{"id":4109,"date":"2021-03-28T08:05:08","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T12:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=4109"},"modified":"2021-03-28T08:06:23","modified_gmt":"2021-03-28T12:06:23","slug":"lessons-from-the-state-meet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from the State Meet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s<\/em> Sunday,<\/em> and it’s back to the “Sunday Story” series. Here’s four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country Meet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forty Years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was a social studies teacher and a Dean of Students during my thirty-six years of teaching.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I coached for forty years.  My \u201cprimary\u201d coaching was in Track and Field, but I was also the Cross Country Coach for thirty years. And I was an assistant Wrestling coach for a while, and started the middle school Wrestling and Cross Country teams.  So while I was teaching and even after, I was always, always coaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We took our sports seriously.\u00a0\u00a0We all put a tremendous amount of effort in it, whether it was on the track, in the woods, or on the mat.\u00a0\u00a0And when we competed, we did everything we could to win.\u00a0\u00a0It was part of the \u201clessons\u201d of athletics in school; work hard, strive to win, and then accept the outcome with \u201cgrace\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0I wanted my teams to be honorable, in defeat and victory.\u00a0\u00a0Some of the best lessons were at the losing end of a hard-fought competition, though they certainly didn\u2019t feel like a \u201cgood\u201d lesson at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sometimes things just went sideways.\u00a0\u00a0Today\u2019s stories are from forty years of kids who did everything they could to be successful.\u00a0\u00a0But that wasn\u2019t always the story.\u00a0\u00a0Here\u2019s four from the State Cross Country Meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Cross Country<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From the beginning, getting to the State meet in Cross Country was the ultimate goal.  Out of two hundred plus teams in our division, only sixteen made it to the starting line at State.  And even fewer \u201cindividuals\u201d qualified, usually about sixteen or twenty.  Getting there was the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we did \u2013 first as individuals, then with a series of teams from 1988 through 1999.\u00a0\u00a0During that time the State Meet was held at Scioto Downs, a harness racing track (now a Racino \u2013 horses and slot machines).\u00a0\u00a0The course there started in the infield in front of the grandstand, with maybe 12,000 spectators cheering their teams on.\u00a0\u00a0The first half mile was straight across the field, then a 180 degree turn around that (damn) orange barrel to come back in front of the grandstand again.\u00a0\u00a0Another loop around the field \u2013 then out in the grounds around the stables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The start was crazy.\u00a0\u00a0The pressure of all those fans was something that wasn\u2019t a part of \u201cnormal\u201d Cross Country.\u00a0\u00a0We were used to a few vocal parents (\u201cPush Johnny \u2013 PUSH\u201d) and coaches (\u201cARRRMMMS!\u201d) but not thousands in the stands.\u00a0\u00a0Not that there wasn\u2019t enough pressure already at the culminating effort of six months of work.\u00a0\u00a0So when the 1989 team got to the line on that cold November afternoon \u2013 we were more than \u201cpsyched\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike\u2019s Tights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our team captain Mike, had been sick all week.  He was our leader, and not having him compete wasn\u2019t really an option.  The school administrators were more than generous \u2013 school attendance rules that week were \u201cflexed\u201d for Mike.  So he was out there, not near his best, but leading our first boys\u2019 team at the State Meet.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track and Cross Country have some \u201cpeculiar\u201d rules.\u00a0\u00a0The problem is that there is no \u201cminor\u201d penalty; no going to the foul line, or five-yard setback.\u00a0\u00a0If you violate the rules, you are disqualified from the event.\u00a0\u00a0You know that college football rule where a player can get thrown out for an \u201cillegal\u201d hit?\u00a0\u00a0Well it\u2019s like that, except it can be for something like stepping across the wrong line, or wearing the wrong pair of running tights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So there we were, five minutes before the gun, and the boys start taking off their sweats.  Mike looks a little feverish, but the energy on the line pulsed through him just like everyone else.  But when he pulled off his sweat pants \u2013 there it was.  He put on the wrong pair of running tights. His had red trim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a rule violation \u2013 at the time all \u201cvisible undergarments\u201d had to be a single solid color.  And here was Mike in front of virtually every official in the state, with black tights (like everyone else on our team) except for the red trim near the top.  If they spotted him \u2013 he was disqualified, and so was the rest of the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decision on the Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As Coach, I had a couple of options.  Make a circle, and have Mike strip the tights off?  But it was below freezing, and he was already sick as a dog.  Find another pair of tights?  But there was no time left, the Starter was already blowing the whistle for the \u201cmeeting\u201d before the gun.  So I went with a desperate plan:  hope that all of those old-aged officials (I\u2019m one of them now) would miss the red trim peeking out from below his running shorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gun went off, and the \u201crace to the barrel\u201d at the other end of the infield was on.  