{"id":4133,"date":"2021-04-04T08:51:28","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T12:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=4133"},"modified":"2021-04-04T08:52:20","modified_gmt":"2021-04-04T12:52:20","slug":"more-lessons-from-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/","title":{"rendered":"More Lessons From the State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here’s the next installment in the “Sunday Story” series. Last week it was about stories from the State Cross Country Meet. This week – it’s all about Track and Field.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going to the Shoe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Competing in the State Track meet is the ultimate goal for High School track athletes.  I started coaching track and field in 1978 at Watkins Memorial High School in Pataskala, Ohio.  The State Meet was then held in legendary football stadium, the Ohio State University\u2019s \u201cHorseshoe\u201d.  It wasn\u2019t ever my favorite track stadium; the open \u201chorseshoe\u201d end created all sorts of crosswinds for field event athletes.  For my kids trying to get there though, most of whom were \u201cBuckeyes\u201d from birth, it was the ultimate sign of success.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesse Owens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And it was the home of Jesse Owens, the reason I ran track in the first place.  When I was in sixth grade I read \u201cThe Jesse Owens Story\u201d, about the Ohioan who became the Four Gold Medal winner at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.  Owens singlehandedly drove Hitler out of his own stadium.  The dictator didn\u2019t want to have to salute a Black man.  After I read the book, I dug \u201cstarting holes\u201d in the backyard (they didn\u2019t use starting blocks in Jesse\u2019s day) and practiced starts on the grass.  And, since I was the \u201cfastest\u201d kid in Southdale Elementary School (the gym class raced the 50 yard dash), I knew track was going to be my thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, when I was fourteen, I got the chance to actually meet and talk to Jesse Owens.  I was then a high school \u201c220 man\u201d (it would be a \u201c200 man\u201d now), and we had several minutes to compare track stories.  His were so much better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So getting to the \u201cShoe\u201d was the ultimate achievement.  When I became the Head Coach in 1982, two of my goals were to win at State Team Championship, and have an athlete win an individual State Crown.  It\u2019s not easy.  We never won as a team, or even came very close.  And it took until 2016 for a Watkins kid to cross the finish line first in a State final.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But just like in Cross Country, in track there was always a lesson to learn along the way.  And each journey to the State Meet had its own story.  Some were successful, some were surprises, and some crushing disappointments \u2013 but they each had their own narrative to help prepare for the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill and Brad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In my early Assistant Coaching days I was the sprint\/hurdle coach.  That\u2019s what I did in high school and college, and I hadn\u2019t learn the technical skills of the field events yet.  But our first State Meet lesson foretold my future.  It\u2019s a pole vault story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had two pretty good pole vaulters, coached by my friend and Head Coach Bob Cramer.  Bill was a dedicated vaulter, going to camps and learning everything he could to improve. He worked to not only learn, but to help his coaches become better as well.  Our second vaulter, Brad was pretty good too, though more of a spring-time vaulter.  So Watkins was already a kind of \u201cvault\u201d school, well before I gained an understanding of the event.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the sprint coach, I would get done with my practice, then wander over to the last kids on the field, the vaulters.  I hung out with them, listening to Bob\u2019s instruction, and helped out where I could. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fall<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bill had the height to be a State qualifier, and we were all looking forward to his success.  In those days two athletes qualified from the District Meet to the State, and Dublin had a great vaulter too, the eventual state champion.  So unless there was an upset, the Dublin kid and Bill looked like the qualifiers, with Brad left out in third place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the District Bill, had a bad early vault. He came up short and came down from twelve feet onto the sharp metal edge of the pole vault box.  The landing was on his butt:  the force of the blow ruptured an artery that had to be surgically repaired.  He got an early diagnosis literally in the vault box.  The event judge was a physician, and though as a gynecologist he said he was a little out of his field, he could tell that the injury was significant.  It was a bitter end to Bill\u2019s great efforts to become a state qualifying vaulter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pack Your Poles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bill was out, flat on his stomach (though he did manage to crutch through his graduation ceremony).  That left Brad as the runner-up:  he was going to State.  What nobody considered was that Bill always \u201cpacked\u201d the poles, getting everyone\u2019s equipment together to go to the meet.  When Brad arrived at the Horseshoe for the competition, the weather was cold, rainy and windy, and the decision was made to move the vault to the indoor track. It wasn\u2019t until Brad got inside and finally pulled the poles out of our bag, he realized his pole was still at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob gave me the keys to his vintage yellow Charger, and I drove like crazy back to school to grab the right pole.  I made record time back to the track, but Brad was on his last attempt at the opening height when I arrived.  He got one vault on \u201chis\u201d pole, but it was too much for him.  I learned an early lesson \u2013 always check, not just poles, but everything.  Little details make all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High Jumper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By the mid-1980\u2019s we had some strong track and field teams.  We always seemed to be one year off though.  One year we had the field events, throwers, jumpers, and vaulters.  The next year we had the running events, distance runners, sprinters and hurdlers.  Both teams were strong, but it they never came completely together.