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The North Girls Track program has made a mark in Massachusetts Track and Field over the past 30 years and this year was no exception as the team finished with an undefeated season! Clearly the driving force behind it all has been Coach Estey and the “VISION of FAMILY” that he has brought to life over the past three decades at the helm of North Track and Field.   Many wonderful people have served our program through the years and it has been that sense of “FAMILY and COMMUNITY” that has driven many of us to continually make the trek back to the oval and give back.     Coach Estey's post meet speeches and pre-practice talks have always centered around team, community, and dedication and his athletes have taken his words and put them into action on countless occasions and pressure packed moments!   Together Everyone Achieving More or TEAM was never more evident than in this past season!   Not only did the team win a championship but many students excelled in the classroom, athletes overachieved on the track and in the field and many former North tracksters are excelling in life!   What a LEGACY!   It is said that behind every great leader are great people and one person who truly stands out in my mind as an individual who has made an extraordinary IMPACT throughout the years to our program is Grandma Estey.   Yes I am speaking of the Grandmother of North Track and Field and she is one of the very special people who have dedicated their lives and made a difference to countless people within the North Track and Field Community.

 

Although I have been involved with North Track and Field since the mid 1970's it has been on rare occasion that I have ventured into the stands to enjoy a meet.   This year however; I took that step and was often in that rarified air as I viewed and enjoyed the meets as a spectator.   Little did I know what an incredible journey sitting and watching North meets would become as I made a new track friend in Grandma Estey!   It was during those meets and during discussions about track that I realized that Grandma E. has been supporting the BIG RED for over 40 years as a   parent/grandparent or as a loyal supporter of all those who have ever competed in the sport at North.   Grandma Estey is a true North Track historian and bonafide North SUPERFAN!!   Since sometime back in the 1960's when her son Dwight was high jumping into sawdust pits or digging holes to start his 100 yard races, Grandma E. has been there!   She was there when her son Keith was high jumping or running the 200 and when her grandchildren and their friends were setting state records!  

She has witnessed many of the greatest efforts and events in our team's long history and has spent countless hours at meets and banquets in support of the team!   As I began to stroll down memory lane with Grandma E. at each meet, I began to realize how much about North Track and Field that I didn't know and how much I needed to catch up on!   She knew much more about our history than the records.   She understood that it is a sport that is nothing without the people or the relationships built within the sport, which drive us all to serve, achieve, or give back!   She knew the stories about the kids, their accomplishments, their PR's, and most importantly cared about what happened in their lives.  

It doesn't take very long to realize that Grandma Estey is a person who cares for others and she has truly passed that down to those in her family and others in her company.   I began looking forward to each meet and the time that I would spend with Grandma Estey.   I knew that she would update me on the latest team outlook, the family, the brook, the bridge, and the farm.   I even found it interesting to hear that Coach E. regularly traveled out to the brook and the bridge as he traveled down memory lane to his youth.   As the season unfolded Grandma Estey introduced me to more of her family members and friends and it was then that I   realized what a closely knit family that we have in North Track and Field and how we have all been spoiled by the sense of community that we enjoy within our program!  

 

I also discovered that Grandma E. regularly documented the event results during meets with her trusty pencil and pad and had done it for years.   In fact, it dawned on me that had I known that, I would have saved myself hours of time trying to squeeze that information out of Coach Estey.   As we all know, he has been very tight lipped with the scores for years and only a few have ventured to ask him for an update!   Grandma Estey's scoring was so precise that I found myself rumbling down to the jumping areas in an effort to assist her in her task of keeping things up to date.   I could often see her trying to make eye contact with Coach Estey to re-assure him that the girls had things under control and that he need not worry about the score!     

 

Scouting reports you say!   Where did Coach get all of his latest and in depth reports as he set his line-up and contemplated what the competition would bring?   Well Grandma Estey of course!   Grandma E. regularly scrolled through the latest area track results in an effort to keep us all informed!   She could recite times as if she worked for the local tabloids and was a regular at the area meets!    It should be noted that she didn't do this for any other reason than to know when an athlete on either team set a PR so that she could cheer for them no matter what team they represented!   You see, Grandma E. loves the sport because she truly understands the great values that young people can learn through simply working harder and achieving goals!   She has seen how the sport of track and field can change lives and open doors and how people can pull together and create a Track and Field Family!!   Grandma Estey knows that respect for people and building relationships is what is truly important and she puts that into action in her life!      

 

I am sure that the North Track and Field Family would join me in THANKING GRANDMA ESTEY for all that she has done in making our track world a better place to be!   The bar has been set high and she has BLESSED US ALL!!  

 

THANK YOU GRANDMA ESTEY!!        

 

In Fitness,

Coach Espo