If you read any kind of headlines on Yahoo News, you should recognize the story I’m about to share.
It certainly turned my head. Invariably, track and field is my favorite sport to cover, mainly because it’s not a huge-ticket event with a lot of egos involved. Mostly, you get good kids with good hearts trying to make a mark in a sport that not too many people pay attention to in Wisconsin unless there is an Olympian (and I’m still not sure most of the state knows who Andrew Rock is – look him up) or it’s the state track and field meet in La Crosse.
Certainly, on June 2, few people outside of family and friends knew of Megan Vogel, a junior at West Salem High School in Ohio. A top-notch distance runner, Vogel was entered in both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) meet June 2.
The way the OHSAA runs the meet, both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs took place on the same day. Leaving aside the difficulty of running the events on the same day – which the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association avoids with a two-day meet – it’s a hard double to try on a hot day.
Vogel became West Salem’s first state champion in 20 years by winning the 1,600, and tried to come back strong for the 3,200. It wasn’t going to happen, though, as Vogel found herself fighting just to stay out of last place.
What happened 100 meters from the finish is what gained Vogel her national standing. In 15th – and last – place, Vogel saw another runner, Arden McMath of Arlington, fall 50 meters from the finish.
Instead of striding past her competitor, Vogel instead stopped, picked up McMath and got her arm around her shoulder – and made sure they both got to the finish line. Vogel even pushed McMath across the finish line ahead of her so the final standings reflected that McMath had been rightfully ahead of her.
What’s even more wonderful? Track official could have disqualified both runners, since helping another is against the rules. They did not, since points were not scored by either runner. The official results show McMath in 14th and Vogel in 15th.
Such a gesture deserves all the attention it has gotten – both on the part of both runners and on the part of the officials. Vogel and McMath will likely meet again next year, as both will be returning. The two even shared time after the race, as both ended up in the trainer’s room because of dehydration.
But as important to me as seeing that display of sportsmanship was, I think what the officials did was just as noteworthy. It seems like a no-brainer, but rules and regulations often overrule common sense.
I’ve seen a girls 4×800 relay get disqualified at sectionals because one of the runners didn’t have a plain white or plain black sports bra on. The rules were sufficiently unclear as to what was required – the athlete had black piping on her white sports bra – so the team was reinstated for the WIAA state meet. It finished fourth, and the four girls expressed some relief that the focus was back on their running rather than their choice of attire.
I’ve also seen two cross-country runners almost get disqualified for a gesture of camaraderie. At sectionals a few years back, a pair of Muskego runners, in front of the pack by a large margin, joined hands to cross the finish line together – as teammates.
Officials stood at the finish line and urged them to drop their hands, which they did, before crossing the finish line. The two avoided disqualification as a result, though an opposing coach did try to get them DQ’ed anyhow.
That either instance was even a question boggles me to this day – especially in light of Vogel’s actions. Rules need to exist in the same atmosphere as the competitors who use them: with the idea of sportsmanship and fairness in mind.
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