I ‘m a track fan and I love night meets. There’s nothing quite like them as the stadium lights turn the track into a giant stage while everything around the track fades into the darkness. There’s a heightened sense of drama because athletes look like they’re performing under a spotlight.
The wind drops to nothing, there’s a bite to the air, and conditions become perfect for competition. And there’s an elevated sense of anticipation, as if everyone in the stadium is holding their breath, waiting for the next great performance.
Our regional championships were held in my hometown last week and a lightning-delay forced the meet to linger into the night. Of course, I was delighted by Mother Nature’s intervention. As always, the night competition heightened the track experience but nature provided two perks that made the evening even more special for me.
As the meet was ending, a large flock of Canada geese flew over the field, barely clearing the stadium roof. A fly-over by the air force couldn’t have been more dramatic. Everyone became silent, the only sound a chorus of honking and the whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of the powerful birds as they thrust the air beneath their wings. They had appeared suddenly, close above us, highlighted in sharp detail beneath the stadium lights, and then just as suddenly disappeared into the darkness, their sounds slowly fading into the night. It was definitely a “wow” moment for everyone who witnessed it.
The other special experience happened soon afterward as I rode my bicycle home two kilometers down a dirt path. Pedaling beneath their overhanging canopy, I could barely see the silhouette of the bordering tree trunks as I flew down the path. Suddenly, without warning, I was surrounded by hundreds of fireflies, igniting and disappearing like signal lights in the darkness. Sensing my approach, they moved to the edge of the path and formed a flickering audience for over 200 meters as I pedaled through them, my jaw wide open in awe.
A track meet under the lights … a fly-over by floodlit Canada geese … a flood of fireflies… all in one night! Life can be good.
Dick Moss, Editor,
PE Update.com
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[tags]track and field,track & field,night track meets,physical education,Mother Nature,Canada Geese,fireflies[/tags]