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the \u201cfield event\u201d year we had a phenomenal high jumper, coached by our young assistant Dan Yeagley.  In track \u201clore\u201d, pole vaulters are a little crazy, but high jumpers are \u2013 flaky.  Sometimes they can jump over the moon, and sometimes they just trip over the crescent.  Consistency is hard to find.  But we had Charlie, and flaky or not, he was a good one.  Charlie cleared 6\u20196\u201d in indoor season \u2013 one of the best in the state.  And he had a great outdoor season, even clearing a state leading 6\u201910\u201d in the early part of May.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mind Walls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But there was a problem.  To get to state, Charlie had to finish in the top four at the Regional meet.  That meet would be held at Thomas Worthington High School, a place where Charlie notoriously jumped badly.  He didn\u2019t like the transition from the grass field to the high jump surface, and he didn\u2019t like the pit, and he didn\u2019t like the guy who ran the high jump, and \u2013 well you get the idea.  No matter how high he could jump anywhere else, the mental wall Charlie built at Worthington was unscalable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Charlie lived up to all of our nightmares.  While he was top two entering the meet, at Worthington he barely cleared 6\u20194\u201d, and just squeaked into the State meet with 4th<\/sup> place.  It was his first state meet appearance, and usually the pressure of the competition, and the Horseshoe, and the expectations made most athletes sub-par.  Our goals for the State was for them to \u201cdo what they did\u201d, rather than a \u201csuper-human\u201d effort that would fall far short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as much as Charlie hated Worthington, he loved the surface at Ohio State.  The high jump area was huge, and the surface was hard and fast.  Charlie brought more speed to his jump than he ever had before.  Dan and I were sitting in the stands nearby as Charlie soared his starting height of 6\u20194\u201d, then popped over 6\u20196\u201d and 6\u20198\u201d.  He was \u201con the podium\u201d to get a state medal:  minimum goal achieved.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Best Ever<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The he cleared 6\u201910\u201d on his first attempt.  Dan and I were going nuts in the stands, Charlie was in first place.  If no one cleared the state record 7\u20190\u201d, then Charlie would be the Champion.   It was the best high school competition in State history, with three jumpers left at the record.  Charlie went first, and we went crazy again.  He cleared the State Record 7\u20190\u201d on his first attempt.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the other the other two competitors got over the height as well.  Three jumpers moved to 7\u20192\u201d \u2013 all jumping better than any high schooler in Ohio before.  And that\u2019s when we ran out of gas.  The winner, from Elyria, managed to shimmy over 7\u20192\u201d.  Charlie and the kid from Worthington were done.  But I was never so proud of a second place performance. That was in 1987.  It took twenty-two years for that state record to be broken.  And while we didn\u2019t have a State champion, we did get to be a part of an historic competition.  Charlie\u2019s school record still stands at Watkins, a goal of every high jumper since, flaky or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sprinter’s Dilemma<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next year was the \u201crunning\u201d year.  While we still had a strong team, the \u201cpower\u201d of our team shifted away from the field events and onto the track.  One of our strongest events was the 400 meters, where we had an outstanding sprinter in Zack.  At one point, Zack held the school record in six events.  But in his hearts and ours (the coaches) he was a 400 man.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there was a problem.  Zack could run sub fifty seconds in the 400 (his best was 49.7) and he could go even faster in a relay split.  But each time Zack dipped below fifty seconds, his hamstring hurt.  It wasn\u2019t season ending or anything like that, but it required a few days rest to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the problem with that was that in the State meet, Zack would have to run his fastest 400\u2019s back to back, Friday and Saturday.  We knew in mid-April that he could go to State, and make the finals.  But he probably wouldn\u2019t be able to compete, run his best, in that final day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boundary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even earlier that year in indoor season we \u201cfished\u201d around for different events for Zack.  He was a soccer player in the fall, and his endurance was good.  \u201cTrack Coach\u201d tradition says if you have a great 400 man with strong endurance, he ought to try the 800.  But the 800 (half a mile) is the \u201cboundary\u201d between sprinters and distance runners.  And it\u2019s not just in their heads, the physiology of the races are quite different.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to be a successful 800 runner you have to have the sprint speed that Zack already possessed.  So we threw him in one at a Denison Indoor meet.  Zack won the race and  set the school record.  As he tried to recover, he looked at me and said: \u201cDon\u2019t you ever put me in that \u2018$#!@\u2019 race again!!\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we didn\u2019t, at least for a while.  But the sprint coach Joe Hartley and I always had that option in the back of our minds.  And it all came down to what Zack\u2019s hamstring could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He ran the 800 again in the high-powered Worthington Invitational, and won the race in a school record time.  And he ran the anchor-leg of our Conference champion 4×800 Relay team at the League meet.  After the League meet, Joe, Zack and I had to make a more final decision.  He could run the 400, qualify to State, and not be able to run the finals.  Or, we could \u201croll the dice\u201d and run the 800, the \u2018$#!@\u2019 race that hurt more than even a good 400, and try to win it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So with a grand total of three 800\u2019s in the season, we decided to go for the podium in the 800.  Zack won the District with ease (a qualifier on Tuesday and a final on Saturday).  He then came back the next week and won the Regional competition (one race) going away in 1:57.  That put Zack in the State meet, in his seventh 800.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Race<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Joe and I were all about strategy with Zack.  