I have spent some considerable time the past few days looking at the Catch It Kansas Web site to see whether Peabody-Burns High School sprinter Lauren Pickens was named state female track athlete of the year. The folks doing the tabulating must be using an abacus to count the votes … and my guess is they don’t know how to use it.

I hate waiting on stuff like this. And I am not even in the running (no pun intended).

Voting ended July 31, so I was hoping we would know something during the weekend. I planned my opinion column around the contest and our local entrant. Sheesh. I should know better than to plan something like that.

The results probably will be tossed out for the world to see just as soon as the Peabody Gazette-Bulletin goes to print Tuesday night. That way every other print, audio, and video outlet in the state will be able to carry it before we do. Story of my life.

Back in the days when I was only a reader of this publication and Bill Krause was the Old Editor I used to wonder if being “scooped” because of the calendar ever made him so mad he could just have spit. I would guess not. He was too much of a gentleman and way too laid back to get riled over a thing like that.

I probably need to take a page from his book because it really does gripe me!

At any rate, this opinion column actually has little to do with whether Lauren wins the title. She was nominated. No one can ever take that from her. She is one of four — FOUR — young women in the entire state to be recognized. How many thousand athletes do you think we have in Kansas? I have no idea, but making the cut for the Catchy awards is surely a big deal.

And it is a nice recognition as well for the Peabody-Burns school district.

So, win or lose, Lauren, we are proud of you. Wherever this takes you, we wish you good luck. You also should know that a great many people in this community think you are a superb young woman whether you run or not. Only time will tell, but therein may lie your greatest achievement.

— Susan Marshall