Darnell L Williams training Daniel L Tulloch at Central Dauphin High School field running hills.
The Jamaican Flash
had a bad day at West Chester, Pa. June 16, 2012 was the day of the 2012 USATF
Mid-Atlantic Association Junior Olympic Track & Field Championship Meet. Only the qualifiers of the preliminary meets
can go to this association meet. They are from Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern
New Jersey, and Delaware. His mother Stephanie
had high hopes for Daniel to qualify for the Region 2 meet at the University of
Delaware, Newark Delaware. I expected him to finally break the 6 minute mark in
the 1500 M Run and qualify for the 800 M run. Stephanie and my expectations
were not meet today.
Daniel’s Long Jump
Daniel had his best long
jump at 1.94 meters or 6 feet and 4.37 inches. He finished in 17th place. Daniel’s mother Stephanie (sitting with Brother
David at the long jump pit) was upset that Daniel was not jumping like the others.
I explained to her that Daniel just started jumping and is not getting the weekly
practice that he needs for this event. It will take time for him to get the
concept of jumping. Then I reminded her of when she was in USATF and was
learning how to hurdle. She did not get the concept of what to do for 2 years
but became the “Go To” person in Ninth Grade on the Central Dauphin High School
Track Team.
Daniel in the 1500 M Run
You can hear Stephanie
from all over the stadium. I was at the top of the bleachers when I started
hearing her telling Daniel what to do on the track. You can hear it in the video.
It was not until I got down to the track
did Daniel start running the right way and started passing people. He finished
with a time of 6 minutes 28.0 seconds. That is about 24 seconds off his best
time. He finished second with a silver metal.
Daniel in the 800 M Run
Again you can hear
his mother Stephanie telling Daniel to “move.” I was starting to get concerned
that Stephanie was going to hurt her lungs. We are both frustrated with Daniel’s
lack of performance today.
The Results in this meet
Daniel will go on to
the Regional Meet that starts on July 5, 2012 and ends on July 8, 2012. He
along with two others will represent the Mid-Atlantic Association and Newark
Delaware at the Region 2 meet for the 1500 Meter Run. He will compete against
USATF members from New York State, New Jersey State, Pennsylvania State,
Northern West Virginia, and Eastern Ohio. The qualifiers from the following
USATF Associations will participate; Mid-Atlantic, New Jersey, Niagara, and
Three Rivers.
A Side Note
Legends have a life
of its own. People know me at these track meets as Daniel’s Grandfather. They
don’t know my name. Many know Daniel as “Jamaica” and believe that I am from Jamaica.
Some ask me what part of Jamaica am I from. I reply just south of Pittsburgh,
Pa. One lady got excited at this meet
and wanted me to meet her husband. He is from Ocho Rios, Jamaica. He likes the
colors of Daniel’s uniform. Daniel runs with the colors of Jamaica to honor his
father’s family. His track and field heroes live in Jamaica.
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