MARY PICKENS CONSOLES AND PRAYS FOR HER GRANDSON, B.J., AT A MIDDLE SCHOOL MEET
It was a picture we saw today from a Bossier Parish middle school meet at Haughton High School. It reminded us that sometimes the stories are not on the track, but in the stands.
Over the years, Mary Pickens has seen her share of track and field meets. She had a daughter, Jennifer, who was a standout track athlete at Captain Shreve High School before going on to compete at the collegiate level. In fact, she has a granddaughter, Brianna Taylor, who is finishing up her first year competing at ULM for the Lady Warhawks.
On Monday, Mrs. Pickens was in Haughton watching her grandson, B.J., compete for Cope Middle School. Things were not going well for the young man. On this day, a nagging hip flexor injury limited him to the 100m and the 4x100m. He was dejected.
His grandmother knew just the thing he needed. Grandmothers always seem to know, don't they? Mrs. Pickens leaned across the rail and placed her hand on her grandson's shoulder and prayed for B.J., who stood just off the track with his head bowed.
A few yards away, Kevin Pickens, Mary's husband and B.J.'s grandfather, sees the scene and raises his camera to capture the image. Mr. Pickens is usually busy capturing athletes in action, but we are glad he was quick enough to capture this moment and share it with us.
Different people look at the same image and feel different emotions.
For us, the pervading emotion while taking in this powerful picture is thankfulness. We are thankful for Mrs. Pickens and all of the other mothers and grandmothers who made their way to track meets this season to support their kids and grandkids. Many of them sacrificed time and money to support the efforts of their athlete.
We are thankful for fathers and grandfathers, like Mr. Pickens, who use their talents for the betterment of the sport. For some, it might be as a volunteer coach. For others, it could be organizing a booster club or helping the coach by putting hurdles on the track. For Mr. Pickens, it's using his knowledge of both the sport and sports photography, to capture pictures for athletes, coaches, parents, and grandparents--like himself.
His photographs are more than just pictures. They are saving little moments--like the one you see above-- and allowing the subjects to reflect on those moments and memories for the rest of their life.
We are thankful for the good times...and the bad. It's the bad times where our young people in track and field learn how to overcome adversity. It's then that they learn a valuable lesson--they cannot do it on their own. It's during those times that they grow--both as an athlete and as a person.
The athlete hears the prayer and does not forget. They do not forget the words of the prayer. They do not forget the parent or grandparent praying over them. And they do not forget the moment.
And when we see the moment captured in a photo, neither do we.
To be clear, the purpose of this article--it is to thank all of the parents and grandparents who have sacrificed much for the track and field athletes during the 2023 outdoor track and field season. We know it wasn't easy to make time, rearrange work schedules, and fight the traffic to get across town--or the state-- for a meet.
The athletes and coaches appreciate you more than you will ever know. We--the track and field community--appreciate you. You made a difference, and your continued presence will continue to make a difference in the lives of the young people in track and field. And with that, we thank you!