George Erazo of the St. Thomas Aquinas Men's Track & Field
team is in Allendale, Michigan for the NCAA Division II Outdoor
Track & Field Championship. Erazo will be sharing his
experiences in a daily diary starting today. George races on
Thursday in Heat 1 of the 400m dash which is scheduled to begin at
5:40 PM ET.
Day 2: Wednesday, May 21
Day two in Michigan was just as exciting as the first.
Started off the day with a great breakfast and relaxed a
little before hitting the track for practice. We arrived to
the track around 11
AM and all you see is 50 plus teams
practicing getting ready for the biggest day in our track careers.
Even though I had all these nerves and excitement running
through me, I knew I had to keep calm and act like this is just
another practice getting ready for another meet. Like always,
I put on my headphones, find my place on the track and prepare how
I always do a day before a meet. Warm up, drills and
stretches all part of my pre-meet work out and I also did a couple
150 meter runs at 85% to get my speed up. It also helped me
because it helps me to see how much wind I will expect on the back
stretch tomorrow so now I am prepared and
ready for tomorrow. Just like any other
practice before a meet it is light and easy, so I cooled down
stretched and than headed across the street to support our golf
team.
They played well through the killer heat that came later on in
the day. It was nice and cool in the morning but once the sun
came out it was a whole new playing field. But they managed
to fight through and continue playing and finished their long
successful season strong. I wish the best of luck to the
returning players next season. I also wish to fellow senior Tom
Linehan the best of luck in his future.
After supporting our golf team we headed back to the hotel to
relax just a bit. But knowing me I always have to prepare
just a little more. I went down to the pool to do a couple more
flexibility drills to loosen up the muscles and help with more
strengthen work. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready
for the NCAA Awards dinner. It was held in the Grand Rapids
Museum where we met other coaches and competitors. Amazing
food was served and there was a beautiful view of the city and
lake. Before the ceremony started I just walked around the
museum to see what they had to showcase. What was showcased
in the museum was the history that went on in Michigan. They
had animals and the different habitats around the Michigan area.
Also they had old war artifacts that go well back to the 40's and
50's. Some of the objects they shown were pretty interesting.
All in all it was another productive and fun day. Now
all that is left to do is to get focused and relaxed for tomorrow, the day I
worked years for. This is the most important day in my track
career, I am a Division II National Competitor. I am calm and
confident, what ever happens I will leave the track with my head
held high, win or lose. This only leads to bigger better
things. I am proud to have STAC written across my chest as I run
through the finish line. I am proud to wear the school colors
and represent STAC in one of the biggest championships in college
sports. Like always I will go out there run my heart out, try
the best I can and finish this long successful season with a
bang.
-George Erazo
Captain STAC T&F Team
