beyond the box scores

One foot in front of the other, bounding across the spongy track towards ecstasy. Not really. Not at all, actually. More like trudging along painfully, on the hardened plastic surface, baked solid by the noonday sun. Running used to be so easy, so effortless. That was forty pounds and twenty years ago. I’m struggling to keep with my thirteen-year-old as I run him through his paces. I finally give up and just jog back and forth, telling him his interval splits and
trying to sound knowledgeable in between gasps of air.
The boy’s managed to skip the last two track meets, not sure what’s going on with that. He was sick the first one and apparently forgot to sign up for the second one, or they only had one heat and he wasn’t able to run or something. Sounds like avoidance to me. Just be straight about it, you know? You signed up for it, finish it out. If you absolutely don’t want to do it, tell me. Don’t go about it all half-a**ed, though.
Too many examples of that in our lives--in our histories, personal and familial.Is he thinking he’s not as good as the other kids? Why do they think they have to be an all-star or great to be involved in sports? Especially at that age—why can’t someone play or participate just for the fun of it? There’s way too much emphasis on winning and losing in sports these days, I think the real value is beyond the box scores.