He was lined up next to the fastest 800 guy in the State, who had run 1:54.  Our strategy was simple:  stay with him for the first 400, then use your sprint speed to beat him at the end.  Beat him, and win the State meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gun went off, and Zack did exactly as we planned.  He stuck with the fastest kid through the first 300, and then we all came to a stunning realization.  The fastest kid in the State was falling apart \u2013 the pressure of being \u201cnumber one\u201d was too much for him.  With 600 meters to go, Zack was next to last place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Zack took matters into his own hands.  He swung out into lane three, and started passing runners.  When he got to the 400 mark he had moved into the middle of the field.  He stayed out around the third turn, and continued to move up the field onto the backstretch.  By the time he reached the last turn, he took the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he held it, around the turn and into the home stretch.  The final straight-away is 100 meters long, and for 90 meters Zack looked like the State Champion.  But a runner from Toledo came up to his side with 10 meters to go, and nudged him as he tried to pass.  Was it a foul, or just \u201crubbing is racing\u201d in the 800?  It did manage to knock Zack off-stride, and Toledo passed.  One more kid caught Zack at the line.  He was third in the State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Podium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I still have the picture.  Zack, in his torn \u201clucky jersey\u201d, standing on the third step of the podium getting the bronze medal.  He set a school record that would stand for twenty-five years, running a full four seconds faster than he\u2019d ever run before.  And I\u2019ve never seen a kid look so miserable.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lots of things happened at the State Meet \u2013 and we aren\u2019t even in the 1990\u2019s yet.  More to come.<\/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> \u2013 3\/14\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons from the State Meet <\/a>\u2013 3\/28\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Lessons From the State<\/a> – 4\/4\/21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s the next installment in the “Sunday Story” series. Last week it was about stories from the State Cross Country Meet. This week – it’s all about Track and Field. Going to the Shoe Competing in the State Track meet is the ultimate goal for High School track athletes.  I started coaching track and field in … Continue reading “More Lessons From the State”<\/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_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMore Lessons From the State : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here's the latest in the "Sunday Story" series. Last week was about Cross Country. This week - it's all about Track and Field.\" \/>\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\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Lessons From the State : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here's the latest in the "Sunday Story" series. Last week was about Cross Country. This week - it's all about Track and Field.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/\" \/>\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=\"2021-04-04T12:51:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-04-04T12:52:20+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=\"11 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\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marty Dahlman\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\"},\"headline\":\"More Lessons From the State\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-04T12:51:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-04T12:52:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2680,\"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\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/\",\"name\":\"More Lessons From the State : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-04T12:51:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-04-04T12:52:20+00:00\",\"description\":\"Here's the latest in the \\\"Sunday Story\\\" series. Last week was about Cross Country. This week - it's all about Track and Field.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2021\\\/04\\\/04\\\/more-lessons-from-the-state\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"More Lessons From the State\"}]},{\"@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":"More Lessons From the State : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","description":"Here's the latest in the \"Sunday Story\" series. Last week was about Cross Country. This week - it's all about Track and Field.","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\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"More Lessons From the State : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","og_description":"Here's the latest in the \"Sunday Story\" series. Last week was about Cross Country. This week - it's all about Track and Field.","og_url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/","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":"2021-04-04T12:51:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-04-04T12:52:20+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":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/"},"author":{"name":"Marty Dahlman","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c"},"headline":"More Lessons From the State","datePublished":"2021-04-04T12:51:28+00:00","dateModified":"2021-04-04T12:52:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/"},"wordCount":2680,"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\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/","url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/","name":"More Lessons From the State : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-04-04T12:51:28+00:00","dateModified":"2021-04-04T12:52:20+00:00","description":"Here's the latest in the \"Sunday Story\" series. Last week was about Cross Country. This week - it's all about Track and Field.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2021\/04\/04\/more-lessons-from-the-state\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"More Lessons From the State"}]},{"@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_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4133","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=4133"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4137,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4133\/revisions\/4137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}