The Lousiville Cross Country Classic

On a hot Louisville afternoon, JP finished 2nd and Gave 3rd in the 24th Annual Louisville Cross Country Classic.  MBA's varsity and junior varsity teams finished 2nd, too, in their races, right behind St. X, a Louisville cross country powerhouse.  

Running at 1 p.m. was different, to be sure.  As I mentioned, it was quite hot for a cross country race.  It was a large field, mostly with school from Kentucky, I think, and a perhaps a few from Ohio.  There were a ton of college kids there when we arrived just ahead of the MBA bus, and it was pretty cool to see them milling about E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.  The college kids ran in the coveted morning slots, which left the hotter afternoon for the high school runners.  

The setup of the course was nice, similar to the Southern Showcase course in Huntsville.  The court was tight with a few switchbacks, as a result of which I was able to watch the runners at multiple vantage points and still get to the finish line.  It's a bucolic park, too, which was a plus.  The course itself was fairly flat - again, like Huntsville - which means it's reasonably fast.  

It was cool before the race started to hear the announcer talking about the teams and runners over the loudspeaker.  He mentioned that MBA, from Nashville, was racing and should do well.  He also identified JP and Gabe, from MBA, as two runners who likely be running up front.

And that's exactly what happened, as JP took the lead early and held it for the first two miles or so.  There was a lead pack of five or six runners, and Gabe was in it, as well.  He settled in right behind JP, in fact.  It was cool, to be honest, to see JP and Gabe running so close together for the first two-thirds of the race.  

At about the 2 1/2 mile mark, a kid from St. X in the lead pack had pulled away from JP just a bit, maybe 10 yards.  I could see that JP was staying with him, though, and I thought there might be an interesting are to the finish line the last 400 or 500 yards.  As it turned out, JP did pull even with the St. X kid on the home stretch, which is downhill.  JP couldn't quite match his finishing kick, though, and finished in 2nd place by two or three seconds, at 15:30.90.  

Gabe finished in 3rd place, about five seconds behind JP.  It was a good race for both of them, although I know JP would have liked to have won the race.  The MBA team got a Louisville Slugger bat for finishing second overall, probably the best and most interesting trophy they have received since JP's been on the Hill.  After the race, there already was talk about whether the bat would be displayed in the school's trophy case or in the cross country/track and field's trophy case in the locker room.

It was a quick trip but a good one.  I'm glad I was there to see JP run on one of his favorite courses.

JP and Gabe ran into former teammate, Mitchell Chaffin, who raced for Centre College earlier in the day.  It was good to see him.

JP, pre-race.

Tarah and Gabe checking out the map of the course I found.

Co-Captain, Jack McDaniel (a.k.a. "McDavid")

I think this is my favorite photo of JP running I've ever taken.

Post-race.

Gabe, JP, and Wynn.  Strong junior class.  MBA's top three finishers.

JP and Oliver, from Science Hill High School.  I met his parents before the race.  

Co-Captains, Jack and JP.  Friends since they were three years old at Children's House. 

Second place trophy.  Pretty cool.

Gabe and JP with the second place trophy.

The Seven.

Wynn, Gabe, and JP.

On the Run in Jeffersonville, Indiana

I'm sitting at a table outside Coffee Crossing in Jeffersonville, Indiana, having a cup of coffee before sunrise.  I'm almost in sight of the Ohio River from where I sit.  A flock of geese just flew by above me, in formation, honking back and forth to each other.  

Today, at 1 p.m.,  MBA's varsity cross country team is running in the 24th annual Louisville Cross Country Classic at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.  JP likes the course and, in fact, ran a 15:05 there two weeks ago in the Trinity-Valkyrie Invitational.   

I drove up yesterday afternoon with JP and Gabe.  Earlier in the week, I booked us at an Airbnb in Jeffersonville, Indiana, literally right across the river from Louisville.  We had an excellent dinner last night at TOWN (a neighborhood pub).  Really good pasta.  Too much to eat in one sitting, actually.  

The house is nice.  Three bedrooms.  Three bathrooms.  A small backyard with a nice back porch and a hot tub.  Nice front porch, too, where I sat out for a bit late last night, reading the new Easy Rawlins mystery, Gray Dawn (Walter Mosley).  I slept well, too. 

As I left the house a few minutes ago, JP was up, making scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.  His plan, I think, is to go back to bed afterwards.  Racing at 1 p.m. is odd for the boys, as most races are first thing in the morning.  He's trying to make sure he's properly fueled, I think.  Properly rested, too.  

If I were industrious, I would add Indiana to my list of states I've run in by going for a 3-miler across the bridge into Louisville.  Instead, I think I'll go for a walk this morning, then run tonight when we get back to Nashville.  I'm at 116/156 3-mile runs for the year.  On target, assuming good health the last quarter of the year.  

I enjoy these quick trips out of town for races in much the same way I enjoy traveling to small towns for baseball tournaments.  Getting away from Nashville.  Time with one or both of boys and, sometimes, other parents.  New surroundings that I likely won't see again.  Finding coffee.  Making a few more memories to add to the scrapbook in my head.  All of it.

