High School division so to finish 28th was not too bad. Had Forney ran in the Regular High School division, Josh’s time would have got him third place.
As far as the team results, Forney placed 10th out of 21 teams. There were only four 4A teams in the Elite division with most of the teams being from 5A schools. The winning team was a 4A school from Boerne Champion. They are the defending 4A state champions in cross country and have all of their top seven runners back this year. In fact all seven of their runners finished in front of Josh. Their seventh runner was only 1.8 seconds in front of Josh.
Despite the course conditions, Josh said after the race, “This is my favorite course. I would love to run it again when it is dry.” The experience was a very good one for Josh and his teammates. It showed them how much they need to work over the next few weeks to get ready to compete in the post season meets. They have one more regular meet coming up Saturday in Mesquite. They will run at the Mesquite Poteet “Run The Farm” at Samuell Farm just east of Mesquite on Highway 80. This will also be the site of the district meet on October 31st. Josh ran very well last year on the Samuell Farm course and is expecting to run even better this year.
As always, we will let you know what happens. Hopefully the rainy weather will move out this week and dry things up around here. Over the last month, we have had over 12 inches of rain. Looking at the forecast, it doesn’t look very promising for a dry track Saturday.
I have attached a picture of Josh with all the mud on him after Saturday’s race.
Until next time…
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Josh takes 1st at Rockwall Sting
After a week off nursing a sprain ankle, Josh came out Saturday morning at the Rockwall Sting Cross Country Invitational and for the second time this year came away with first place. He was a second off of his personal record with a time of 16:06 for the 5k course. His friend and teammate, Tommy McIntire, finished with him and took second. It was really hard to tell who won because the two finished the race with their hands together and over their heads. They gave Josh first and Tommy second. Josh did lead for most of the race.
The two got the idea after one of their teammates from last year who is running at Angelo State. Angelo State ran in Denton Friday night and a couple of the Angelo runners crossed the finish line hand in hand. Josh and Tommy had decided that if they were close enough and no one was close to catching them that they would do the same and they did. Third place was 12 seconds behind them.
To give you an idea of how much Josh has improved in a year, on the same course last year, Josh took fifth with a time of 18:06…a two minute improvement. The winning time last year was 17:22.
You would think a team with the top two finishers would take the team title, but Forney got nosed out by Rowlett by two points. Rowlett had 35 points to Forney’s 37.
This coming Saturday, Josh and his teammates will be running in one of the premiere cross country meets in the state at the Nike South Invitational held at The Woodlands. This meet is considered a preview of the State cross country meet. Don’t be surprised if Josh runs his best time ever and not finish in the top 20. There will be a lot of great runners there. As always, we will let you know how things go.
We did have our first home visit with a college coach Friday night. The coach from Sam Houston State was at the house for about an hour and a half. He is a younger guy and seems to be very down to earth. His main focus was on getting Josh an education first and then using running to help pay for it. We were impressed with him.
Until next time…
The two got the idea after one of their teammates from last year who is running at Angelo State. Angelo State ran in Denton Friday night and a couple of the Angelo runners crossed the finish line hand in hand. Josh and Tommy had decided that if they were close enough and no one was close to catching them that they would do the same and they did. Third place was 12 seconds behind them.
To give you an idea of how much Josh has improved in a year, on the same course last year, Josh took fifth with a time of 18:06…a two minute improvement. The winning time last year was 17:22.
You would think a team with the top two finishers would take the team title, but Forney got nosed out by Rowlett by two points. Rowlett had 35 points to Forney’s 37.
This coming Saturday, Josh and his teammates will be running in one of the premiere cross country meets in the state at the Nike South Invitational held at The Woodlands. This meet is considered a preview of the State cross country meet. Don’t be surprised if Josh runs his best time ever and not finish in the top 20. There will be a lot of great runners there. As always, we will let you know how things go.
We did have our first home visit with a college coach Friday night. The coach from Sam Houston State was at the house for about an hour and a half. He is a younger guy and seems to be very down to earth. His main focus was on getting Josh an education first and then using running to help pay for it. We were impressed with him.
Until next time…
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Fifth place finish on bum ankle at Lake Highlands
Hey all;
It was a good news, bad news scenario last Saturday at the Lake Highlands Invitational held at Norbuck Park in Dallas. The good news, Josh took fifth place with a time of 17:13 on the 5k course. The bad news, Josh “rolled” his right ankle about ½ mile into the race. How he finished I will never know because by the time he crossed the finish line, his ankle was the size of a baseball.
As a result, Josh, his coach and athletic trainer are all in agreement that it would be best for Josh to not run this coming Saturday in Wylie and concentrate on rehabbing his ankle. It is still too early in the season for him to take a chance on making a bad situation a season ending situation.
As a team, Forney took third place. The Jackrabbits were ranked 8th in the state in class 4A in the Texas Cross Country Association poll last week.
The colleges keep calling as Josh has gotten calls from coaches at Abilene Christian and Stephen F Austin. The ACU coach told Josh he has been watching him since he was a sophomore.
If things change between now and Saturday and Josh does decide to run, then we will let you know, but I really don’t think he will.
Until next time….
It was a good news, bad news scenario last Saturday at the Lake Highlands Invitational held at Norbuck Park in Dallas. The good news, Josh took fifth place with a time of 17:13 on the 5k course. The bad news, Josh “rolled” his right ankle about ½ mile into the race. How he finished I will never know because by the time he crossed the finish line, his ankle was the size of a baseball.
As a result, Josh, his coach and athletic trainer are all in agreement that it would be best for Josh to not run this coming Saturday in Wylie and concentrate on rehabbing his ankle. It is still too early in the season for him to take a chance on making a bad situation a season ending situation.
