John Wofford

Past Entries

Entry 1

April 11, 2005

It is hard to believe that my career as an Emory track and field athlete is about to come to an end. We only have two more weekends until our conference championship meet on the 23rd and 24th of April. For some of us, we will not have another chance to compete before then.

Last weekend our team went to two different meets. Basically, the runners went to the Duke Invitational in Durham, NC, while the throwers and jumpers went to the Oglethorpe Invitational in Atlanta. Because I am a pole vaulter, I did not have to travel far.

I woke up early Saturday morning and was initially greeted with few clouds on what promised to be a sunny day. However, by the time the pole vault event started, the clouds had rolled in and a steady breeze was blowing right down the runway in my face.

Because the pole vault started a bit late, all the other events had finished by the time we pole vaulters were competing. So all the other Emory athletes lined the runway and cheered loudly as we vaulted.

It is in such times that I am reminded how supportive we are of our teammates. Instead of complaining about wanting to go home, everyone rallied together in a display of team unity even as other teams were hightailing it home. The result was a 1-2-3 finish for Emory pole vaulters.

The Oglethorpe meet was a particularly small meet with mostly local teams, and the competition was not impressive. However, many of our athletes performed well. Also, the few runners who did not make the Duke squad really proved their hard work and dedication.

On the other hand, the runners who went to Duke saw incredible competition and a huge meet. Andrew Seidenberg placed sixth in the Division III section of the 100-meter dash. Rob Leventhal also placed very high in the DIII section getting second in the 800-meter run.

These next two weeks we will see our workouts getting shorter and easier as we cut back in preparation for UAA's. We are dedicated to improving our indoor finish substantially and proving what we all know: that Emory Track and Field is the best team around.

Some of us, especially our relay teams, will go to Clemson, S.C., this week for one last meet. However, most of us will take the weekend off to rest our legs.

We will be going to St. Louis the weekend after to compete at Washington University. This will be the first time in four years that we will have a meet in St. Louis, and I am looking forward to it.

I am looking forward to it not because I am particularly fond of the city. I have never been there, so I just don't know if I'll like it or not. I am looking forward to going to Wash U for one very special purpose. I want to beat them on their home track. They have become our biggest rivals and winning in St. Louis would be an awesome way to end my track career.

The work has been put in. We've worked since September to develop ourselves into track and field machines. Now all that's left to do is work on minor technique issues and rest up. Because come April 23rd, we're going to take off out of the chute and blow away everyone.

John Wofford is a senior from Jackson, Miss. He would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.