thought i would take this opportunity to brag on my kid for a minute!!! LOL pumpkin_seed is running track for the first time this year. she is 13. i think this was her 2nd meet. she ran the 70m dash, the 100m dash and the long jump in both meets. last meet she didn’t place in anything. this time pumpkin_seed placed 3rd in her heat for the 70m, and 5th for the 70m overall in the meet for the girls!! that is not too shabby for a new runner!! she thinks 5th place isn’t that good, but i think its great!!
she didn’t place in the 100m, but i told her practice makes perfect and she just needs to get in better shape and build up her muscles and stuff.
for long jump, she didn’t place either. BUT she improved her jump by SIX inches from the first jump to the last!! they get three jumps and they take the best distance to compete with. her first two were exactly the same. 10′ 3 1/4″ each. before her last jump i had her watch the other girls. then i gave her some tips. i told her she has to literally “jump” off the board. her last steps should be heavy , into the board and she has to launch herself off. before that she has just been kinda flinging herself off the end. lol so she tried it and she got 10′ 9″!!!! not the longest distance (14′ 2″) but a great improvement on what she had been jumping, which is what is important!!
with practice and hard work, she will improve on everything, and even if she isnt the best at any of it, she will have at least tried her hardest and kept herself in good shape!!! 
good job, baby girl, i couldn’t be any more proud!! keep up the good work!! LOVE YOU!!!
Yay! Go pumpkin seed!
.-= The Lumberjack’s Wife´s last blog ..Ruralville, 365 Days of Rubbish, and a Giveaway. =-.