Let the force be with you, centrifugal and centripetal

Centrifugal force - Gage Hall, 9, flew around the corner and into the finish chute at the Turkey Trot 5K at Sea Colony Nov. 26 in 22:23. He later asked me, “Was I running too fast for you to get a picture?” Gage’s friend Bennett Brumbley, 10, was chasing Gage to help him get to the chute faster. Bennett had already finished in 20:02 and the furthest thing from his mind is getting posterized in a photo that looks like Gage is beating him. Running is a raw and pure sport, including track and field, and pretty much stays that way. High school state championship meets last all day; athletes win or lose, then shake hands, and there is no police presence because it is unnecessary. It’s all about sportsmanship.  

Composed and choreographed - I had several football discussions Saturday on a variety of topics, from Pop Warner to professional, with the generation one down from me but nevertheless still washed up. True, I’ve been washed up longer, but I’m pretty sure I used to be better than they used to be. They all like the new group celebrations in professional football. I told them I did not like them, not because they were classless but because they were choreographed, like a dance recital, adding, “So what is that?” How did the sport become dancing on air, and remember, a mime is a terrible thing to waste.

The big reveal - You just have to pay attention to ordinary things happening around you for truth to be revealed. Truth is often beauty, but sometimes it’s ugly, and often in between. I was photographing the Turkey Trot 5K to benefit Special Olympics Nov. 26, when Robert Coupe came from around the corner and popped into my lens, but he circled back to join his wife Pam so they could finish together. The move was natural, not a calculation. A few years ago, a couple, married just the day before, raced each other to the finish line, with the young husband going Great Santini and beating his young bride and being happy about it. I think his cool-down run lasted a month. Pam saw the photo of her and Robert and wrote, “Robert is my hero, day in and day out.”   

Spinning yarns - Cody Kuhlman, 6, looked pensive not sad Nov. 25 prior to the Pumpkin Pie 5K in Rehoboth. I was going to say hello, but I didn’t have 20 minutes to listen to his response. Cody is a fully formed Sussex County spinner of yarns. He could win an age-group contest for sure. His older sister Katie joked, “You should have seen him the other day; he was wearing out Senator Lopez.” Family members said Cody takes after his grandfather George Kuhlman.

Attention to myself disorder - I know where I’m at but not where I’m going or where I’m supposed to be, and I’m not at all worried about it since losing my son Tom in an accident Oct. 9. I missed the Track & Field Hall of Fame banquet last weekend. I’m a member, inducted last year, so the classy move would have been to show up, but I just couldn’t focus the moment. I thought of the irony. The only time a hall of fame matters is the night you get inducted; after that, you can’t sell it in the supermarket or even at a cross country meet. A flock of coaches went running by me at the state meet after the start of a race, scurrying to catch the runners at the mile split. I know who they are, but none of them know me. I thought of stopping them, “Hey! Do you guys know I’m in the hall of fame? Where do you think I got this nifty blue field chair?” 

Snippets - The Delaware Valley University Aggies (12-0) defeated Husson University 37-15 Nov. 25 in the second round of the 32-team DIvision III football tournament. The Aggies advance to play at Brockport Saturday, Dec. 2, in the quarterfinals. Brockport (12-0) eliminated Wesley 49-28 Nov. 25. Sammy Mohr (Cape) and Shawn Miller (Laurel) play for Del Val. Coach Ruth Skoglund coached the Delaware Shore U19 team at the Shooting Stars Field Hockey Showcase held at the River City Sportsplex in Midlothian, Va., over Thanksgiving weekend. There were 186 teams from U12, U14, U16 and U19 along with 164 college coaches in attendance. Skoglund said, “I had the pleasure of coaching the Delaware Shore U19 Inlet team in Pool C.” The girls finished in second place with a 3-0-2 record and in the overall standings finished 13/60. There were six juniors, six sophomores and one freshman on the roster. Two players from Polytech, two from Lake Forest and nine from Cape. Go on now, git!