By Jess Zutz
The claps were perfectly synchronized. It was as if an invisible conductor instructed each and every person in the greater Hayward Field area to repeatedly put their hands together and pull them apart in complete unison. The sound echoed off the roofs of the grandstands and flew down to the focused athlete, who was staring at the long red rubber path ahead of her. And then it happened. Take off. She lifted her right foot first, then her left, and from there seemed to glide inches above the ground. She took flight, and it all began with the first step.
Flight happened all over Hayward Field today highlighted by the women’s pole vault, the men’s long jump, the women’s discus, and the men’s shotput. Once off the ground, the elements seem to take over. The breeze, the crowd, the neon-colored athletic equipment. But taking that first step is the most difficult part of any athletic endeavor. And as Team USA’s discus thrower Stephanie Brown Trafton put it, technique is secondary to mental toughness.
Not only was today tied together with the common theme of flight; it was tied together with experience. This will be women’s discus thrower Aretha Thurmond’s fourth Olympics. Stephanie will be competing in her third. To boot, the combined ages of Team USA’s women’s pole vaulters (91) and discus throwers (100) so significantly exceeds the men’s long jumpers (71), that we wonder if they are all indeed going to the same athletic competition.
Over the course of the past three days, our teaser has been playing on loop in our booth at the Trials. We have heard the cadence of the speakers, the low sounds of the drum beats, and the beautiful synchrony of melodic chords so many times that they repeat in our dreams at night. But every so often, certain phrases stand out. Time stands still, the throng of people passing in front of the booth halts all motion, and a different kind of glow emanates from the television screen. One of those moments occurs when Vin Lananna classifies Oregon women’s track and field as setting the “benchmark.”
A benchmark is something that serves as a standard for which other things can be measured. While it is often thought of as a static form of measurement, the world of track and field would lead us to believe otherwise. For example, in 2012, the pole vault world record is 5.06 meters for women. In 1985, women didn’t even pole vault.
We Grew Wings sets a benchmark. Simultaneously, the film represents a lifetime and a microsecond of achievement on the timeline that is sport. The film will combine the gained experience of our 1985 team with the sheer courage of our 2011 team. It represents that most difficult first step towards flight. Our goal, with this film, is to serve as the invisible conductor and to captivate audiences to move in unison. So take a breath and feel the breeze. The clapping begins now…
