Track and Field

For Them

N Our Voice by Darby Thomas

Scott Bruhn

I’ve always been fast. 

Going back to my childhood in Council Bluffs, Iowa, speed was by far my most valuable skill in whatever sport I competed in.

Soccer was actually my first love, which I ended up playing for 15 years. My teammates nicknamed me “Speed” whenever I was running around on the field.

When I transitioned to track and field and started to run competitively, that’s where I felt like I belonged and could excel. 

Going fast and being fast is always something that came naturally to me, and it became a part of my identity in a sense.

Unfortunately, I had to grow up fast as well when I was faced with two tragedies that deeply impacted the innocence of my adolescence. 

As a teenager, this forced me to look at the world in a completely different way. 

At a young age, I learned quickly how fragile life is, and it’s shaped me into the person I am today.

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Just me and the track

 

Besides my speed, what always drew me to track was the individual aspect of the sport. Obviously, there’s still a team aspect with track, but it’s very much an individual sport.

I have complete control over whether I’m going to win or lose a race or event, and I love being in that environment.

That’s why when I signed with the University of Nebraska, it was such a thrill for me because I had the opportunity to compete at the highest stage in the Power Five of the Big 10 Conference.

It was an honor.

And a blessing of a lifetime.

Losing my number one fan

 

My dad was always my biggest fan. 

He’s the reason I got into sports, as he played football and ran track in college.

I certainly got my athleticism from him, and our love for sports was a bond we shared.

He was always at all of my soccer games and track meets cheering passionately, as well as filming on his iPad narrating along – being corny like most dads.

Dad ended up passing away in October of my freshman year of high school. It wasn’t a complete shock, as he battled a number of different illnesses dating back to his time in the Marines.

My parents divorced when I was four years old, so I was a mature kid and used to facing some adversity and challenges, but losing my dad took its toll on me.

Knowing I’d just lost my biggest supporter.

There was a moment I’ll never forget about a couple weeks after he passed. I was still playing soccer at the time and it was my first outdoor game.

I scored a hat trick, and I could almost picture him in the stands jumping up and down cheering, embarrassing me to no end.

While he wasn’t there to see it, I could feel his presence with me. 

For the first time since he died, I thought everything was going to be okay, and for a brief period it was.

But it didn’t last long.

Another life-changing loss

 

When I first met Merzedes – everyone called her Mer – we were both on the high school track team, and I was a freshman, and she was a senior. I was in complete awe of her.

She was confident.

She dominated her events.

Everyone loved being around her.

Mer saw the potential in me right away. She took me under her wing and always pushed me to have more confidence and believe in myself more.

She graduated after my freshman season and committed to run track for UNO (University of Nebraska Omaha). We could still see each other anytime we wanted, as Omaha and Council Bluffs are essentially right next to each other.

So, we were still super close and nothing really changed besides the fact that we weren’t on the same team anymore.

That is, until everything changed forever.

It was January of my junior year of high school, and I was just scrolling mindlessly on Twitter until I saw something that made my heart sink.

It was from a former parent of one of my teammates, and the tweet said, “RIP Mer.”

As I investigated further, I was stunned to find out that it was actually true. Fifteen months after losing my dad, I had now lost one of my closest friends.

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Always in my heart 

 

What continued to drive me throughout my high school seasons, and my time at Nebraska now, is no one believed in my ability more than my dad and Mer.

They saw the gift I had in the long jump pit and on the track before anyone else – even myself. 

So, for every practice, workout, and meet, it’s all for them. 

They keep me going.

Not long after Mer passed away, one of my friends had the idea of making tie-dye wristbands that say “Charged Up” on them. That was what Mer and I would say before a big meet or workout to get us motivated and fired up.

Wearing that bracelet on my wrist is just another reminder of always keeping her in my heart and to remind myself – especially at my lowest moments – to keep pushing forward and making her proud.

I also have something else to remember Mer by.

At her visitation, her dad was kind enough to give me her college spikes from UNO.

Receiving those spikes from Mer’s dad, which was such an emotional and thoughtful gesture, is something I’ll cherish forever.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the same foot size, so I can’t wear them, but they have a very special place in my apartment.

It’s just another memory I have of Mer that inspires me to never give up on myself, because she believed in me more than anybody.

And when I look at that bracelet, the spikes, and all the memories of Mer that fill my heart, I believe in myself just as much as she did.

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Teaching life lessons

 

When I graduate, I have aspirations to be a teacher and make a difference in as many lives as I can.

Going back to my childhood, especially with my parents divorcing, school was always a safe haven for me. It was a place where I could learn, see my friends every day, and be supported by my teachers who were always there to listen.

I want to pay it forward by being that support system for my students. 

If there are situations they don’t understand and want to talk through, it’d be a privilege for me to simply listen and offer any kind of encouragement.

The one positive thing about experiencing so much grief and tragedy is I can use what I learned from those experiences to help others.

That’s exactly what I intend to do in the classroom one day.

I want to be there for my students, just like I had two special people who were always there for me.

And they always will be.