Inspired cane fan

Except for the Yankees, who are from which I hail, when it comes to professional sports, I root for the Dolphins & Heat in particular & join the bandwagon for the Marlins (#2) & the Panthers. In terms of college athletics, I go for the Hurricanes, especially the football team. However, the title is a bit deceiving because I wasn't referring to the college teams.

The title is in reference to my dad, Jasper Sr. Because of him, I was inspired to run over fifteen years ago. He & my mom decided they were going to run the now defunct Metro-Dade Marathon about 3 or 4 months prior to the event. They did not go the gym like I did religiously back then. Naturally, I laughed at the notion & went about my merry way, exercising my legs with equipment rather than by training. At the conclusion of the marathon, my parents showed me their medals & even a gigantic poster of themselves crossing the finish line. This was the catalyst for my inspiration to run.

Now encouraged with the idea of doing something I hated since I was a child- running- I begged my dad to get me into a race. Before agreeing, I was required to train with him. I assumed that my youth & dedication to the gym would make this an easy task; boy, was I wrong! I tired quickly, perhaps within 200 meters & struggled to keep up with my dad, who is about 23 years older. After consistent & persistent training, this would later change.

My first race, also no longer held, was the Doral fore miler. I again made a rookie mistake & thought my youth, gym & now some training was enough to blow by all women and any guy that was older than me; not! Although I got past my dad, we both were decimated by the world renowned Silvia Weiner, holocaust survivor & consistent age group winner, recently featured in a Miami Herald newspaper article. Since then, I learned that age is just a number. One must never overlook a person's training nor race conditions & your interaction with them.

My dad still runs at 63, 15 years after his first race, which happens to be the ultimate- a marathon. He is well known for using canes to assist him with the heavy rigors of that distance. Many may criticize, but few can or have accomplished what he has done. This running season (Sept 2005 through August 2006), he has already completed six marathons, two of which were part of a challenge (Disney's goofy & Gasparilla's P.T. cruiser) and three halves.

So, being a fan of my dad, that makes me.... an inspired cane fan!