Girl Wins State Team Track Title On Her Own
May 11th, 2008 by joe
Yesterday, this high school kid wins the high jump, places second in the long jump, and third in the discus.
Today, she wins the 200 meters, and places second in the 100.
She, by herself, gets 42 points, which beats the next best high school team, which earned 36 points. The gal wins the state outdoor track championship.
On top of that, Bonnie Richardson was the only kid from Rochelle High School to even qualify for the state meet.
Let’s break this down. Winning the high jump and placing in the long jump is not such a stretch. Both require speed and leg strength. But it almost never happens, because there are so many people with amazing speed that the leg-strength advantage of the high jumpers cannot match the quickness of the sprinters.
In Bonnie Richardson’s case, she not only bested the jumpers, but she also ran toe to toe with the sprinters. Having the sheer muscular heft to win the jumps and then dominate the 200 meters demonstrates leg muscles with both slow and fast twitch superiority … not to mention, being one tough customer, which is where placing in the discus comes in. The discus requires big time upper body and leg power.
Coming out on top in all these contests shows strengths that might adhere to sprinters in the heptathlon, but not typically in championship winners at each individual event.
Now if some kid had won this many points in the track and field contest at some small school in BFE, that would be one thing. But Bonnie Richardson won it in the state of Texas. Not a small state or jurisdiction. This is an amazing accomplishment.
UPDATE: Resident scientist Jack notes in the comments that I am all messed up regarding muscle twitch, and gives a detailed correction. It’s genuinely good information, college guy, thanks for the fact checking.
This entry was posted on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 12:58 am and is filed under Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 11th, 2008 at 3:21 am
What great stuff to read this Sunday morning, Joe! It’s so refreshing to hear about a high school kid who isn’t “specialized”; starring in just ONE branch of track. To win in jump, discus, AND 200m and 2nd in the l00m dash that’s really an achievement. I did high jump in school and wanted so much to throw discus. I tried and tried but could never get the rythm to let go of the disc at the right moment. Very difficult. Later I tried javelin with the same (non)result.
Where did you find this report?
May 11th, 2008 at 3:38 am
Sorry, I misread! 1st/high jump; 2nd/long jump; 3rd/discus
May 11th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Love ya, Joe, but they are ALL fast-twitch (anaerobic) muscle events. If your anaerobic muscles are in good shape, the aerobic muscles don’t come into play until you’re over 300 meters.
I was a good miler in 8th grade, running about 5:30, but I could never get my cross-country time (3.2 miles) below 20 minutes. By 10th grade, I was all sprinter. Usually, we could only compete in four events per meet. However, at one indoor meet of several independent schools, I did the 60m, 60m hurdles, 300m, 4×100 relay, high jump, long jump, triple jump, and shot put. I had two teammates whose only job was to make sure I got to my events on time. (One for high jump, the other for everything else.) If you have the anaerobic muscles, the rest is technique.
I was never as good as she is, though. Will she be in the Olympics?
May 11th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Jack - Did you ever try discus or javelin? Just curious.
You were quite the athelete in your youth!
P.S. See all the “meters” in you comment? When will the USA join the rest of the industrial countries and go metric?
May 11th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Hey I never said I was a physician, just a blue collar guy who watches lots of TV.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
What a great story. I am sure this kids parents are very proud. Quite a young athlete !!
May 11th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Tried discus — but was not very good at it. Since we were generally limited to four events per meet, I competed very rarely. (The particluar meet I wrote about above was indoor — no discus.) The javeline is illegal in VA high schools. My father, however, was a javeline thrower in PA.
I still try to get to the gym occasionally, and have played in the DC Men’s Senior League Baseball. (When I get my kids through Little League, I’ll play again.)
May 11th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
BTW, my teammates called me either “Jack Rabbit” or “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” because I was the fastest player on the team.
May 11th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Oh, and competing in private school track and field is not nearly as competitive as public school.
May 11th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
No surprise ending? No drugs, DNA testing or sex verification? Is she a U.S. citizen? That’s it? Another feel-good story without contest? It’s just lacking something exciting. Stone, get in there and pistol-whip someone.
BTW Jack used performance-enhancing drugs and never got caught.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Dang, so Lovisa and Jack are track and field vets. That was my specialty as well back in high school, when I wore size 28 pants (numerous inches lower than now) and a comparable IQ. But I think it was the best sport at the time, as they were more interesting socially then the normal jock group. They let me in, for instance.
I ran middle distance and attempted the long jump. Personal bests were a 2:02 in the 880 as a freshman, 2:32 in the 1000, and 1:16 in the 600 (presidential physical fitness award - anyone remember that?) But I went backwards my sophomore year and crapped out completely at the beginning of junior year and retired to bookish pursuits thenceforth.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:34 am
I’ll race you, Joe — last one to the beer’s a rotten egg!
May 12th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I was able to run 3mi (USMC fitness test) in 19:10. Now I only can beat both Jack and Joe to the bar. My technique is to get there the night before, find a barstool and never leave.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:39 am
[…] she …Stormfront White Nationalist Community… - http://www.stormfront.org/forum|||Girl Wins State Team Track Title On Her OwnIn Bonnie Richardson’s case, she not only bested the jumpers, but she also ran toe to toe with the […]