Jack Cook was my track & field coach...

here in Tranquillity. Jack went on to coach in Reno and coached the Olympic Track & Field team.

Jack came up with a unique exercise for us sprinters while coaching at Tranquillity Union High School. He had 'shop class' build a long horizontal bar that he attached to the back of an old school early 50's Studebaker pickup. The bar was braced so that most of the 'flex' was taken out of it.

He'd back up to the goal line on our football field, in front of the goal posts, then a group of us would take hold of the bar as he punched it and drove to the other end of the football field, hitting 30mph, or maybe even faster. Before you say 'that's not possible'... ... it actually IS possible to run behind at 30mph while holding on to the bar. Ya gotta kind of punch the ground, (leap), with each step but it can be done... not that we didn't have a few casualties.

The purpose was to supposedly lengthen our stride and get us up on the the balls of our feet. I can't say if it worked or not BUT.... TUHS set the national record for most consecutive dual meet wins in the mid-60's. A record that still stands today and will forevermore BECAUSE... they don't have track & Field teams like they used too, (I don't think). Back then there was an A team, a B team, and a C team... think of it like Varsity, JV, and Freshmen... BUT... in Track and Field it went kind of by size... so even a Senior could be on the "C" team.