In the summer before Chris Derrick entered Neuqua Valley, he envisioned himself as a future basketball player for the Wildcats.
It's probably a good thing that his mother, Janet, didn't share the same vision for her son, who was only 14 at the time.
"Physically he wasn't mature -- my kids grow late," Janet Derrick said. "He wasn't going to be able to make the basketball team."
In the hopes of keeping him involved in sports, Janet suggested Chris attend a summer camp guided by Neuqua cross country coach Paul Vandersteen. Well, Chris says his mother "made" him attend, but why quibble?
Whatever the motivation, Chris Derrick soon realized his future athletic endeavors no longer involved running up and down a court dribbling a basketball. Just running would do.
"What really happened is he found his passion," Janet said. "He found running. That's a beautiful thing because not everybody in life finds their passion."
Derrick runs for the final time as a Wildcat this weekend at the Class AA state track and field meet at Eastern Illinois University. He's scheduled to run in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter events, entering with the state's lowest times in both.
Basketball's loss has certainly been running's gain.
The title of this blog is especially ironic today, unfortunately....