“You really are from the South aren’t you?”

“You really are from the South aren’t you?”

Reporter to Ashley Huston after interviewing her at the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.

Yes Ashley Huston is from the South and yes, Ashley added to her NCAA Championship totals at the NCAA Division III Track championships. The fans and competitors were talking more about her accomplishments than her southern accent. In 72 hours Ashley set the NCAA Division III record for the Heptathlon, placed seventh in the long jump and won gold in the high jump.

The reporters and fans might have had even more to talk about if the schedule had given her a break. Twenty minutes after running the final event in the heptathlon, the grueling 800 meter race which took place with temperatures reaching 92 degrees, Ashley raced in the first heat of the 100 meter hurdles. If she had run in a later heat, which would have given her more time to recover, she might have qualified for Saturday’s finals. Instead she failed to make it out of the heat. However the event did provide a wonderful moment of sportsmanship. As Ashley prepared to run the hurdles, the athletes that she had been competing against in the heptathlon lined up on the inside of the track. As she sprinted down the track, her former competitors cheered her on and shouted out encouragement. A sure sign of respect for what Ashley had accomplished at the championships and as a person.

On Saturday morning at breakfast, a tired but motivated Ashley talked about her chances in the high jump. She was banking on two things to help her through the competition. A complimentary massage offered by the NCAA later in the morning to help stretch out her back and leg muscles as she prepared for the high jump. The second was using five words to motivate her that she had received from Coach Smith.
“Each trip Coach Smith says that we have to act better than we feel.” Anyone can compete when they are feeling good. Perhaps one of the keys to great performances is those individuals who can compete on days when they do not feel 100%. Act better than you feel. Obvious solid advice for someone on the day they are trying to win a national championship. And probably good advice for each of us as we make our way through our day to day existence.

Cowboy Up,

John Neese