Trials Day 1

To see a full list of results from Day 1, click here.

Here were Joe's numbers:
100 meters: 11.68
Long Jump: 6.57 meters
Shot Put: 13.46 meters (44'2")
High Jump: 1.99 meters (6'6.25")
400 meters: 50.93
Total Day One: 3689

He's sitting in 17th place out of 20 guys. One guy fouled out in the long jump, so there are really only 19 left. Today's scores were disappointing. Each mark was a little worse than what he did in Texas Day 1....adding up to a cumulative of over 200 points lower than his Day 1 total there. To put it in perspective, he needed to score at least 200 points MORE over the two days (than he did in Texas) to realistically be in contention for top 3.

I'm sitting here with Joe and Rowan in the little apartment across from the field. Joe is in good spirits. In his words: "that was as good as I was today." He felt good this morning, had a good night's sleep, and felt ready to go. But then everything was just flat. From event to event, nothing was spectacular. But he is a really strong Day 2 guy, and he could come up with some big PRs tomorrow!

There have been some really fun events to watch today. The crowd here in Eugene is amazing...they know track, they cheer wildly....it's a lot of fun to be a part of. There were some big marks in a few individual events in the decathlon today (a few huge long jumps, and the farthest shot put I've seen in a dec....over 56 feet!) plus we got to watch the finals for the men's pole vault (our roomie Brad made it...had a bad day, but still got 3rd place....and then 2 old friends from Jonesboro, Hartwig and Miles, also made the team) and the finals for the women's discus (Joe's training partner Suzy made the team). My folks and brother, Joe's folks and sister, my aunt and uncle, cousin and her boyfriend, and 2 other sets of really good friends all came out for the meet...so it's been a fun reunion and good day to enjoy track (albeit really hot!) Rowan was a trooper with the long day of sitting in the stands....but she was also surrounded by lots of people she loves!

Joe was interviewed after the meet by someone from NBC who is friends with Jack Doles back in Grand Rapids...he was tasked with getting some footage of Joe. So if you're in GR, make sure to catch the NBC news tonight....Joe will probably be on. He said they interviewed him for awhile.

I'll post again tomorrow....but you can also check at USATF's site for more up-to-date results. The meet won't get done until 8:30 west coast time...so it will be a late one for all you mid-westerners.

Thanks for your love, support, and prayers. No matter the outcome tomorrow, this has been a journey that we do not regret...and I am proud beyond measure of Joe and all that he has accomplished and given towards this goal.