As a team, Forney took third place. The Jackrabbits were ranked 8th in the state in class 4A in the Texas Cross Country Association poll last week.
The colleges keep calling as Josh has gotten calls from coaches at Abilene Christian and Stephen F Austin. The ACU coach told Josh he has been watching him since he was a sophomore.
If things change between now and Saturday and Josh does decide to run, then we will let you know, but I really don’t think he will.
Until next time….
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Weather plays havoc at Southlake Carroll
Hello from a very wet Forney. When I got up this morning, our 5 inch rain gauge was overflowing.
The weather also played havoc on Josh’s running Saturday as he proved he is still human. Josh and his Forney Jackrabbit teammates traveled to Grapevine to run in the Southlake Carroll Invitational. The meet was held with a pouring rain and the mud was deep. As it turned out, it was not mother nature that got to Josh, but rather stomach cramps. He finished in a disappointing 33rd place with a time of 17:16 for the 5k course. He stayed in the top 10 for the first mile, but when the cramps started, he fell off the lead pack. We must have a stomach virus going through the house as both Mom and Dad have been battling it this weekend too.
The winning time was a very fast 15:05 which turns out to be the fastest 5k in the state right now. If Josh would have been able to match his 16:05 from last week, he would have finished fourth. We knew the Southlake meet would have a very fast field and they did with some of the top runners in the state. Josh said he was embarrassed and disappointed with his results because he really wanted to put up a good time. I told him it is still early in the season and he will get another chance to run against some of the top guys in a few weeks at the Nike South Regional’s at the Woodlands.
As a team, Forney finished in 8th place behind seven 5A schools, so they were the top 4A team.
This coming Saturday, they will be going back to Norbuck Park in Dallas for the Lake Highlands Invitational which should also have some very good teams. As always, we will let you know what happens.
Until next time;
The weather also played havoc on Josh’s running Saturday as he proved he is still human. Josh and his Forney Jackrabbit teammates traveled to Grapevine to run in the Southlake Carroll Invitational. The meet was held with a pouring rain and the mud was deep. As it turned out, it was not mother nature that got to Josh, but rather stomach cramps. He finished in a disappointing 33rd place with a time of 17:16 for the 5k course. He stayed in the top 10 for the first mile, but when the cramps started, he fell off the lead pack. We must have a stomach virus going through the house as both Mom and Dad have been battling it this weekend too.
The winning time was a very fast 15:05 which turns out to be the fastest 5k in the state right now. If Josh would have been able to match his 16:05 from last week, he would have finished fourth. We knew the Southlake meet would have a very fast field and they did with some of the top runners in the state. Josh said he was embarrassed and disappointed with his results because he really wanted to put up a good time. I told him it is still early in the season and he will get another chance to run against some of the top guys in a few weeks at the Nike South Regional’s at the Woodlands.
As a team, Forney finished in 8th place behind seven 5A schools, so they were the top 4A team.
This coming Saturday, they will be going back to Norbuck Park in Dallas for the Lake Highlands Invitational which should also have some very good teams. As always, we will let you know what happens.
Until next time;
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Cross country spotlight: Forney's Josh Taylor
Josh was highlighted in the Dallas Morning News this morning in their Cross Country Sportlight. Follow the link below to see the article.
http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/crosscountry/stories/091009dnspohsXCspotlight.3c70e26.html
http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/crosscountry/stories/091009dnspohsXCspotlight.3c70e26.html
Monday, September 7, 2009
Josh take 1st place at Tyler Lee Meet
Hey All; 
Many more weekends like the one just completed and we will have to cut a hole in the doors so Joshua’s head will fit.
It all started Saturday morning at the Tyler Lee Cross Country Classic held on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler. When all was said and done, Joshua was the first to cross the finish line and set a personal record for a 5k (3.1 miles) course. His time was an amazing 16:05, almost 30 seconds ahead of the second place time of 16:34. To put it in perspective, Josh ran the same course last year and finished in third with a 16:47. The winning time last year of 16:35.
Following the race, Josh was contacted by two different college coaches…UT Tyler and Lon Morris. There was a college race prior to the high school races. After talking to those coaches, he was interviewed by a reporter from the Tyler Telegraph. You can fine the story on the Sunday online edition at http://www.tylerpaper.com/ and then go to the sports page and look for the headline, “Forney Boys Dominate Lee Cross Country Meet.” By the way, four of the Forney runners finished in the top 10 and as a result, Forney took first place in the team totals.
The excitement continued Monday afternoon as the family was sitting on our boat at Lake Tawakoni when Josh’s cell phone rang. We could tell by his excitement that it was an important call. We all got quite and listened
to what Josh was saying. Deshonna and I first thought it was another college coach calling, but it didn’t take us long to realize that it was probably a newspaper reporter. After answering several questions and being on the phone for about 15 minutes, Josh hung up and let out a scream that could be heard around the lake. It turned out to be a reporter from the Dallas Morning News who informed Josh that he has been selected as the DMN Cross Country Athlete of the Month. The story is suppose to be in the Thursday edition of the Morning News.
Earlier last week, Josh got another telephone call from one of the coaches at Sam Houston State. He has also been shown some interest from Stephen F Austin, Texas A&M and Baylor. Needless to say, Josh is very excited about all the attention and is even more determined to continue to push himself and get better and faster.
Oh, I almost forgot. It is still very early in the season, but Josh’s time Saturday puts him in eight place in the entire state of Texas and second in Class 4A according to Txrunning.com. Something tells me it is going to be a very exciting fall.
