Competition is something that we all face on a daily basis, whether it be something related to school like challenging yourself to write the best essay in the class, or something at home like becoming the best in the family at Wii Tennis. But the most common place we see competition is in sports.
Cameron Woodford and Eli Murphy, two very talented athletes in the senior class, took competition to another level with “the most intense experience we’ve faced,” a regional track meet in Boston, Massachusetts.
Being an ex-athlete myself, I have a pretty good idea of what competition is like. The atmosphere changes completely from your daily life; your mind set is completely different and you are more focussed than you ever have been. This makes change at Poland Regional High School interesting. If you haven’t noticed, indoor and outdoor track have become quite popular here at PRHS. More and more students join the team every year. This means more people competing, and it means more opportunities for us to see our peers become athletic stars.
Cameron Woodford and Eli Murphy are both are decorated athletes who have competed at very high levels of competition for their specific events in track. Cam specializes in shot-put and Eli in hurdles. Hearing of their recent experience at regionals, I interviewed them both to ask how this competition was different from all the rest they’ve faced before.
I first asked Eli what the experience was like.
“Very competitive” Murphy said. “So much more lively than the Maine meets.” Being in such a big competition, Eli told me that, “Everyone wanted to do their absolute best. It was very … intense. Everyone was better, everyone knew what they were doing. It was all very controlled.”
Being around hundreds of other extraordinary athletes who have trained months for this competition, you can imagine that a lot of pressure was on Eli and Cam. But before the competition began, there was some fun on the road. Our boys were able to relax with some quality bonding time in Massachusetts rush-hour traffic. Cam told me that the traffic wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for an accident. “We were stuck in a traffic jam for three of four hours,” he said. “We moved so slow. At one point we stopped at a Mexican restaurant and talked with some of the locals.”
The big question I had for them was how they performed. Eli admitted that he did not do his best. “It wasn’t the best I had, but the atmosphere that I experienced on that level was a really good thing to have. A really good experience for college.”
Cam’s experience of the competition was very similar to Eli’s.
“There was a very historic feel to it,” Woodford said. “There were professionals all around us, a real eye opener. Way more intense than regular meets for sure.”
Cam also told me that when he was throwing in his event, he was surrounded by a big cage. On the outside of the cage fans would cheer the thrower on.
“In no way was it like normal meets, normal meets are so much more relaxed,” he said. “This was just … intense.” Cam ended up doing very well in his competition.
Both Murphy and Woodford want to recruit you, reader, for the track team so that you can be part of a very successful, award-winning team that they have spent years on. Be sure to congratulate Cam and Eli if you see them for their incredible athleticism.
In the end it is never really about who ran the fastest, who threw the farthest or who succeeded the most. It’s about being part of the competitive atmosphere and enjoying yourself. Because if you finish dead last in a competition like the one Eli and Cam participated in, and still manage walk away with a smile on your face, you’ve won the big challenge. Not only for your team, but for yourself as an athlete and a person.
