I watched a kid sob inconsolably yesterday after finishing 5th in her best event (after finishing 5th in another race the day before). Her good dad just sat with her on the infield for about 15 minutes with his arm around her as she cried. She was in the top four for 95% of the race and worked hard to push the pace but got outsprinted at the end.

I watched another young man get outsprinted at the end of his race and finish 5th. The athlete who beat him was swarmed by dozens of teammates, coaches, parents, etc and he was left to walk through their celebration knowing he had just failed to reach his goal.

It's so hard to watch these kids who just miss out on their dreams. Regardless of the school, they are just kids who have worked so hard and I hate not seeing them get their fairy tale ending.