This coming Saturday, Josh and his teammates will be running at the Southlake Carroll Invitational at Meadowmere Park in Grapevine. This race will feature some of the top runners in the North Texas area including at least the number three runner in the state since he is from Southlake. I wouldn’t be surprised if the number one and two runners in the state are there too. Josh’s coach had originally signed the Forney team up for the “regular” varsity race, but after Saturday’s performance at Tyler, he was going to see if he could move them into the “Elite Varsity” race which of course would be the best of the best. As always, we will let you know what happens.
I have attached a couple of pictures. One is of Josh running about half way through the race and the other is him with his first place trophy and medal. You can see more pictures on my Facebook page.
Until next time…
Many more weekends like the one just completed and we will have to cut a hole in the doors so Joshua’s head will fit.
It all started Saturday morning at the Tyler Lee Cross Country Classic held on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler. When all was said and done, Joshua was the first to cross the finish line and set a personal record for a 5k (3.1 miles) course. His time was an amazing 16:05, almost 30 seconds ahead of the second place time of 16:34. To put it in perspective, Josh ran the same course last year and finished in third with a 16:47. The winning time last year of 16:35.
Following the race, Josh was contacted by two different college coaches…UT Tyler and Lon Morris. There was a college race prior to the high school races. After talking to those coaches, he was interviewed by a reporter from the Tyler Telegraph. You can fine the story on the Sunday online edition at http://www.tylerpaper.com/ and then go to the sports page and look for the headline, “Forney Boys Dominate Lee Cross Country Meet.” By the way, four of the Forney runners finished in the top 10 and as a result, Forney took first place in the team totals.
The excitement continued Monday afternoon as the family was sitting on our boat at Lake Tawakoni when Josh’s cell phone rang. We could tell by his excitement that it was an important call. We all got quite and listened
to what Josh was saying. Deshonna and I first thought it was another college coach calling, but it didn’t take us long to realize that it was probably a newspaper reporter. After answering several questions and being on the phone for about 15 minutes, Josh hung up and let out a scream that could be heard around the lake. It turned out to be a reporter from the Dallas Morning News who informed Josh that he has been selected as the DMN Cross Country Athlete of the Month. The story is suppose to be in the Thursday edition of the Morning News.Earlier last week, Josh got another telephone call from one of the coaches at Sam Houston State. He has also been shown some interest from Stephen F Austin, Texas A&M and Baylor. Needless to say, Josh is very excited about all the attention and is even more determined to continue to push himself and get better and faster.
Oh, I almost forgot. It is still very early in the season, but Josh’s time Saturday puts him in eight place in the entire state of Texas and second in Class 4A according to Txrunning.com. Something tells me it is going to be a very exciting fall.
This coming Saturday, Josh and his teammates will be running at the Southlake Carroll Invitational at Meadowmere Park in Grapevine. This race will feature some of the top runners in the North Texas area including at least the number three runner in the state since he is from Southlake. I wouldn’t be surprised if the number one and two runners in the state are there too. Josh’s coach had originally signed the Forney team up for the “regular” varsity race, but after Saturday’s performance at Tyler, he was going to see if he could move them into the “Elite Varsity” race which of course would be the best of the best. As always, we will let you know what happens.
I have attached a couple of pictures. One is of Josh running about half way through the race and the other is him with his first place trophy and medal. You can see more pictures on my Facebook page.
Until next time…
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Josh's 2009 Track Results
Feb 28, 2009 Pirate Relays @ Wylie High School
1600m 1st Place 4:44
Distance Relay 1st Place. Josh ran the anchor 1600m in 4:39
Feb 20, 2009 Richardson Coed Meet @ Eagle-Mustange Stadium, Richardson
3200m 1st Place 10:07
1600m 1st Place 4:43
1600m 1st Place 4:44
Distance Relay 1st Place. Josh ran the anchor 1600m in 4:39
Feb 20, 2009 Richardson Coed Meet @ Eagle-Mustange Stadium, Richardson
3200m 1st Place 10:07
1600m 1st Place 4:43
2009 Forney High School Track Schedule
Feb. 20 Fri. Richardson Coed Meet @ Eagle-Mustang Stadium -- Richardson
Feb. 28 Sat. Pirate Relays @ Wylie
March 7 Sat. Clay Jones @ City Bank Stadium - Forney
March 14 Sat. Beverly D Humphrey Invitational @ Lancaster
March 21 Sat. Spring Break (TBA)
March 28 Sat. Bulldog Relays @ Royse City (boys and girls)
Jesuit (qualifying boys)
April 3 & 4 Fri/Sat. Texas Relays @ Austin (Varsity Only)
April 11 Sat. Lancaster Pre District Tune Up @ Lancaster
April 15 & 16 Wed/Thurs District @ Lancaster
April 24 & 25 Fri/Sat Regional Qualifiers Meets
May 1 & 2 Fri/Sat Regional Meet @ Denton
May 15 & 1 Fri/Sat State Meet @ Austin
Feb. 28 Sat. Pirate Relays @ Wylie
March 7 Sat. Clay Jones @ City Bank Stadium - Forney
March 14 Sat. Beverly D Humphrey Invitational @ Lancaster
March 21 Sat. Spring Break (TBA)
March 28 Sat. Bulldog Relays @ Royse City (boys and girls)
Jesuit (qualifying boys)
April 3 & 4 Fri/Sat. Texas Relays @ Austin (Varsity Only)
April 11 Sat. Lancaster Pre District Tune Up @ Lancaster
April 15 & 16 Wed/Thurs District @ Lancaster
April 24 & 25 Fri/Sat Regional Qualifiers Meets
May 1 & 2 Fri/Sat Regional Meet @ Denton
May 15 & 1 Fri/Sat State Meet @ Austin
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Christmas Letter 2008
December 6, 2008
Greetings friends and family;
Another year is upon us and the Lord has blessed us abundantly. There is never a dull moment in our house...and with six growing kids our house is full of teenage hormones and funky smells. As I was once again taking a cold bath, I thought…I guess I won’t have hot water again for the next six years…funny because I can remember thinking to myself “will I ever be able to even bathe by myself?” I can say the first day of kindergarten brought on much excitement but it is hard to believe they are now in the sixth grade.
