10.23.2008

Did They Really Even Stand A Chance?

Congratulations to my Yonas!!!
At Clear Creek Elementary they have a "fun run" every year! You collect sponsors who pledge a certain amount of $ for every lap you run around a track in a set amount of time. 8 laps is 1 mile! Apparently my Yonas SHATTERED the first grade record by running 19 laps!!! That is almost 2.5 miles!!!

So, he won the "movie bucket"! A small size trash can full of boxes of candy, small sodas, and popcorn! Everything you would need when watching a movie! He was so proud and Nolan was so proud of him! Nolan was bummed the day before that he did not run a lot of laps and therefore did not win the movie bucket, but when Yonas came home with it the next day, he thought that was cool and was very proud of his big brother! Nolan ran 10 laps, which is good for him! Ruby & Silas both ran 14 laps!

But then that leads me to my other point! Did the other kids even have a chance?

First off, Yonas is supposed to be in 3rd grade! So he is 2 years older than his competitors (though he probably would have won 3rd grade as well)!

Second, he is Ethiopian and have you seen the Olympics? They are a force to be reckoned with in running. Abebe Bikila, known as the best marathoner of all time, won 2 gold medals back to back in the Marathon in the 60s. The first he won while running barefoot! He is a LEGEND! In the marathon during these Olympics the leader pack of 5 consisted of 3 green Ethiopian jerseys!

Third, That kid is built for speed! He is lanky, but his bum isn't! It is ALL muscle to propel his legs forward! I really need to get him into track... I see a scholarship in his future!

I am very proud of him! He is athletic and a good sport! He will do great things one day!

Here is a picture of Abebe Bikila running barefoot. There was a whole exhibit to him in the Ethiopian national museum. He was an inspiring person. He won 2 back to back Olympics setting new records. He was in a car accident after that and was paralyzed from the waist down but still found ways to compete. Who knows, maybe Yonas will be an American Olympian! You never know!

3 comments:

lindsey said...

way to go jonas! i always figured there was no way we would get a true athlete in our family... here's our answer! thats awesome though... i bet hes so proud

Linda, Mom and Granny said...

Congraulations, Yonas. You are a great guy and a great runner!!!

And I love you! -Granny

Angela Draper said...

Congratulations Yonas! Way to go!