By Sacramento Bee writer Joe Davidson.
https://www.sacbee.com/sports/high-school/joe-davidson/article241925021.html?fbclid=IwAR212A5oEjSoTusZtet2jI1XUgSBQmnY3OYyjGPDCAq-ndXFFpBaGYKL4rg
The following was posted by Harold Kuphaldt on his Facebook page.
Thank you, Joe Davidson. Well written as always. How can we not respect what Matt Strangio has done and is doing? His drive and determination and grit is an inspiration to me and many others. I feel horrible for Matt and Chase and all the other Senior athletes who worked so hard and had their seasons end amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It is easy to dismiss the lost track season as trivial in light of 10,000 plus Americans who have already lost their lives to this pandemic. However, for those of us that know what it is like to push our bodies to the point of breaking in the effort to achieve a goal, we can appreciate the profound and life-long impact of losing a chance to achieve our goals by something that is beyond our control. I think of some of my running hero’s who lost a chance to compete in the 1980 Olympics because of the boycott. The scars of that experience and decision affect many of them still today ... 40 years later. To those that are offended by Matt’s attempt at history in this time trial, I say try to think of it from his perspective. Respect the effort and dedication and morn for the loss of this season and the impact it will have on so many athletes. For the rest of these senior athletes' lives many will be saying “I think I could have run..., but we will never know because the track season was cancelled due to Clovis-19.” I am a man of faith, and I do believe God can take bad things and turn them into good. Easter is a good time to remember a time when God changed the world forever through what looked at the time as a very Bad thing on Friday ... Jesus was tortured and killed. Then came Sunday! I look forward to seeing Matt Strangio’s Sunday. He is destined for greatness. Thanks for writing this article, Joe. I thank you for the shoutout in the article too.
https://www.sacbee.com/sports/high-school/joe-davidson/article241925021.html?fbclid=IwAR212A5oEjSoTusZtet2jI1XUgSBQmnY3OYyjGPDCAq-ndXFFpBaGYKL4rg
The following was posted by Harold Kuphaldt on his Facebook page.
Thank you, Joe Davidson. Well written as always. How can we not respect what Matt Strangio has done and is doing? His drive and determination and grit is an inspiration to me and many others. I feel horrible for Matt and Chase and all the other Senior athletes who worked so hard and had their seasons end amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It is easy to dismiss the lost track season as trivial in light of 10,000 plus Americans who have already lost their lives to this pandemic. However, for those of us that know what it is like to push our bodies to the point of breaking in the effort to achieve a goal, we can appreciate the profound and life-long impact of losing a chance to achieve our goals by something that is beyond our control. I think of some of my running hero’s who lost a chance to compete in the 1980 Olympics because of the boycott. The scars of that experience and decision affect many of them still today ... 40 years later. To those that are offended by Matt’s attempt at history in this time trial, I say try to think of it from his perspective. Respect the effort and dedication and morn for the loss of this season and the impact it will have on so many athletes. For the rest of these senior athletes' lives many will be saying “I think I could have run..., but we will never know because the track season was cancelled due to Clovis-19.” I am a man of faith, and I do believe God can take bad things and turn them into good. Easter is a good time to remember a time when God changed the world forever through what looked at the time as a very Bad thing on Friday ... Jesus was tortured and killed. Then came Sunday! I look forward to seeing Matt Strangio’s Sunday. He is destined for greatness. Thanks for writing this article, Joe. I thank you for the shoutout in the article too.
