The Schauble’s are part of our track family inner circle. So, when I saw Shelbi Schauble sitting in the warmup area, I instinctively snapped a photo. As I found out moments later, the other athlete, Lorraine Nance of Temescal Canyon, was actually one of Shelbi’s competition in the triple jump at the CIF Southern Section Masters meet, the Southern Section’s CIF State Championship qualifier. One of the things I love about track and field is the camaraderie that seems to naturally emerge between competing athletes. The sport is pure. You get a time or a height or a distance and there are no doubts about who won and who lost on any given day. I believe the absence of debate frees competitors from the usual posturing that can block friendships. There is a great deal of mutual respect around the track world.

A few moments later when speaking with the two of them, Lorraine (Lolo) asked if I could take some photos of the triple jump because she felt like the photographers typically ignored the event, or at least never made them available. Since I’ve become a fan of the biomechanics of the triple jump, I was happy to oblige. That is one of Lolo’s triple jumps above and Shelbi’s below.

Shelbi, on her final jump of the competition, dialed in a personal best 38’08.25″ to pass the State Qualifying mark of 38’04” and earn a spot in the CIF State Championship Meet in Clovis next weekend. Lolo missed the mark, with her best jump of the day (36’09.25″) coming on her first attempt. That is the jump shown above. But in the moments after Shelbi hit the best jump of her young triple jump career, LoLo was effusive with her support, even in the face of her own disappointment.

Moments like this are why I love track and field. This was not the forced handshake line you see at the end of some team sports. This was real and spontaneous. It was pure, just like the sport. I’m happy my kids have made it their sport of choice, and so glad to be able to capture moments like this with my camera. Life is good. 🙂

Jeff Turner

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