Greagles

Jerald Lim

 On the 11^th of March, the midmorning sun was a fiery ball of torment, blasting down wave after wave of its heat onto the dedicated members of the Dalat Track Team (Treagles). The Treagles were to have a track meet at the USM Stadium, or so they thought. Upon arriving, they were greeted by a stadium packed full of people. This wasn’t the first time that this had happened. At the track meet before this one, the stadium had also been occupied. After finding an alternative location, the Treagles relinquished their ever-so-desired coarsely paved track for a slightly dewy and bumpy grass field.

Having already relocated once prior to this day, the Treagles had no problems with getting to the grassy field. At this rate, they might as well be renamed Dalat Grass Team (Greagles). Despite setbacks like this, the Greagles push forward, with the mindset of still getting a good training session. Around the green-bladed “track” the Greagles went, running the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 4x100m, and 4x200m. At the end of these standard eight races came the final relay: the 4x400m. For some, it was a dreaded race, but for others, like Bena Mauger (12), the Greagles’ relay superstar, it’s a chance to showcase quick feet and baton handling prowess.

One by one, Coach Grad called each relay team to their “lanes.” It was at this moment that many realized that one of the U18 teams sported a small boy: his name was Kai Ji (1), an adorable 7-year-old boy who was barely half the height of senior, Jerald Lim (12). The reason why Kai Ji stood among the seniors of the team: Bena had abandoned them in favor of another, more-highly-stacked group, filled with some of the fastest runners in the team.

Still though, Jerald, Jarrod Chang (12), and Richard Baek (11) gladly accepted Kai Ji as one of their own. Jarrod puts it perfectly, saying, “Kai Ji seemed a bit bored as the track meet went on, so we (the seniors) wanted to cheer him up by asking him to join our team. He was really enthusiastic, and he made lots of new friends while having tons of fun, which was great to see.” During the girls’ race, Kai Ji found a seat atop Jerald’s shoulders. He sat in shock as the realization of how far he was about to run dawned on him. But it was no matter to him when his turn came up to grab the baton. Like Usain Bolt, he burst out of the gates with full, minuscule 7-year-old strides. Kai Ji finished the race with deep, hastened breaths and the screams and cheers of the Greagles behind him.

Sadly, the Kai Ji-Jerald-Jarrod-Richard foursome didn’t finish first, but for a boy to stand proudly on the backs of his seniors (both figuratively and literally) is something first place can’t guarantee. Seniors do not need an elaborate plan to leave an impact on the young Dalat-ians. It is simple acts of inclusion like this one that help create the best memories. At the end of the day, the Greagles concluded with their traditional cawing chant, and Kai Ji brought home with him a memory he’d always remember.