I had the honor of attending Jakob’s signing day ceremony at Chapin High School on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. Jakob chose George Washington University in Washington, D.C. as his next chapter in life. I, of course, brought my camera along since this was a first and I adore this kid. I found out afterwards that he told his mom that he invited me because he wanted me there and he didn’t expect me to bring my camera along. Since I was there early I was able to get a few shots of him speaking to his friends and just having fun.
Messing around with flowers belonging to someone else.
Father and Son
As I sat listening to his coach speak about his accomplishments and work ethic I was not one bit surprised. You could see the pride, love, and emotion on everyone as he spoke.
His coach also discussed that Jakob had a hand in bringing the District 1-5A trophy back to Chapin.
Jakob with Coach Heidenreich
I am all about posting chronologically but this one must end with his speech. After the speech they presented Dr. Gonzalez (Dr. G), the principal, with the trophy.
Dr. G then asked the track team to come up to join him for the actual signing moment. My favorite image is located on my Facebook page.
Done!
At the beginning of his speech he thanked his family for their undying support as well as his coaches.
His dad, brother and Coach Duncan, USATF coach and mentor from the Fort Bliss team.
Jackson is going to miss his big brother.
About 1/4 of the way into Jakob’s speech I realized that this was going to need to stand on its own rather than be a snippet on his senior photos blog. His speech was amazing and I wanted to share it with you all.
“Life is one question after another.
When I find myself getting ready for a race I lock into my zone. I zero in on what needs to be done and run the race hundreds of times in my head before I ever step out on the line.
I always ask myself the same questions…
‘Where is your finish line?’
‘What is your maximum effort?’
‘What is your indication that you’ve reached your limit?’
It’s interesting because I’ve found that there truly is no answer. People point to fatigue, being tired, maybe they are happy with the results but it still leaves the question unanswered. What it your limit?
There is no automatic mechanism that shuts us down when we’ve given all we’ve got. It’s not like a glass of water that reaches the top and overflows.
Our potential is limitless. Our dreams are limitless. So often we allow ourselves to live within the confines of other people’s thinking. Society tries to place us in a mold it has created.
If you ever see a picture of the typical 800m runner you’ll see they are around 6 feet tall, long legs, lean build, and take long strides. Now I don’t know if you can tell but I don’t fit that at all. I’m 5 foot 7 on a good day.
I am as far as you can get from an “ideal” 800m runner, but it’s fine because I’ve learned that we have to live our lives to our own accord.
People are going to tell you that you can’t. When they do, thank them, because there is no better feeling then defying someone’s limitations of you.
Be the person to change their minds.
Be the person to break the mold.
Be the person you were destined to be.
Thank you.
Go GW!!”
~ Jakob Coombes ~
