More coverage from Victor Cahoon Track Classic
In the fast section at Saturday's Victor Cahoon Classic at Osbourn Park High School (Manassas, VA), Good Counsel (Olney, MD) senior Erin Pocratsky showed what sportsmanship is all about.
Competing in the fast section of the girls 800 roughly 300 meters into the race, Pocratsky and Lanley sophomore Anna Spear got tangled up in the pack of runners with both runners hitting the track hard in falls.
Spear looked to take the worst of the fall and appear in pain laying on the track. When Pocratsky got back to up her feet, instead of trying to sprint ahead to get back in the race with the rest of the field, she actually ran backwards.
Shen ran back to assist Spear and check on her and help her get back on her feet by physically pulling her off the ground. Once she got Spear on her feet, Pocratsky encouraged Spear to finish the race with her instead of dropping out.
Her words worked as Spear joined her as they began to run again down the track to finish the last lap of their 800 meter race. Both runners finished well of their seed times and personal bests in the event, but certainly ended up being the biggest winners and stars of the race.
After Procratsky finished the race, she turned back to wait for Spear and once her fellow fallen competitor had crossed the finish line, Procratsky helped Spear along with the assistance of the meet starters over to the trainer table.
There are opportunities to win races and achieve PR's in running. Then there are opportunities to show what sportmanship is all about. There was no hesitation in Erin Pocratsky when that opportunity arrived to execute.
Well done.