Bob CollinsA report on youth and sports in the last week revealed that when it comes to the the decline in sports participation by kids, track and field is among sports with the least amount of interest. That’s too bad, really, because track and field kids have a way of being some of the classiest and truest sportspeople in all of athletics.
More proof?
How about Shelby Erdahl, the Idaho State senior, who was running in the 400-meter hurdle finals last Saturday during the Big Sky Outdoor Conference Championships. Her team needed the points.
Then she blew out her left Achilles tendon.
Here’s a tissue.
By finishing, she earned a point for her team.
“I never really thought about quitting because I’d worked so hard to that point,” she said. “So I just started running.”
“My foot didn’t work so I was trying to figure out how to jump over hurdles without a foot.”
“I’ve never been the type to give up,” she said.
Related sports: ‘Rough and out of hand’: Hill-Murray lacrosse coach pulls team off field (Star Tribune)
