Sandra J Landers

The Summer Olympics Sandra J Landers

If you had ever witnessed an athlete running an anchor leg on the 4x400 relay - taking the baton in last place and being behind the rest of the runners by fifty yards - running so fast that he passes all the other athletes and finishes in first place - fifty yards ahead of all the rest - you would understand why I love track. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. That young man was Johnny "Lam" Jones at the Texas State Track Meet where I was working as a timer judge. He ran in the Summer Olympics and won there, also. My love started when my brother, Jerry Landers, was running track for Abilene High School and later at Texas Tech University. I eventually went to The University of Texas and majored in kinesiology. One of my classes required me to work at the Texas State Track Meet and I worked it for the next 24 years. This addiction is part of the reason for writing this book. I want that young athlete to see what a thrill it is to be involved in a sport. I have tried to give some practical information just to wet their taste buds for something exciting. Maybe this will inspire someone to set their goal to participate at the Olympics in the future.