A week ago, I drove the Fairhope Lady Pirates track team to Birmingham for the AHSAA State Indoor Track Championships. There were five of them in my car, one of which was Princess the Younger. Along with these ladies, there were also three boys who met the minimum heights, distances, or times to qualify to compete against the best in the state. The Fairhope team was comprised of eight athletes. They are a remarkable group.

In order to meet the mentioned minimums, they had to have competed in other meets, all held in Birmingham. They had traveled there on two previous occasions to run, jump or throw against the best in the state. To have eight qualify is again, remarkable.

Due to the icy weather, the meet had to be moved from the weekend to Monday and Tuesday. This meant that these student athletes had to miss additional days of class, putting a huge burden on them to get their assignments and stay current, AND to perform in their events at a high level.

While waiting for their events, each one of these athletes had their computers out with pencil and paper, doing their schoolwork. Since the meet days began at 8 a.m. and ran well into the evening, there was time between events, and these students made the most of it. After we got to the hotel in the evenings, they were hard at it, each with the light of a computer screen illuminating their faces as they concentrated on their work.

Making the group even more remarkable is the fact that of these eight athletes, four finished in the Top 20 of the state while the rest finished among the 60 best. Most of them set new personal records, some of which went way beyond their previous best. Further, the ladies’ team has won the county championship for the last three years, and the team as a whole has produced some wonderful athletes and people. The thing that makes this feat and these young men and women most remarkable is they do these great things with very limited facilities.

When Princess the Younger wanted to go out for track, I went to the school after practice to check things out. The track hopefuls were standing in front of an unpainted wooden shack, which I later learned is called “The Track Shack,” tucked way off on the north side of the school’s parking lot, nowhere near the main building. I wondered where they go to use the bathroom, or to see a trainer since all other field houses were near a quarter of a mile away.

The athletes were gathered around their coach receiving final instructions. I stepped out of the car and looked around at what served as high jump, long jump and pole vault pits. To label them makeshift is an insult to makeshift stuff. These were so sub-standard that I was sure I was in the wrong place.

I asked my Princess, “Where’s the track?”

“We don’t have one.”

I asked, “Where do you run?”

“That field over there,” she said pointing across the street.

“So you do sprints and distance runs around a grass field?”

“Yes, along with the cross-country kids.”

Fairhope has wonderful facilities for football, baseball, softball, soccer, with a gym for basketball and volleyball, and a swimming facility, but for track, “You kids go run around that field over there.” I find it amazing that this group has been able to do so much with so little. It is a testament to the dedication and abilities of coach Tim Yahr.

In a community as affluent as Fairhope, not having a track and field house is a shame. These young people are working their tails off for a sport they enjoy and are dedicated to, and this is the best we can do for them? They deserve better.

Fairhope, it is time to step up. In the coming weeks, there are going to be fund raising opportunities to fix this situation. Start planning how you can contribute. These are good kids bringing home trophies. Think what they will do with a proper track and facilities.

David Wilson Atwood is a local writer whose human-interest columns offer a unique perspective. He may be contacted at: www.starchasers.us.