Tia Jarvis takes part in Women in Sports Day in Dover

I had the pleasure this week to attend the Delaware Women in Sports Day Celebration with Cape sophomore sprinter/jumper Tia Jarvis and her pop pop Jay in Wilmington at the Governor’s Office. We arrived to the state office building about 12:30 p.m. and circled the blocks like Chevy Chase in “European Vacation” looking for a parking spot as the street watchers were saying, "Why is the Cape van going in circles?"

We finally found a spot and then were off to the Carvel Building, as Jay and I easily went through the security walkway, and after a few minutes of alarms we finally got Tia through with all her jewelry.

The ceremony was in Gov. John Carney's office, and the athletes wore their jerseys. There were a lot of cameras and filming and short speeches and each of the athletes told the crowd their name, school, sport and favorite academic subject, which was cool. Most played field hockey and most loved math.

At the end, I took Tia up to Gov. Carney to personally introduce her to him. After saying hello to me, he turned to her and said, "Are you a Seashore Strider too?" Tia explained she may train in the fall with the team. Then he said, "if you do, you have some big shoes to fill because those kids can run."

Tia was then rushed to a corner of the room for an NBC 10 Philly interview. Then she was back in my ear, saying, "Let's go, we have to get to practice."  

It was a nice celebration and always great to see John Carney.

Super Bowl 5K

The inaugural Super Duper Sunday Super Bowl 5K brought out 70 participants to Cape Henlopen High School Feb. 2. Most had their favorite NFL T-shirts on. Small stress ball mini-footballs were handed out to all the finishers. Most of the T-shirts I saw were Ravens, Redskins and Eagles, so I’m not sure if anyone cared much about the 49ers and Chiefs.

The top three runners were under 16:12, as Tyler Muse of Bel Air, Md., averaged five minutes a mile to hit the line in 15:33, while Dylan Smiley of West Chester, Pa., averaged a 5:03 pace to run 15:41 and Nick Cruz of Milford averaged a 5:12 pace to run 16:11.

Faith Mitchell, 13, of Milford took a break from her morning duck hunting to average 6:40 a mile, hitting the line in 20:46 for the overall female championship. It was a double weekend for Mitchell, as she also won the Plunge 5K the day before. Sarah Kim of Newark won the female masters in 21:15.

Little Jackson Yngve, 8, of Rehoboth Beach, ran 29:21 to win the 9-and-under age group, as she cruised the race with mom Carla, who ran 29:24 to take second in the 40-49 age group. “Jackson loved this race and has not stopped talking about it,” said Carla.

Another similar combo completed the event as Kellan Adams of Lewes was third in the 10-13 age group in 33:50, running with mom Mindy Adams of Lewes in 33:51.

I love the fact that these parents are supportive in pushing children to not only complete a goal, but take up a sport that promotes living a healthy lifestyle.

Rose Bud

The Henlopen Conference Championships Feb. 6 was the final indoor track meet for senior Rose “Rose Bud” Minni. Rose began her track & field career in sixth grade at Beacon Middle, where coach Gilbert Maull was conducting his annual Chicken Nugget Invitational in the café with a 20-meter sprint start competition. I remember Gilbert calling me from the gym and saying, “You better get down here; I have a sixth-grade girl with huge calves that is beating my eighth-graders out of the blocks.” I already knew about Rose, as she is my Gosling Creek neighbor and started a few years earlier with the Seashore Striders. Rose went on to complete a three-year career at Beacon, never losing a meet and never having anyone in front of her leading off the 4-by-200 relay. Rose also owned the third leg of the 4-by-100 relay, running a tough turn, and if Beacon did not have the lead after leg two, then they likely had it after Rose finished.

As Rose got closer to her eighth-grade year and prepping for high school, she was diagnosed with asthma, then vocal cord dysfunction, then a rare autoimmune disorder called Ehlers-Danlos. Her veins constrict, and that causes a full-body shutdown when she sprints for a distance over 100 meters. Her pulmonary doctor said it was the worst syncope and collapse he had ever seen. I now only let Rose compete in the long and triple jump events, but she has become such an important part of the team. This season, Rose has completed almost all the sprint workouts with little modification and has handled her conditions like a champ. She is a determined leader and a great role model showing people to never give up! I will miss Rose Bud, and I know coach Maull will miss her more.