7907!

Joe not only met the necessary 7800 point total to make it to the Trials...he made the A standard, which means he is an automatic qualifier (which basically means it doesn't matter how many others score over 7900, he WILL compete at the Trials!) This was above and beyond what we expected from this meet--a huge accomplishment and confidence booster!

Here are the numbers:

11o hurdles: 15.03 for 846 points
Discus: 46.29 or 151'10" for 793 points
Pole Vault: 4.70 or 15'5" for 819 points
Javelin: 60.89 or 199'9" for 751 points
1500 meters: 4:29.41 for 749 points
Total day 2: 3957
Overall total: 7907

So what some of those numbers mean.....the hurdles were the best he's run this season (many years ago he ran a few in the 14.8 range...but it's been awhile since those marks), discus was right were he should be, pole vault was also right where he should be (could have been worse, could have been better). And then the 2 big scores of the day---he saved them for last! The javelin was one centimeter off a PR (personal record)....he threw 199' something right after college, and usually throws around 190'....so 199'9" was a HUGE throw!

And then the 1500. The 1500 is a gut event. They're tired from full days of competing. It was hot. It hurts to run this length race (just short of a mile) for a bunch of bigger guys who are more trained for speed. Most decathletes dread the 1500. But it's also an event that carries the potential for a huge point swing. Each second in the 1500 is worth 7 points. So the difference between running it in 5:00 and running it in 4:30 is 210 points....a huge amount in the decathlon. Joe has consistently put up times in the 4:40s range....and when pressed has run 4:38 or 9. Once a long time ago he ran 4:32. We all knew going into the 1500 that in order to achieve 7800 points, Joe would have to run about a 4:45. I was confident he could do it, but still really nervous!

Then we got the call: 4:29.41!!! A 2 second PR! Good enough not just for 7800, but for the automatic A qualifier! Joy!

It was a very fun day at my house...one great part about living in community (and with a bunch of other athletes) is that they all know the stakes, they all know what the numbers mean, they all love Joe and want to see him do his best. So we were all (5 of us) sitting around our computer waiting for the final results....and there was some hooping and hollering going on when we heard! Plus, about an hour earlier, our roommate Brad Walker jumped 6.04 (19'9") and set a new American Record in the pole vault (broke our old friend from Jonesboro, Jeff Hartwig's, 8 year record!) We were watching it live on NBC (of course they didn't really show the field events...just the running, and the false starts, and the sprinters putting their warm-ups on....really aggravating that there is no focus on the field stuff!!) We were watching results online, too...and there was some excitement when he cleared 6.04!

It was a good day for the house.

To see the complete decathlon results (Joe won the meet!) click here.

Also, there is this great decathlon guru in the US named Frank Zarnowski, and he keeps a blog/website of all things decathlon...results, records, schedules, etc....and he already posted a little newsletter with the results (and for all you numbers people, lots of other statistical stuff, and the standings going into the Trials...Joe has the 10th best score going in!) If you want to see it, click here.

Joe flies back tomorrow...I can't wait to give him a big hug and kiss!