Joshua is a junior this year. As most of you know he made it to State in cross country. I think he has reached his height potential at 6’3” and although he only weighs 145 lbs he has stated he is concerned he has gained 5 lbs since cross country ended. On Thanksgiving he ran the 8-mile Turkey Trot in Dallas finishing 136 out of 7,258.
Kenedy continues to do well in school and has expressed her wishes to become a doctor. At the end of the first six weeks Jacob, Jonah, Zachary and Aleksi were all standing in the kitchen discussing how they had done. Kenedy walked in the house, slammed her report card down and stated “Straight A’s again” and walked off……if looks could KILL.
Jacob now has bragging rights as the tallest of the five. He is a very sweet and loving boy….very tender hearted. He remains very close to Kenedy and Aleksi. He hasn’t shown much of an interest in sports and for that I am thankful since he only has one kidney. His blood pressure remains stable
Jonah has red kinky hair and he is a ball of fire. He should be a comedian. He keeps everyone laughing and is sometimes just goofy. Joshua said “Mom he is not of this family”. What we are learning with Jonah is every family should be blessed with a child with ADD. He adds more excitement in the family and you have to learn patience with him.
Zachary has decided he is going to be a traveling nurse and travel all over the country. He has already asked about how he is going to bank his vacation time and travel first to New York, Alaska, and Hawaii. He has also informed us he is going to have three sons named Charlie, Elijah, and Patrick. We will see what his wife has to say about that.
Aleksi remains attached to her dad. She is the quietest but is loud enough to be heard. Much of her shyness has left. She and Kenedy are often found together giggling. Brent’s sister tells us this won’t stop until they leave home. Aleski also has some curl to her hair. I find it very difficult to manage. In the morning’s she looks like a lion.
Brent remains at his position as a Clinical Director at Christian Care Center Home Health. He enjoys his work as it gives him an opportunity to work in his initial degree in marketing and also as a nurse. He rides his bike and often will ride along with Joshua as he runs. I remain at UT Southwestern as the manager of Staffing Services. Our schedules have given us the opportunity to spend more time together. We celebrate our 21st anniversary this year…..of course with six kids you have to add about 10 more years.
The photo was taken on our summer vacation in Estes Park, CO. If ever you can feel the beauty of God’s work, it is in those mountains. I also had the opportunity this year to take a few trips on my own for either business or pleasure purposes to Galveston. I have found sneaking away “alone” and reflecting on God’s words “Be still and know I am” as I view the beauty of HIS work, has given me a peace unknown before.
We miss you all and think of you often. GOD has truly blessed our family and given us the joy of six children unlike what few other families are able to experience. (PS-I have to tell myself this oftenJ) We pray the New Year brings good health and many blessings to each of you. Come see us if you get the opportunity.
Love, Brent, Deshonna, Joshua, Jacob, Jonah, Zachary, Kenedy and Aleksi.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
5th & 6th Grade Track Meet
Well you just thought we were through with track!!!
Our little ones had the Claybon Elem. 5th & 6th grade track meet this past Friday and it looks like we may have some future track stars as three of the five had top six finishes in their events.
Kenedy took third place in the obstacle course with a time of 34.6.
The winning time was 32.5. For most of the events they combined the winning times between both grades so they were running against all the 5th and 6th graders. Kenedy also got 6th in the hurdles with a time of 15.09. It was not the type of hurdles you are probably thinking of, but once you see the pictures you will understand. Still she had to run 100 meters.
Jonah took fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 13.13.
The winning time was 12.10. I did not know Jonah was as fast as he is. Joshua was saying that he explodes off the line and it is all he can do to catch him by the finish line. Jonah ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 100 relay. His team finished in third place.
In the 400 meters, Zachary took the top spot with a time of 1:22.
Zachary also ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 400 relay and ran out of gas at the finish line after leading his lap for all but the last 10 meters.
Jacob competed in the obstacle course and the 100 and did good. Aleksi ran the hurdles and the 4 x 400 relay. Her and Kenedy were on the same relay team, in fact Aleksi handed off to Kenedy.
Overall, everyone had fun. It will be interesting to see who sticks with track as they get bigger. This is the same meet Joshua had when he was in the 6th grade that made us start looking at his track potential. Unlike Josh, they added the 5th grade to the meet so the kids will have one more year before moving on to middle school.
Our little ones had the Claybon Elem. 5th & 6th grade track meet this past Friday and it looks like we may have some future track stars as three of the five had top six finishes in their events.
Kenedy took third place in the obstacle course with a time of 34.6.
The winning time was 32.5. For most of the events they combined the winning times between both grades so they were running against all the 5th and 6th graders. Kenedy also got 6th in the hurdles with a time of 15.09. It was not the type of hurdles you are probably thinking of, but once you see the pictures you will understand. Still she had to run 100 meters.Jonah took fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 13.13.
The winning time was 12.10. I did not know Jonah was as fast as he is. Joshua was saying that he explodes off the line and it is all he can do to catch him by the finish line. Jonah ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 100 relay. His team finished in third place.In the 400 meters, Zachary took the top spot with a time of 1:22.
