Buzzes of chatter fill the air as the crowd gathers for the first meet of the season, the Indoor MIC championship. The fieldhouse is full of constant movement in every direction while the announcements are being made. The whole experience is different for new senior runner Derek Grimmer.
“I was confused and out of my element,” said Grimmer. Having played baseball for the majority of his life, the track meet was very unique compared to sporting events he had done in the past.
As a result of the confusion, Grimmer missed the first announcements, but luckily made it just in time to sign in for his race. Because he didn’t have a great amount of time to warm up and mentally prepare for his first race, he modeled what the other runners did; the rush that seemed like a disadvantage proved to be a blessing. When the gun was fired, he just ran. As it turns out, he ran himself into the finals.
“Having been only my first meet and second race, I had little expectations,” Derek said. The focus for him was solely to improve time and accomplish what was possible. To his own astonishment, Derek ended up winning the race with a time of 7.05 seconds and becoming the MIC indoor 60 meter dash champion. Overall, the shift from baseball into track turned out to be the right decision not only for himself, but also for the team and the coaches.
“Derek brings a lot to our track and field team. I believe he can and will do great things this season,” Coach Timmons said. Aside from his talent, he also has great enthusiasm for the sport and has learned a few things from the short period of time he has been a part of it.
On account of the competition this upcoming weekend, Coach Timmons has goals for Grimmer.
“Honestly, my goals for Derek this weekend are for him to enjoy the entire experience and to run to the best of his abilities. Certainly another goal is for everyone to come away from this meet running their very best and staying healthy in the process,” said Timmons.
Derek Grimmer plans on continuing his participation on the track and field team in hopes to not only improve his time, but also to keep his body healthy in an enjoyable way.
