A student who died suddenly while working out last month was on everyones minds Thursday at Darien High Schools season-opening track meet. Before the competition began, members of the boys and girls teams from Darien and visiting Wilton assembled on the track to honor the memory of Andy Pena.
"One of Andy's goals this spring was to break six minutes in the mile," boys head coach Tyson Kascmarek announced. "Please join us as we help him achieve that now." With that, the digital display clock at the finish line started counting up, as the athletes, all wearing some piece of black clothing, lined the home straightaway. Black T-shirts printed with the block letters "AWP," Pena's initials, were draped on the fence. Pena was a member of the freshman team.
The digits continued to click in the silent stadium as many of the runners wiped away tears. Then, as the clock hit five minutes, they began a rhythmic clapping that intensified as the clock approached six minutes. When it hit 5:59, it stopped, and the clapping turned to applause and cheers. It was a touching and fitting way to honor the memory of a teammate whose career was cut short.
Did you attend Thursdays track meet? What did you think of the tribute to Andy Pena. Leave a comment below or on Facebook and Twitter.
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