Zachary also ran the anchor for his team in the 4 x 400 relay and ran out of gas at the finish line after leading his lap for all but the last 10 meters.Jacob competed in the obstacle course and the 100 and did good. Aleksi ran the hurdles and the 4 x 400 relay. Her and Kenedy were on the same relay team, in fact Aleksi handed off to Kenedy.
Overall, everyone had fun. It will be interesting to see who sticks with track as they get bigger. This is the same meet Joshua had when he was in the 6th grade that made us start looking at his track potential. Unlike Josh, they added the 5th grade to the meet so the kids will have one more year before moving on to middle school.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Top 10 finish at Regionals
Joshua ran on the biggest stage of his young track ca
reer Friday and Saturday at the UIL 4A Region II Track and Field meet held at Fouts Field on the campus of North Texas State in Denton and came away with a top ten finish.
Josh came in 9th place in the 3200m Friday evening with a time of 10:14.73. The winning time was an amazing 9:31.78. The 1600m Saturday afternoon was a little different story as he ran a 4:55.02 which was good for 19th. He started out strong and tried to stay with the leaders, but by the 1/2 mile mark, had started to run out of steam. The winning time was 4:21.57 which was ran by the same guy that took first in the 3200m.
To put the regional meet in perspective, there are 58 schools who run track in Region II and if each school ran the maximum three runners in the 3200m and 1600m, that would be 174 runners for each event. To finish 9th in one event and 19th in another is quite an accomplishment and that is for a sophomore. The next two years should really be exciting for Josh.
One a side note...Our "little kids" have a 5th grade track meet coming up in a couple of weeks at their school. Zachary has said that he wants to run the 400 and 800 and that he is going to start running to get in shape. After supper he told us he was going to go run. He asked Josh what he needed to do to get ready and Josh's reply was, "run some miles." Zach hit the street running and was back at the house in a couple of minutes out of breath. He looked at us and said, I don't know if I can do that or not.
Even though the high school track season is over for Josh, his running season is not. A few weeks ago, he was invited to run with a Junior Olympic team out of Rockwall. This organization is the ground floor for the big time Olympics. After taking this week off, he will start working out with the team next week. His coach only takes 15 runners and she focuses on long distance runners so it should be a good training situation for him. They will have four or five meets in May and early June before two qualifying meets for the National Junior Olympics which will be held in July in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Junior Olympics run the international races which are 1500m and 3000m, not the 1600m and 3200m he has been running so his times should be faster. Josh is already talking about going to Omaha so we will see what happens. This will be a great opportunity for Josh to work with a true track coach and give him a reason to keep running and improving his running strength and ability. This will also be a great bridge between the high school track season and the cross country season this fall.
We'll keep you updated.
reer Friday and Saturday at the UIL 4A Region II Track and Field meet held at Fouts Field on the campus of North Texas State in Denton and came away with a top ten finish.Josh came in 9th place in the 3200m Friday evening with a time of 10:14.73. The winning time was an amazing 9:31.78. The 1600m Saturday afternoon was a little different story as he ran a 4:55.02 which was good for 19th. He started out strong and tried to stay with the leaders, but by the 1/2 mile mark, had started to run out of steam. The winning time was 4:21.57 which was ran by the same guy that took first in the 3200m.
To put the regional meet in perspective, there are 58 schools who run track in Region II and if each school ran the maximum three runners in the 3200m and 1600m, that would be 174 runners for each event. To finish 9th in one event and 19th in another is quite an accomplishment and that is for a sophomore. The next two years should really be exciting for Josh.
One a side note...Our "little kids" have a 5th grade track meet coming up in a couple of weeks at their school. Zachary has said that he wants to run the 400 and 800 and that he is going to start running to get in shape. After supper he told us he was going to go run. He asked Josh what he needed to do to get ready and Josh's reply was, "run some miles." Zach hit the street running and was back at the house in a couple of minutes out of breath. He looked at us and said, I don't know if I can do that or not.
Even though the high school track season is over for Josh, his running season is not. A few weeks ago, he was invited to run with a Junior Olympic team out of Rockwall. This organization is the ground floor for the big time Olympics. After taking this week off, he will start working out with the team next week. His coach only takes 15 runners and she focuses on long distance runners so it should be a good training situation for him. They will have four or five meets in May and early June before two qualifying meets for the National Junior Olympics which will be held in July in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Junior Olympics run the international races which are 1500m and 3000m, not the 1600m and 3200m he has been running so his times should be faster. Josh is already talking about going to Omaha so we will see what happens. This will be a great opportunity for Josh to work with a true track coach and give him a reason to keep running and improving his running strength and ability. This will also be a great bridge between the high school track season and the cross country season this fall.
We'll keep you updated.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Regional Qualifier Times 2
Hey All;
Can you say regional qualifier in TWO events???
Well, that is what we are learning to say around the Taylor household after Joshua pulled off the most amazing finish of his life. When all was said and done, Josh had secured third place in the 1600m with yet another personal record. This time a 4:35, eight seconds faster than his old PR. The winning time was 4:33.
With 200 meters left in the race, it was a five person race. By the time they hit the straight away for the final 100 meters, it had become a four person race with Josh in fourth place. With about 25 meters left, Josh was still in fourth but was closing in on third. As they crossed the finish line, we could literally not tell if Josh had gotten third and his second ticket to the regional meet. Deshonna and I looked at each other and we had no idea. We kept looking to where the timers were and at the same time watching Josh for any sign of emotion that would give us a definite answer. Josh started walking away from us and we still had no answers. It wasn't long until we saw Josh's coach give him a "high five" and then a big bear hug. By now we were starting to think that maybe he had nosed out the runner in front of him. We continued to watch Josh and some of the other coaches and his teammates kept giving him "high fives". It was probably another five or ten minutes before Josh made his way to the stands where we got the answer. To say the least, he was a little excited and had finally caught his breath enough to start showing some emotion.
