Waiting anxiously for their events to begin in the District 13-5A track meet on Friday, lightning, rain, and tornado sirens led the remainder of the meet to be rescheduled for Monday at Memorial Stadium.

For some athletes such as junior Sanye Ford, the delay gave her more time to get ready for her events: long jump, 4×100, 4×200, and the 400.

“I had an issue with my leg and now that it got moved, I had more time to rest,” Ford said. “I probably wouldn’t have been able to do as well if we ran on Saturday. I’m just going to run my races and worry about Area when we cross that bridge.”

The delay could have some negative consequences as there is less time to be prepare for the area meet on April 19.

“We are just missing one day of practice, so it’s not too big of a deal, but you need all the time you can get,” sophomore Ian Thomas said. “Saturday was really cold, so I’m happy they postponed it. Usually the wind, the temperature, when it’s cold it makes it easier to get injured. The wind can push you back, so a lot of the time, your performance depends on the weather.”

For assistant track coach Taryn Baker, the postponement of the district meet could pay off.

“I think it’s nice to keep things going so that the kids show up and get mentally ready,” Baker said. “I think the longer that the time goes by, the more that you have those emotions build up and everything, and they get tired if we prolong the workouts. Definitely keeping it short and close together is a benefit.”