I spent the next fifteen minutes dashing from one end of the course to the other, cheering and encouraging, trying to get my guys up into the competition.  But in the back of my mind was the thought: I was going to be \u201cthat coach\u201d \u2013 the guy who couldn\u2019t get his team dressed right and got disqualified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike ran OK, considering his condition.  And we finished Sixth in the State, pretty respectable, though we wanted better.   I raced to the finish line area, and found a friend who was working there.  I explained \u2013 my kid was sick, he needed to get his sweats on right away.   Would he get them to him?  I didn\u2019t mention red trim.  I was hoping that Mike, now completely wiped out by the race, would have enough presence of mind to get the sweats on before an official could notice a no-longer-moving target. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike, with the help of his teammates, managed to get dressed.  There was no fateful call:  \u201cWould the Watkins Coach report to the Head Referee\u201d on the PA System.  The team was disappointed in our finish, but proud of our efforts.  Mike spent a couple of weeks really sick \u2013 but he wouldn\u2019t have missed that race for the world.  I wouldn\u2019t have pulled him either.  And we \u201cgot away\u201d with it.  But, from then on, I ALWAYS checked uniforms before we put sweats on at the state \u2013 and I ALWAYS had a spare one with me \u2013 just in case there was ever red trim again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If You Had to Choose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Carmen was an outstanding runner for her four years at Watkins.\u00a0\u00a0In her freshmen year we had a five-girl team \u2013 the minimum amount to score in Cross Country.\u00a0\u00a0Carmen was often the first across the finish line.\u00a0\u00a0Our fifth girl worked hard, but was often the last across the line.\u00a0 So\u00a0we were the \u201cbeginning\u201d and \u201cthe end\u201d of each race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we had a strong middle school girls team coming, and we promised Carmen that we would build a great team around her.  And we did \u2013 by her junior year of high school we had the chance to make it to the State meet.  But it took some \u201cfinagling\u201d.   To get to the state we had to place high enough in the Regional Meet to qualify.  At the Lancaster Regional, our boys had their best chance to make it out, with the top four teams going to state.  But for the girls, four of the toughest teams in the State were running at Lancaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also had the choice of going to the Troy Regional.\u00a0\u00a0Only two teams qualified from there,but the girls were good enough to be in the top two.\u00a0\u00a0The problem, it wouldn’t work out well for the boys. So the coaches had to make a decision:\u00a0\u00a0either we all go to one place and one team wouldn’t qualify, or we split our squad.\u00a0\u00a0And while that was a tactical nightmare \u2013 we were one team, used to all being together, all the time. But we had to do what\u2019s right for all of our kids.\u00a0\u00a0We split up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Jan took the boys down to Lancaster, along with our fellow track coach Jeff, and Dean and I took the girls to Troy.  For a brief moment, I tried to rent a helicopter to pick me up in Troy and drop me off at Lancaster in time for the boy\u2019s race. It was only $1000, and think of the psych as the Coach buzzes the course and lands nearby.  But the schedule was too tight \u2013 it wouldn\u2019t work –   too bad.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was early in the days of cell phones \u2013 and communication between Jan and I was scattered.  The girls ran an awesome race across the goose-poop covered fields along the Great Miami River in Troy, and came in second to a strong Olentangy team.  We were going to State and we were pumped!!  So I called Jan, let her know, and waited for her return call from the boys in Lancaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The girls were running their warm down when I got the garbled call from Jan. All I heard was screaming and yelling \u2013 but I figured it out.  Two teams were going to State.  It would be a \u201clearning experience\u201d, we were last in both races at Scioto Downs \u2013 but we were ready to go back in make more noise the next year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pecking Order<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We fulfilled our promise to Carmen.\u00a0\u00a0And she more than fulfilled her commitment to us \u2013 leading our team through a remarkable junior season.\u00a0\u00a0And the next year, we were even better prepared, even stronger.\u00a0\u00a0But the week of State, Carmen started feeling bad.\u00a0\u00a0It happens, and it\u2019s not just \u201cpressure\u201d from the meet.\u00a0\u00a0The Championship part of the season requires maximum effort, over and over again.\u00a0\u00a0There\u2019s a real cause of season ending sickness and injury.\u00a0\u00a0The Championships push kids to the limits of their abilities, and makes them vulnerable to illness.\u00a0\u00a0It happened to Mike, and it was happening to Carmen too.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The week into the state meet we did everything we could to rest her.\u00a0\u00a0But it wasn\u2019t any good, she was sick and getting sicker.\u00a0\u00a0But, along with her parents, we weren\u2019t going to pull her from her Senior State.\u00a0\u00a0She more than earned the right to be there, and we could hope adrenalin might take over when everything else failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remember the look in her eyes on the starting line \u2013 sad, frustrated, willing to try, but already knowing it wasn\u2019t there.  She was worried that she\u2019d \u201clet the team down\u201d, but I told her that by being there she made our team better.  The gun went off, and within three-fourths of a mile, we knew Carmen\u2019s race wasn\u2019t to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then we saw the unanticipated problem.