The weather was another issue. In the girl's race right before the boy's, the rain was coming down pretty hard. By the time the gun sounded for the boys' race, it had stopped.
Josh got a little extra inspiration from some friends of ours who live in Corpus Christi, Larry & Phyllis Cash. Larry was our minister and fellow EMT when we lived in Littlefield. The Cashes sent us an e-mail Sunday night with a scripture for Josh to read. It was Isaish 40:28-31. The verse says, ISA 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ISA 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ISA 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ISA 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Josh told us on the way home that the verse has become his favorite and he even quoted vs. 30 from memory. "I have read it so much the last couple of days that I have memorized it." Deshonna asked him if he was thinking about the verse the last 100 meters? He replied, "No. I was just asking God to give me the the strength to keep on running."
OK Larry and Phyllis, what can you come up with for the Regional meet?
Josh will run the weekend of April 18 & 19 in a regional qualifiers' meet, but we do not know where that will be yet. The Regional meet will be April 25 & 26 in Denton. More on that later.
Quite a week...Deshonna turned ??, and Josh qualified in the 3200m and 1600m and it's only Wednesday.
Until next time...
Can you say regional qualifier in TWO events???
Well, that is what we are learning to say around the Taylor household after Joshua pulled off the most amazing finish of his life. When all was said and done, Josh had secured third place in the 1600m with yet another personal record. This time a 4:35, eight seconds faster than his old PR. The winning time was 4:33.
With 200 meters left in the race, it was a five person race. By the time they hit the straight away for the final 100 meters, it had become a four person race with Josh in fourth place. With about 25 meters left, Josh was still in fourth but was closing in on third. As they crossed the finish line, we could literally not tell if Josh had gotten third and his second ticket to the regional meet. Deshonna and I looked at each other and we had no idea. We kept looking to where the timers were and at the same time watching Josh for any sign of emotion that would give us a definite answer. Josh started walking away from us and we still had no answers. It wasn't long until we saw Josh's coach give him a "high five" and then a big bear hug. By now we were starting to think that maybe he had nosed out the runner in front of him. We continued to watch Josh and some of the other coaches and his teammates kept giving him "high fives". It was probably another five or ten minutes before Josh made his way to the stands where we got the answer. To say the least, he was a little excited and had finally caught his breath enough to start showing some emotion.
The weather was another issue. In the girl's race right before the boy's, the rain was coming down pretty hard. By the time the gun sounded for the boys' race, it had stopped.
Josh got a little extra inspiration from some friends of ours who live in Corpus Christi, Larry & Phyllis Cash. Larry was our minister and fellow EMT when we lived in Littlefield. The Cashes sent us an e-mail Sunday night with a scripture for Josh to read. It was Isaish 40:28-31. The verse says, ISA 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ISA 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ISA 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ISA 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Josh told us on the way home that the verse has become his favorite and he even quoted vs. 30 from memory. "I have read it so much the last couple of days that I have memorized it." Deshonna asked him if he was thinking about the verse the last 100 meters? He replied, "No. I was just asking God to give me the the strength to keep on running."
OK Larry and Phyllis, what can you come up with for the Regional meet?
Josh will run the weekend of April 18 & 19 in a regional qualifiers' meet, but we do not know where that will be yet. The Regional meet will be April 25 & 26 in Denton. More on that later.
Quite a week...Deshonna turned ??, and Josh qualified in the 3200m and 1600m and it's only Wednesday.
Until next time...
Regional Qualifier
He's headed to regionals...
Joshua qualified to run in the 4A Region II Track Meet Tuesday night by finishing in third place, but more importantly for him, setting a personal record in the 3200m. Josh crossed the finish line with a time of 10:06... six seconds faster than his previous best. The guy he has been trying to meet since 8th grade won the race for Mesquite Poteet with a time of 9:55. Second place went to a runner from Richardson J.J. Pierce who no one was expecting to run the 3200m.
The 1600m will be Wednesday night sometime after 7:30 or 8. Josh will have to have another personal best to have a chance to move on in the 1600m. Don't be surprised if the finish in the 1600m is identical to the 3200m. The top two in the 3200m have the fastest times in the 1600m in our district. If Josh can hang with them, he has a good chance of representing Forney in two events at the Regional Meet which will be held in Denton on April 25 & 26.
Will let you know Wednesday night.
Joshua qualified to run in the 4A Region II Track Meet Tuesday night by finishing in third place, but more importantly for him, setting a personal record in the 3200m. Josh crossed the finish line with a time of 10:06... six seconds faster than his previous best. The guy he has been trying to meet since 8th grade won the race for Mesquite Poteet with a time of 9:55. Second place went to a runner from Richardson J.J. Pierce who no one was expecting to run the 3200m.
The 1600m will be Wednesday night sometime after 7:30 or 8. Josh will have to have another personal best to have a chance to move on in the 1600m. Don't be surprised if the finish in the 1600m is identical to the 3200m. The top two in the 3200m have the fastest times in the 1600m in our district. If Josh can hang with them, he has a good chance of representing Forney in two events at the Regional Meet which will be held in Denton on April 25 & 26.
Will let you know Wednesday night.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Another PR...District Meet Next
For the third week in a row, Joshua set another personal record at the Rockwall-Health Hawk Relays last Friday afternoon. This PR came in the 1600m with a time of 4:43.8. It looked like Josh was going to cross the finish line in first place, but out of no where, he got passed at the line. He literally lost by a half second as the winning time was a 4:43.5.
