Servite/Rosary/Westminister Duo Meet - September 24, 1998
Tiller Girls Race With Added Inspiration
September 24, 1998 - Westminster
The week of September 20, 1998 certainly proved to be a tough one for the Tiller girls both mentally and physically. While fighting through a tough interval workout on Monday the girls learned of the untimely death of a local running legend Florence Griffith Joyner. The team was stunned by the news but decided then that they would dedicate the rest of their races to Flojo. I know that I speak for the entire running community when I say that we will truly miss the inspiration that Flojo has given us.
We continued to fight through the week but were faced with some more bad news on Tuesday. Our coach Jami Bickley announced that her good friend had been seriously hurt in an automobile accident. Once again we were rather shaken up but we promised to pray for Sara and continue to run to the best of our ability.
When race day finally came, ( The 10 year anniversary of Flojo's record setting 200 meter race in 1988. ) the girls arrived at the Westminster/Rosary/Servite Double Duo Meet with positive attitudes and optimistic hopes. We wore black ribbons on our shoes in honor of Flojo and in prayer for Sara. The coaches told us that it would be a close race with Rosary but we knew we could handle the challenge. After an inspirational pre-race prayer led by Stephanie, Kelly and myself we hit the starting line. While we lost the race to Rosary on a tie-breaker,this race was certainly proof of the positive focus that the Tiller girls share. This article was not meant to be depressing. It is important for others to know that we will continue to train and improve each week all the while keeping those that we have lost in our hearts. Watch out League Finals 'cause Tustin's moving up! -Jennifer
PS: We're praying for you Sara!
servite/Rosary/Westminister Photos: