PE Competitions

Jack's elementary school has "PE Competitions" every year before fall break.  The kids that run the fastest in the class are selected to run either relay races, a distance run, or a sprint.  I watched Justice run every year in these races from Kindergarden through fifth grade.  He almost always ran the distance run, and always got a medal.  But what he always WANTED to run was the coveted sprint.  The 40 yard dash.  He would practice forever trying to get faster so he would get picked.  Only the fastest kids were selected to run that race.  Justice is really fast, but there were always faster kids.  He was always disappointed he never got to run that race.

I figured my run at attending the PE Competitions was over after Justice got out of that school.  Jack doesn't do a whole lot of running, and any running he does do is not voluntary.  Justice is definitely the runner.

Imagine my surprise when Jack brought home the note saying he was selected to run in one of the races at the PE Competition.  

Me:  "Jack!!!  You are going to be in the PE Competition?"

Jack, nonplussed:  "Yeah"

Me:  "What race?"

Jack, still blah:  "I dunno"

Justice:  "HOW CAN YOU 'NOT KNOW' WHAT RACE YOU'RE GONNA BE IN???"

Jack:  "I think they said something about a dash.  The sprint race."

OK folks, if you could have seen the look on Justice's face at that split second those words registered in his brain, you would have laughed your face completely off.  It was CLASSIC.  Jaw dropped, mouth agape.  Stuttering.  Pure comedy.  I laughed for hours.  As a matter of fact, I'm still teasing Justice about it and it's been a good three weeks.  You can't make stuff like this up.  Jack doesn't even WANT to be in the PE Competition, and he clenched the spot Justice tried to get from K-5th grade. 

Classic I tell you.  Classic.

But let's just hold on a second.  Justice finally says

"Mom, that means Jack is FAST.  Really FAST".

Then Justice gets mad.  Because Justice believes that if you have a gift, no matter what it is and whether you are thrilled about said gift or not, you should be using it.  And he does.  Jack?  HE COULD NOT CARE LESS.

Jus, grabbing a stopwatch:  "Get outside Jack.  Now."

Jack:  "Nope."

Jus:  "MOVE JACK."

Jack, rolling eyes:  "FINE."

Justice proceeds to clock Jack at what Justice said was a mind-blowing forty yard dash on the sidewalk outside the house.  

Justice:  "I can't wait till Dad gets home.  You're in trouble."

Jack:  "Whatever Justice.  How am I gonna get in trouble for being fast?"
Justice:  "You're not gonna get in trouble for being fast, you're gonna get in trouble FOR BEING LAZY!"

A little look of panic starts to finally cross Jack's face.  He was busted.

The Coach gets home, Justice tells him the whole thing, and The Coach looks so confused.  He doesn't believe Justice's clocked time, so as he's scratching his head, he sends Jack outside, back to the sidewalk.  Jack trudges his way back out there, and in a quick minute they are back, and The Coach is REALLY scratching his head, with his mouth agape.

He simply says: 

"Jack is fast.  Really fast."

And Justice was right, The Coach was mad.  Maybe flabbergasted is a better term to use than mad.  Yes, that's it.  He was FLABBERGASTED.  Because Jack has been loafing at football, because Jack is too lazy to run to his full potential.  Because it has taken Jack a considerable amount of effort to NOT run as fast as he can.  

I personally just find a tremendous amount of humor in the entire thing.  How Jack has managed to keep this from his running brother and The Coach is beyond me.  His PE teacher finally busted him out though, and now we know Jack is fast.

Fast when he wants to be, that is.

The kids that are running get to wear their "field day" shirts.

Before the race.  Cute little feller.

Lined up and ready to race.

Jack came in fourth place in his race.  He was SO disappointed he didn't get a medal.  I was not disappointed, I was really happy for him, and really excited that he was chosen to run that race. All seven of them hit the wall within a fraction of a second of each other.   He vows he will do better next time, but also has no plans to run again until that same race next year.  Hahaha!  

Oh Jack.  Never change my little buddy, never change.  I love you to pieces EXACTLY the way you are.