In the 3200m, Josh took second with a time of 10:28. The winning time was 10:13. The wind was blowing pretty hard when the gun sounded around 3:45 and a combination of that and Josh not really being mentally ready to run took a toll on his time. Josh had mentioned before the race that his coach was not sure why they scheduled a meet five days before the district meet and Josh didn't push himself like he has because he wanted to save himself for district. However, between the 3200 and the 1600 which started around 8:30, Josh had a change in attitude and decided he was not going to let the guy who beat him in the 3200 beat him in the mile...and he didn't. The guy took third.
Next up for Josh is the district meet which will be held at Hanby Stadium in Mesquite. They have spread the district meet out over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday. From what we have been able to figure out, Josh will run the 3200m at 7:00 Tuesday night. The 1600m will be sometime Wednesday night. They will run it with the running finals which begin at 6:30. I am guessing that Josh will run sometime after 7:30 or 8.
What are Joshua's chances at moving on to the regional meet you ask? Well, pretty good. From all the times I have been able to get my hands on so far from school in our district, Josh has the second fasted time in the 3200m at 10:12. The fastest time is around a 9:50 in the district. For Josh to be one of the top three finishers, he is going to have to leave it all on the track and run a very smart race. He can do it, but he is going to have to stay focused. The top three times advance.
In the 1600m, it's a little different story. There are two guys who have faster times...around 4:30. Then there is a pack of three or four runners who are right around the 4:40 to 4:45 time including Joshua. It should be a very competitive race for the third spot. At least with the 1600m being run on day two, Josh should have time for his legs to recuperate from the 3200m.
Deshonna has already said that Tuesday will be a very special day...the day Josh qualifies for the regional meet in the 3200m and also her ??st birthday.
If you are not doing anything Tuesday night and live in the area, come out and support Josh. If you need directions to Hanby Stadium, let me know and I will get you there.
Until next time...
In the 3200m, Josh took second with a time of 10:28. The winning time was 10:13. The wind was blowing pretty hard when the gun sounded around 3:45 and a combination of that and Josh not really being mentally ready to run took a toll on his time. Josh had mentioned before the race that his coach was not sure why they scheduled a meet five days before the district meet and Josh didn't push himself like he has because he wanted to save himself for district. However, between the 3200 and the 1600 which started around 8:30, Josh had a change in attitude and decided he was not going to let the guy who beat him in the 3200 beat him in the mile...and he didn't. The guy took third.
Next up for Josh is the district meet which will be held at Hanby Stadium in Mesquite. They have spread the district meet out over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday. From what we have been able to figure out, Josh will run the 3200m at 7:00 Tuesday night. The 1600m will be sometime Wednesday night. They will run it with the running finals which begin at 6:30. I am guessing that Josh will run sometime after 7:30 or 8.
What are Joshua's chances at moving on to the regional meet you ask? Well, pretty good. From all the times I have been able to get my hands on so far from school in our district, Josh has the second fasted time in the 3200m at 10:12. The fastest time is around a 9:50 in the district. For Josh to be one of the top three finishers, he is going to have to leave it all on the track and run a very smart race. He can do it, but he is going to have to stay focused. The top three times advance.
In the 1600m, it's a little different story. There are two guys who have faster times...around 4:30. Then there is a pack of three or four runners who are right around the 4:40 to 4:45 time including Joshua. It should be a very competitive race for the third spot. At least with the 1600m being run on day two, Josh should have time for his legs to recuperate from the 3200m.
Deshonna has already said that Tuesday will be a very special day...the day Josh qualifies for the regional meet in the 3200m and also her ??st birthday.
If you are not doing anything Tuesday night and live in the area, come out and support Josh. If you need directions to Hanby Stadium, let me know and I will get you there.
Until next time...
Monday, March 31, 2008
PRs Continue
Joshua had his best meet of the year Saturday at the Little Elm Lobo Invitational by setting not one, but two personal records. In the 3200m, Josh had his best time ever with a 10:12. That is 11 seconds faster than his previous best time of 10:23. Despite his record time, it was only good enough for a fifth place finish. For a change, Josh had some very good competition. The winning time was a blistering 9:33 with second being a 10:00.
In the 1600m, Josh crossed the finish line with a 4:45, eight seconds faster than what was his personal best of 4:53. Once again, despite the great personal showing, his time was only good enough for sixth place. First place ran a 4:30 while the second place time was 4:36.
In both races the top two times were from Frisco Centennial which is a 4A school like Forney, so if Josh can make it to the regional meet, he will see them again. Going into the Little Elm meet, Josh was wanting to run a 10:00 3200m and a 4:40 1600m. He will have one more shot at the times before the district meet. This coming Friday, the Jackrabbits will run at Rockwall-Heath. The district meet is set for April 8th & 9th in Mesquite.
In the 1600m, Josh crossed the finish line with a 4:45, eight seconds faster than what was his personal best of 4:53. Once again, despite the great personal showing, his time was only good enough for sixth place. First place ran a 4:30 while the second place time was 4:36.
In both races the top two times were from Frisco Centennial which is a 4A school like Forney, so if Josh can make it to the regional meet, he will see them again. Going into the Little Elm meet, Josh was wanting to run a 10:00 3200m and a 4:40 1600m. He will have one more shot at the times before the district meet. This coming Friday, the Jackrabbits will run at Rockwall-Heath. The district meet is set for April 8th & 9th in Mesquite.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Josh sets PR in 1600m
Joshua set a personal record last Friday at the Cotton Ford Relays held at Greenville High School. Josh took third place in the 1600 but also ran his fastest time ever by breaking the five minute mark to finish with a 4:53. He also took second place in the 3200 with a time of 10:38. The winning time in the 1600 was 4:47 while a 10:28 took the top spot in the 3200.
