Remember when I was young and so were you?

Remember me? Thousands of photos were already taken at Flag Alley Saturday morning at a turnaround point off Wolfe Neck Road. The front edge of the Rehoboth marathoners had begun to mesh with the back end of the half-marathon. I knew runners from both groups, but I don’t imprint faces to try to focus images that are moving. Earlier I had snapped a close-up photo of my granddaughter Meredith but I didn’t recognize her, if that makes any sense. And so this young man stops and looks down at my seated self and asks, “Remember me?” I summon my ”Quick and the Fred” double-recessive memory genes, I said, “You’re Fluffy.”  Zack Flores reflected on his high school wrestling nickname when he wrestled 285 and placed second in the state in 2017. The meet was at Dover, and I was mat side and said, “Yea, Fluffy.” Fluffy works for SoDel Concepts as one of the chefs at Baywood Greens. Scott Kammerer, aka Uncle Buck of Anna B Street and SoDel CEO, said of Fluffy, “He’s in incredible shape. Works out at SoDel Well and Rise also. I’m very proud of him.”

Locomotion without wasted motion - Olivia Magagna floated around the beautiful Rehoboth marathon course looking poised and peaceful, easily smiling at people. Stephen Beaman, who won the first marathon he had ever run, looked springy and quick. The half-marathon winners Schuyler Reed and Lindsay Hayman looked powerful, breaking away from the peloton of pacers following them. About 3,500 left the Rehoboth Bandstand and jumped on the challenge. The main goal is to finish what you start; otherwise, why get up so early and pay good money for running shoes? The uniqueness of the sport of running long distance is that 3,500 people respond to the same starting gun. Only the elite are racing to win, while most are race-running just to finish.     

Cagey fighter- Cape’s Nick Walker won the Southern Slam wrestling tournament in South Carolina last weekend at 157 pounds. Nick appears to be a blue-collar, hard-charging brawler, and to beat him, you got to catch him using his aggressive fearlessness against him. And all that may be a misread because Nick is super smart in the classroom, which transfers onto the mat as cagey and calculating. Nick won his championship bout 15-3. Grayson Davis (150) lost 3-2 in the finals to the No. 8 wrestler in the country. Cape finished sixth out of 30 teams in the tournament. Baylor School of Tennessee won the tournament.    

Notre Dame out, Alabama in - The debate and the reality of picking Alabama over Notre Dame for the college football playoffs affects me not at all, but I admit I am surprised. I had said, “Notre Dame is a lock right down to Pope Leo being a Catholic from Chicago.” I’ve read numerous accounts of the process, concluding it was never about Notre Dame or Miami. The choice was whether to pick three-loss Alabama over two-loss Notre Dame based on strength of schedule. College football has been so contaminated by the transfer portal and NIL monies, not to mention exorbitant contracts for head coaches, that scores of fans stay loyal to the product only because the alternative is soccer. 

Snippets - Delaware Day and Pearl Harbor Day coalesced Dec. 7. The few hardy souls of the Lewes Polar Bear Club met at Cape Henlopen State Park for the December plunge. The water was 48 degrees, while the air was 43. Plungers were Greg Mack, Connie Miller, Brian Mack, Brad Egolf, Logan Egolf, Joe Egolf, Charlie Burton, Kimberly Raschdorf and Greg Raschdorf. There were fairly big waves and big holes, so best to duck and turn, and run out to your beach towel. Mel McCloy, 25, of Cape and Princeton, ran the Rehoboth marathon in 3:24:37. Tricia Ecker of Rehoboth ran 3:48:32. Joanne Woodruff of Rehoboth ran 4:56. Tim Young of Rehoboth ran 4:00:03. Paul Timmons of Rehoboth ran 3:41:58. Greg Cauller of York, Pa., has run local races for years; he placed second in the 65-69 age group in 3:43:12. Go on now, git!