Is today really May 30? Mother Nature sure fooled me. If I didn’t look at a calendar and had just emerged from a Rip Van Winkle-type sleep, I could have sworn today is September 30. 

That’s right, it’s a little chilly this morning in Wichita, with a biting wind out of the north. It’s so strong officials at Wichita State have opted to run the long jump and triple jump in the reverse direction from yesterday. Usually, it goes from south to north (right to left as viewed from the press box and west stands), but today, it’s going the other way. The last time I can recall these events at state being run from north to south was 2011. That year was also cooler than usual. 

Not that I’m going to complain. I prerfer cooler weather. Some say it’s easier to go out in hot weather, but I say no way. You are going to sweat buckshot in hot weather, no matter how few clothes you wear. In the cold–as long as it is not below zero degrees Celsius and the wind is not too strong–you can bundle up. You just have to be careful to protect your extremities. 

I really must have been wiped out last night. I didn’t get into the shower until 1:40 a.m. I probably should have done it when I got back to the room, but I was hungry. And then after watching the Shark Tank rerun on ABC, I probably fell asleep only 30-40 minutes later. By time I woke up again, the TV had shut off automatically, an unusual quirk of the TVs in the Wichita Marriott. It’s the only hotel I know where the TVs are automatically programmed to shut off after a certain period–90 minutes I believe–of no activity (changing channels or volume counts). 

I was worried to death I had left the memory card reader for my pictures back in Russell. I tried connecting my camera to the computer via USB, but each time, it malfunctioned. I was in a bind. I figured either I would have to go back to Russell on Sunday, or I would have to buy a card reader somewhere in Wichita. 

Just before 8, I dug into my computer backpack, and there was the card reader. It had fallen into a small compartment. Problem solved.  

First event for me is at 8 a.m. Assignment: Mindy Gower of Phillipsburg in the 3A girls javelin. Mallory McQueen of Plalinville in the triple jump and the Meitler brothers, L.T. and Kaden, of Smith Center in the pole vault are also on the agenda. 

My tenth season of covering high school sports in Kansas ends when the meet ends this evening. Has it really been that long?