Joshua enjoyed some friendly harassing from my boss before the 1600. From all accounts, Leo Sanders, my boss, was not bad as a long distance runner in his younger days at Carthage High School. He made it to Greenville in time to watch the 3200 and then stuck around to see the 1600. Between races, Leo started giving Josh a hard time about how slow he ran and kept calling him a "sissy" every time Josh asked for something to eat. "All you need is some water and a power bar you sissy."
As the time between races got longer and longer, Leo finally told Josh, "You run a 4:50 mile and your dad will buy you a big steak." Josh looked at me and I agreed. "So if I run a 4:50 you are going to take me to Salt Grass and buy me a big steak," Josh asked. Once again I said yes. Remember, up until last Friday, his fastest mile was 5:00. As it turned out, it must have motivated Josh. Even though he didn't hit the 4:50 mark, he got very close. When he crossed the line and got his time from the timekeeper, Josh made some comment about being upset about his time. The timekeeper told him that he had a very good time at which Josh replied, "Yea but I just missed getting a steak." A lot of his teammates also came running up to him to see what his time was because they all had heard about the steak bet.
The next meet is one that was just added to the schedule this coming Saturday at Lancaster. We are already committed to be at the Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) convention in downtown Dallas so Josh will not get to run in the 3200. There is a chance we will be able to get him to the meet in time to run the 1600, that is if the race is later in the afternoon like it is with most meets. Otherwise, the next meet will be March 29th at Little Elm.
Maybe by then, Josh will have to run a 4:40 to get a steak.
Joshua enjoyed some friendly harassing from my boss before the 1600. From all accounts, Leo Sanders, my boss, was not bad as a long distance runner in his younger days at Carthage High School. He made it to Greenville in time to watch the 3200 and then stuck around to see the 1600. Between races, Leo started giving Josh a hard time about how slow he ran and kept calling him a "sissy" every time Josh asked for something to eat. "All you need is some water and a power bar you sissy."
As the time between races got longer and longer, Leo finally told Josh, "You run a 4:50 mile and your dad will buy you a big steak." Josh looked at me and I agreed. "So if I run a 4:50 you are going to take me to Salt Grass and buy me a big steak," Josh asked. Once again I said yes. Remember, up until last Friday, his fastest mile was 5:00. As it turned out, it must have motivated Josh. Even though he didn't hit the 4:50 mark, he got very close. When he crossed the line and got his time from the timekeeper, Josh made some comment about being upset about his time. The timekeeper told him that he had a very good time at which Josh replied, "Yea but I just missed getting a steak." A lot of his teammates also came running up to him to see what his time was because they all had heard about the steak bet.
The next meet is one that was just added to the schedule this coming Saturday at Lancaster. We are already committed to be at the Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) convention in downtown Dallas so Josh will not get to run in the 3200. There is a chance we will be able to get him to the meet in time to run the 1600, that is if the race is later in the afternoon like it is with most meets. Otherwise, the next meet will be March 29th at Little Elm.
Maybe by then, Josh will have to run a 4:40 to get a steak.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Josh wins 3200m
If I was ever this late getting a story to press back in my newspaper days, I would have been fired on the spot. But since I am the publisher/sports editor of this "electronic rag," I can be late. I really thought I would wait until after last week's meet in Heath, but after Thursday's meet was cancelled before it ever got started due the rain, sleet and snow that hit the area I had to go to plan "b".Anyway, Joshua's last meet was March 1st at the Clay Jones Relays here in Forney. Josh had a very good meet taking first place in the 3200m and fourth in the 1600m. Despite finishing first, he was not pleased with his performance as he ran his slowest time of the year at 10:38. "I didn't have any competition," Josh said after the run. My come back to him was, "That is when you have to really push yourself."
I thought his 1600m time was really good when you take into account that by the time the 1600m was run around 5 p.m., the wind was blowing very strong out of the south. Josh's time was 5:02. The winning time was 4:48.
Forney entered two varsity teams in the 4 x 400m and Josh was selected to run the anchor on the second team. He was not looking forward to it before the race for a couple of reasons. First, the 4 x 400m was the race right after the 1600m. The second reason, Josh is not a sprinter and in today's track world, the 400m is a sprint. Nevertheless, Josh shocked himself by running the fastest quarter he has ever ran at 0:59. I told him all he had to do was run that time eight times in a row and he would take the state title in the 3200m. He was not impressed.
This week they have two meets on the schedule. Friday they are scheduled to run at Greenville. The 3200m will start the running events at 3:00 and as with most meets, the 1600m is the next to last event of the meet which means he will probably be running around 6:00. Saturday, the team is scheduled to run at the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays in Dallas, but according to Josh today, he does not know if they are going or not. Apparently this meet is one of the premiere meets in the state with teams coming from all over the U.S. I saw a list of teams that have signed up and there really are two high schools from New York and two from Oklahoma.
Josh was told last week that Forney was not going to have anybody run the mile because they could not compete, but they would enter the 3200m. The winning time at last year's Jesuit meet in the 1600m was 4:21. Josh's fastest time in the 1600m this year is 5:00 which would have got him 19th place. The 3200m time is more in line with what Josh has the potential of getting. Last year's winning time was 9:35 which by t
he way was a kid from Forney who is on track scholarship this year at Sam Houston State. Josh's fastest 3200m this year of 10:23 would have got him 11th place last year.It looks like the weather is going be nice this weekend so we are looking for some fast times.
Until next time...
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