Hurdle
December 16th, 2020
Starring: Coach Parent (60’s), Athlete Kid (early 20’s)
The local high school track. Coach Parent (twirling a whistle) stands next to Athlete Kid (in jeans) at the starting line. Around the entire track, the center lane is filled with hurdles.
ATHLETE KID
What is this?
COACH PARENT
Your future.
...
ATHLETE KID
How do you know what my future looks like?
COACH PARENT
We’ve all got hurdles.
ATHLETE KID
That’s so many.
COACH PARENT
I tried to factor in everything. The world, who you are, what you say you want to do. Considering that, this is conservative.
ATHLETE KID
If this is the future, how do I know what each hurdle means?
COACH PARENT
Use your imagination.
On your mark
ATHLETE KID
I question the effectiveness—
COACH PARENT
Get set
ATHLETE KID
Still questioning—
COACH PARENT
POW. Everyone else has started running.
ATHLETE KID
What happened to run my own race?
COACH PARENT
You are. But you’re not until you start running.
Starts walking down the lane. Reaches the first hurdle.
COACH PARENT
Hurdle one.
ATHLETE KID
I can’t.
COACH PARENT
Sure you can.
ATHLETE KID
No I understand what the hurdle represents, but I literally can’t jump over it.
COACH PARENT
The fear in can’t is the only thing stopping you.
ATHLETE KID
Please.
COACH PARENT
Hurdle it.
ATHLETE KID
Please.
COACH PARENT
Find your way.
Athlete Kid begrudgingly approaches the hurdle, jumps, then straddles it, swinging one leg over the other.
ATHLETE KID
By the book, I think I’m disqualified.
COACH PARENT
You cleared it. That’s all that matters. Keep going.
Athlete Kid keeps walking until they reach the next one. They climb over the same way.
COACH PARENT
You got it.
They reach the next. They get over it, maybe with a bit more ease.
COACH PARENT
There you go.
At the quarter lap mark, Athlete Kid reaches a section of hurdles, all smushed together.
COACH PARENT
Uh oh, we got a quadruple.
ATHLETE KID
Never seen one of these at the Olympics.
COACH PARENT
They’re all over life. Watcha gonna do?
Athlete Kid crouches and starts to crawl under.
COACH PARENT
ERR. Disqualified.
ATHLETE KID
That disqualifies me?!
COACH PARENT
You have to go over it.
ATHLETE KID
How?
COACH PARENT
Figure it out.
ATHLETE KID
That’s the worst advice you can possibly give.
COACH PARENT
By the time you get here, I might not be around. You might have no one.
ATHLETE KID
Fine, I’ll go around it.
COACH PARENT
ERR.
ATHLETE KID
That’s a solution!
COACH PARENT
That’s not hurdling, it’s evading. Plus, you mess up someone else’s race.
ATHLETE KID
Does my future not include interacting with other people?
COACH PARENT
Sure, but you’re not exempt from hurdling your own hurdles.
ATHLETE KID
Ok, so using my imagination, the runner in the lane next to me has a private helicopter and airlifts me allll the way over the hurdles.
Athlete Kid jogs around the hurdles, going the full rest of the lap, reaching the start line again:
ATHLETE KID
I win!
COACH PARENT
You’re a baby.
ATHLETE KID
You’re babying me.
COACH PARENT
It’s the truth. You can’t accept what you’re heading into.
ATHLETE KID
And that scares you, so you create some horrible metaphor to clear your own hurdle. It gets me nowhere. You’re tearing my meniscus before the starting gun.
Athlete Kid starts to walk off the track, heading for the sidewalk.
COACH PARENT
The long, stubborn walk home, huh?
Must be hard with a torn knee.
ATHLETE KID
Weird. Suddenly it’s better.
They keep going.