\u00a0\u00a0Our girls\u2019 team, like ducks in a row, were all lined up behind Carmen.\u00a0\u00a0No one ever passed Carmen before in a race, and no matter what she said to them (and she was doing some talking) they didn\u2019t want to go by.\u00a0\u00a0Jan yelled, I yelled, and finally, about the mile mark, they started to pass.\u00a0\u00a0Carmen was in tears, and so were the girls as they went by her, one by one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were a family, sometimes dysfunctional, sometimes bickering, but a family.  That\u2019s what our Cross Country teams were always about.  We were all in tears.   It wasn\u2019t the ending any of us wanted, but it proved a more important point.  We loved each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gotta Go<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A few years later, we were back at Scioto Downs with the boys.  This team was a little different, with a lot more \u201cedge\u201d to it.  We were there with a plan, looking to come home with hardware.  Our team ritual was to arrive at the meet site, set up our team \u201ccamp\u201d, then go and run the course.  If you think about it, race days were long days: a three-mile run to warmup, strides and sprints before the race, a three-mile all-out race effort, then a few miles of warm down run after.  But these were well conditioned kids, and eight or nine miles in a day wasn\u2019t unusual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we arrived at Scioto Downs, and set up our tent.  The kids ran out to buy T-Shirts (we came early to take care of that issue) then met back at the tent to start our warmup loops of the course.  It was a bit of a hassle to get inside the stadium at Scioto Downs, so we started our run outside of the track area, through the quiet areas away from the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is an axiom of racing.\u00a0\u00a0Before the race, you will always have to pee.\u00a0\u00a0It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s the 100-meter dash or a 5000-meter cross country race, the energy of \u201cfight-flight\u201d will make you want to go.\u00a0\u00a0So while we were at the far south end of the course, my guys headed into the \u201chigh weeds\u201d to take care of the issue.\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t really think much of it, it was Cross Country and this was standard practice.\u00a0\u00a0At our home meet, the Watkins Invitational, there was as farm field right beside the starting line (it\u2019s a housing development now).\u00a0\u00a0Things went a lot smoother when the field was planted in corn.\u00a0\u00a0Troops of boys would wander into the field, and return more relaxed.\u00a0\u00a0When there was soybeans, the lines at the Port-a-Pots were much longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please Report<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So we got that issue resolved, and continued our warmup into the stadium.  It was our first pass in front of the grandstand, and we were all commenting about the crowd.  Then I heard the PA Announcement:  \u201cWould the Watkins Coach please report to the announcer to speak to the Sheriff\u2019s Deputy in Charge\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean, really?  We were going to get nailed for peeing in the high weeds?   That was going to make a great headline in the Pataskala Standard:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSTATE QUALIFYING TEAM PISSES AWAY THEIR CHANCE.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0I could hear my School Superintendent now\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I left the team with my Assistant Coach John to finish their warmup, and headed into the Grandstand to find the announcer.\u00a0\u00a0I was marshalling all of my best \u201clegal\u201d arguments \u2013 how could I talk my way out of this one?\u00a0\u00a0I finally found the announcer, and he directed me to a small Sheriff\u2019s office.\u00a0\u00a0Another five minutes of searching the \u201cbowels\u201d of Scioto Downs.\u00a0\u00a0Then I found it, gathered my courage, and knocked on the door.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCOACH DAHLMAN!!!  I saw your team warming up, and wanted to say HI and GOOD LUCK!!\u201d  It was Eddie.  Eddie had been my number one runner back in 1983 \u2013 and now was a Franklin County Deputy.  It was good to see him \u2013 and I was tremendously relieved.  We caught up for a bit, then I excused myself to get back to the team.  I stopped at the restroom along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were fifth in the State that year \u2013 a great finish, and a great disappointment.  But I was so proud of our kids \u2013 they bought into a dream, and gave everything they had to achieve it.  We fell a little short of our goal \u2013 but like any good Cross Country race, the story was more about the entire journey, not just crossing the finish line.  And we had a great journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there was one more lesson learned on that cool day in November of 1999.  I guess you probably know what that one was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sunday Story Series<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riding the Dog<\/a>  – 1\/24\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiking with Jack<\/a> \u2013 1\/31\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Track Story<\/a> \u2013 2\/7\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ritual<\/a> \u2013 2\/14\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voyageur<\/a> \u2013 2\/19\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Dog Story<\/a> \u2013 2\/25\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Watkins Legend<\/a> \u2013 3\/7\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghosts at Gettysburg<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 3\/14\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons from the State Meet <\/a>– 3\/28\/21<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s Sunday, and it’s back to the “Sunday Story” series. Here’s four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country Meet. Forty Years I was a social studies teacher and a Dean of Students during my thirty-six years of teaching.   