Jeffersonville seems to be an interesting town.  Quirky and eclectic.  A real downtown with several restaurants.  Mixed demographically from what little I have seen.  Active, with a lot of runners and cyclists.  From where I am sitting, I can smell what an unkempt man just told me is basket being smoked around the corner at Ramiro's Cantina.  I smelled it as soon as I got our of my truck but didn't imagine someone would be cooking this early.

The sun is rising, now, as the light reflects off the top half of Riverside Cigar Shop and Lounge across the street.  More cars, more people out walking.  Jeffersonville is waking up.  

I just met "Elliott," a rescue boxer mix out for a walk with his owner, an interesting, kind man wearing a hoodie and missing his front teeth.  Another man walked up and is talking to me about the O.J. Simpson trial.  See what I mean?  Eclectic.  

Life is wonderful.  Interesting.  Beautiful.  

Time to go for a walk.  In Jeffersonville, Indiana.  

The Return of Jojo Buffan

It's October 2, the second day of my favorite time of the year, October 1 - January 2, 2025.  Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Cooler weather isn't here yet but it's on the way.  I hope.

Last night after work, alone, I began to decorate the office for Halloween.  It's my thing and my law partners tolerate it but only for the month of October.  Zombie heads hanging from hooks in the five large front windows of my office.  Skulls everywhere.  Bloody knives, clowns.  The works.  I do it every year.  Everything goes up on September 30 (this year, October 1) and it all comes down on November 1, 2025.  What can I say.

As I was getting started, I got a call from Joe on my cell.  Answering it, I said, "What's up, bud?"

"I made the A team (soccer)," he replied.

"What?!?  The 8th grade team?" 

"Yeah.  Luke and I are the only 7th graders to make it."

After three days of junior school soccer tryouts at MBA, Joe had made the A team.  I could tell he was kind of stunned.  Frankly, so was I.

It was a difficult decision - but the right one, I think - when Jude and I took Joe out of travel soccer this fall with Armada.  He had carved out a niche as one of two goalies and team captain for the past two or three years.  He has good friends on that team - Rex, Tennessee, Pike - and it was hard to give that up.  Still, we knew how tough MBA would be, academically, and we wanted Joe to focus on his studies.  Also, he had to participate in a school activity in the afternoons every quarter of his 7th and 8th grade years.  It just didn't seem prudent to put him in a situation where, twice a week, he would go from crew practice to soccer practice, and not have dinner and start homework until almost 9 p.m.

I was worried that was it for him in soccer.  I knew he planned to try out for the school team but, without practicing regularly and playing at a high level, I though it might be difficult for him to make the A team or the B team (7th grade).  Boy, was I wrong.

A few of Joe's classmates and former teammates on Armada, Rex and Tennessee, made the B team.  Somehow, Joe made the A team.  My guess is that he will back up the starting goalie, although in Joe's inimitable fashion, he suggested to me that he's as good as the 8th grade goalie and expects to play.  Either way, he will get a lot of reps against solid, 8th grade soccer players.  It will help his development as a goalie. 

In tryouts, I confirmed with Joe that during the scrimmage portion of all three days, he did what he normally does in goal.  He was very vocal and communicative.  Encouraged his teammates and constantly repositioned them where he wanted them, especially on corner kicks.  In other words, he lead his teammates, even in a scrimmage.  That's just what Joe does.

The Captain.

I'm so damn proud of Joe and his start at MBA.  He studying diligently.  Grinding, as JP calls it.  He seems more mature, already, with a seriousness about him that he didn't have last year.  Yes, it's a little sad, because suddenly, Joe seems more young man than child, but that's to be expected, I think, and as it should be.  He's stepping up, getting in the books.  He's competing, in the classroom and outside of it, which its what it takes to survive and thrive at MBA.  I hope it continues.  I think it will.

As Jude and Joe were leaving he MBA-Baylor football game last Friday night, she heard a bunch of boys and girls yelling "Joe!"

She looked over and saw that it was his former classmates from USN, excited to see him.  He said hi, talked briefly to them, then left with Jude to go home.  

The Captain.

In many ways, it was harder for Joe to leave USN than it was for JP.  When JP left, he seemed to never look back.  He was ready for something new.  He was ready to be challenged in a different way.  He didn't seem to be too concerned with who he was leaving behind at USN or who he was joining at MBA.  JP didn't have time for all of that.  After all, there was work to be done, goals to be achieved, and anything else was just a distraction.  

Leaving USN was different for Joe.  His circle of good friends was larger and tighter.  He was in the middle of it all and he loved every minute of it.  He was seen, known, admired, and respected by his classmates, all of which he had earned over seven years at USN.  He said goodbye to all of that  and started over at MBA, and I admire him for it.  Staying at USN would have been easy.  Leaving USN and starting at MBA was hard.  The hard decisions are the ones that teach you the most, or so it seems to me.

I think Joe is on the way.