OYINADE

~25~

~OYINADE~

Coach Darasimi blew the whistle and the athletes took off.
According to the plan she drafted, only the females were to run against each other and the males too against males like them.
This is because; in competitions such as the one we were preparing earnestly for, there were usually two categories. The female category and the male category. So, although we could all train together, it was best for the females to run with their female counterparts and the males to do just the same.

Some of the other athletes went to a different part of the field to stretch out and prepare themselves for their race. Some stood rigidly, paying close attention, as they watched the two fairly good sprinters run past them and towards the finish line, while others clapped for the sprinters and cheered them on. I was part of the latter.
I kept hooting and clapping till one of them crossed the finish line, closely followed by the other.

Matthew, a senior in the science department but a soccer(commonly known as football by most Nigerians) player, blew the whistle signifying the end of the first race. He was the acting assistant of Coach Darasimi because her assistant had to go on a leave urgently. Matthew's team had swung by the field earlier for a short practice and were about to leave when we got there. When Matt noticed that we needed someone to blow the whistle, he offered to help which is why he was now Coach Darasimi's temporary assistant.

The two athletes who were also students in my class, one from the commercial department and the other from the arts department, both slumped on the grass.
"You did well guys", I said, walking up to them.
"Thanks", Cecilia said, giving me a high-five.
She was the one who won the race.
"Thanks a lot", Zainab said, shooting me a contagious smile.
"You're running against Ololade, right?", she said, amidst panting.
I nodded.
"I'm rooting for you", she said.
I smiled. I didn't know what else to say, so I just had to smile. She was being so kind and friendly and I barely knew her. I wondered if she once had a conflict with Ololade which would make her see me as a friend since I was going to run against Ololade. I wondered if it was that or if she just liked me and genuinely wanted me to win.

I glanced towards Coach Darasimi's direction and she was taking notes and talking with Matt. After a few minutes, she turned to face us and called out the names of the next two students to run.
This time, she called two boys.
I kept cheering them on and clapping as they ran their race.
After about four more sets of people, alternating boys and girls in each successive race, Coach Darasimi started separating some athletes from the rest of us. According to her, she wanted to know their "endurance level".
She had them run against each other and made notes. None of us knew, or at least I didn't know, what she was writing but I knew that it was related to the set of students she was going to pick to represent the school.

"Hey", someone whispered, behind my ear. I turned back quickly and realized that it was Ololade.
"Make sure you tighten your lace because I'm definitely going to sweep you off your feet", she whispered with a hoarse dry tone after which she walked off, smiling like a psychopath.
I shuddered. What did she mean by "tighten my lace" or "sweep me off my feet"?
"Oh!", I gasped suddenly, in realization. I placed my hand over my mouth, almost as soon as I gasped when I noticed that the athletes around me were watching me.

Was she going to set a trap for me? Make me fall and be embarrassed or make me lose the opportunity to represent the team in the competition?
I glanced towards her and she simply smirked at me.
"Don't let her psych you out. You'll do just fine", Peter said. I had been standing beside him since the race started and he didn't say a word. He just kept watching the race.

However, I didn't know that he noticed the interaction between me and Ololade.
"Just try your best and focus on the finish line", he said, before jogging towards the track.
"Thanks!", I called out. He probably didn't hear me because it was his turn to run with one other boy, the second fastest athlete in the team.
"Good luck!", I blurted out aloud. He looked back and gave me a small smile before taking position on the starting line.
For some reason, his advice made me feel better. All I needed to do was try my best and focus on the finish line.