Grandsons, Track, and a Moose!

This has been an interesting week. The week started with Jaxon Taylor Ellingson being born. Jaxon is Julie and my 2nd grandson, oh, and he belongs to Jason and Lahia. Julie flew home early Saturday morning to be with Jaxon, Lahia, and Jason during the delivery. She returned Sunday. A quick trip but well worth the time and money. Jaxon had a bit of a rough entry into the world, but both he and mommy are doing well now. I am jealous of those who have gotten to see and hold him. I haven’t yet and I won’t until this next weekend.

That gives me two grandsons now and the third one on his way. This is going to be so much fun with these three boys so close in age. I can’t wait to watch them in sports and life. That brings up an idea I have been mulling around for a while. I think we need to make a family rule, fathers don’t coach sons. Uncles coach nephews, grandpa coaches everyone, and fathers become spectators for their sons. I think this will help in maintaining peace at the various homes and ensure the next generation of state champion discus throwers and shot putters. (Can you even begin to imagine the base of knowledge we will have built by the time these boys are ready to throw? They should be nothing short of incredible.)

Jeff had his district meet this past week. We haven’t reported much so far this season about the other young man from Camas County that I have been coaching. His name is J.D. Jewett; he’s a senior. Jeff and J.D. met last season prior to us moving to Camas County. They have been great for each other all season. Pushing each other and encouraging each other. Wednesday afternoon was the first day of the District Meet. Jeff’s first three throws blew the rest of the field away. All three of his throws in the preliminary round were over 150’ (45.72m,) with his longest being 152’ 3” (46.41m.) (For those of you keeping track, that’s a new PR – his old PR was 147’ 8” (45.01m.)

J.D. struggled in the preliminary round and barely made it into finals. To that point, his PR was 129’ 11” (39.60.) In the finals, J.D.’s first two throws were very short and a sector foul. This Conference and District does something weird. Instead of alternating turns and measuring a throw at a time, they have the throwers step in and throw all three throws and mark them in the field with pegs. They then measure them. A thrower can take all three throws at a time, or take two and save one to the end. J.D. saved his final throw. At that point he was in 7th place. Only the top 4 go to State.

The next throwers went and the positions between 2nd and 4th changed with every thrower. When Jeff came up, Jeff was in first with 152’ 3” (46.41m,) the boy in 2nd was at 139’ 0” (42.37m,) the boy in third was at 138’ 1” (42.09m,) and the boy in fourth was at 135’ 5” (41.28m.) Jeff didn’t throw any further in the finals; however, all six of his throws were further than the 2nd place throw. This left J.D. the only person remaining to throw. He needed a PR to go to state. More precisely, he needed 135’ 6” (41.30m) to go to State. He stepped in and the discus sailed to the wide right. I was sure it was out of sector and I was just sick in my stomach, because I knew he had thrown it far. The field marker marked it inbounds, but just barely. When they measured it, it was 137’ 5” (41.88m.) We all went nuts. That meant both boys were going to State together.

Then yesterday in the shot put, Jeff just didn’t seem to be able to put it together. He only threw 39’ 4” (11.99m;) remember, his PR is 42” 3” (12.88m.) He placed 5th and will not be going to State in the shot. J.D., on the other hand, showed up ready to throw. He threw 43’ 10” (13.36m) his 2nd throw and won the District Title. It was both an exciting day and a disappointing day.

Julie had a unique experience on Friday morning. When we got into the office, she was talking with several of the field guys. They asked her if she had seen a lot of wild life crossing the Camas Prairie on their way back up into the mountains. She told them she had seen just about everything that lives in Idaho except a moose. About 20 minutes later she got a call from one of the job site superintendants telling her that if she wanted to see a moose she better get to his site as soon as possible. She took the pictures to the right of the one-year old calf that was meandering around the job site. This is the same job site I took the picture of the wolf’s paw print from a few months ago.