But I coached for forty years.  My \u201cprimary\u201d coaching was in Track and Field, but I … Continue reading “Lessons from the State Meet”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nLessons from the State Meet : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here's he next in the "Sunday Story" Series -- four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country meet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lessons from the State Meet : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here's he next in the "Sunday Story" Series -- four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country meet.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-28T12:05:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-28T12:06:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marty Dahlman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@martydahlman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@martydahlman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marty Dahlman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marty Dahlman\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\"},\"headline\":\"Lessons from the State Meet\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-28T12:05:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-28T12:06:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2823,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/\",\"name\":\"Lessons from the State Meet : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-28T12:05:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-28T12:06:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Here's he next in the \\\"Sunday Story\\\" Series -- four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country meet.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/28\\\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lessons from the State Meet\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/\",\"name\":\"Trump World - Essays on Politics and the Trump Administration\",\"description\":\"Essays on Politics and Life in Our America\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\",\"name\":\"Marty Dahlman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\",\"width\":480,\"height\":640,\"caption\":\"Marty Dahlman\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\"},\"description\":\"I'm Marty Dahlman. After forty years of teaching and coaching track and cross country, I've finally retired!!! I've also spent a lot of time in politics, working campaigns from local school elections to Presidential campaigns.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dahlman.online\",\"https:\\\/\\\/m.facebook.com\\\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/martydahlman\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lessons from the State Meet : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","description":"Here's he next in the \"Sunday Story\" Series -- four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country meet.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lessons from the State Meet : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","og_description":"Here's he next in the \"Sunday Story\" Series -- four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country meet.","og_url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/","og_site_name":"Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","article_publisher":"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/","article_author":"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/","article_published_time":"2021-03-28T12:05:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-28T12:06:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":480,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marty Dahlman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@martydahlman","twitter_site":"@martydahlman","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marty Dahlman","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/"},"author":{"name":"Marty Dahlman","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c"},"headline":"Lessons from the State Meet","datePublished":"2021-03-28T12:05:08+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-28T12:06:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/"},"wordCount":2823,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/","url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/","name":"Lessons from the State Meet : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-03-28T12:05:08+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-28T12:06:23+00:00","description":"Here's he next in the \"Sunday Story\" Series -- four stories about coaching at the State Cross Country meet.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/03\/28\/lessons-from-the-state-meet\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lessons from the State Meet"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/","name":"Trump World - Essays on Politics and the Trump Administration","description":"Essays on Politics and Life in Our America","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c","name":"Marty Dahlman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","width":480,"height":640,"caption":"Marty Dahlman"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1"},"description":"I'm Marty Dahlman. After forty years of teaching and coaching track and cross country, I've finally retired!!! I've also spent a lot of time in politics, working campaigns from local school elections to Presidential campaigns.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.dahlman.online","https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/","https:\/\/x.com\/martydahlman"]}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4109"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4121,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4109\/revisions\/4121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}