Armon’s race enters realm of local legend

One of the refreshing things about covering prep sports in this region is seeing school district superintendents take a personal interest in their student/athletes and attend their athletic events.

Superintendents Chuck Kinsey of Lakeland, Jerry Keane of Post Falls and Harry Amend of Coeur d’Alene can be frequently seen watching their students compete in the athletic arena. To their credit, they don’t just isolate themselves from the public in their ivory towers.

So there was Amend last Saturday wiping tears from his eyes after Coeur d’Alene junior Michael Armon sprinted away from the field in his comeback from major knee surgery.

Amend had come to the Lake City Invite solely to watch Armon’s season debut. Amend had taken a personal interest in Armon, frequently calling him to get an update on his progress.

The overwhelmed Amend summed up Armon’s performance by touching his heart.

“That was all heart,” Amend said.

I saw several coaches from opposing schools dabbing tears, as I did. I’ve been around these parts 22 years in August and I’ve never experienced anything remotely close to what Armon did Saturday.

It’s the most impressive feat Amend has witnessed in his many years as a teacher, coach and administrator. That carries much credibility.

I overhead a coach near the finish line say, “That shows you how much running is mental.”

I watched as Armon accepted congratulatory hugs and high-fives for more than 35 minutes after his race.

Years from now, after Armon has had a highly successful collegiate career and perhaps given the Olympics a run, I want to write his book. The market is flooded with all sorts of motivational literature, but Armon’s comeback story, as my former pastor frequently would tell me, could preach on its own.

“Coach, I’ve got a sore knee. I don’t know if I can play today.” Remember Michael Armon?

“Coach, I’ve got some butterflies in my stomach.” Remember Michael Armon?

As much as I wanted to collect Armon’s thoughts afterward, I knocked fists with him and said I’d call him later.

So we caught up Wednesday morning just before school.

Normally stoic when he crosses the finish line, Armon let his emotions go Saturday. And rightly so.

“I definitely haven’t been one to celebrate, but I had a lot of emotion built up,” Armon said. “I was pretty amped.”

So, Michael, be honest here. Did you really expect to run a pace just a little more than a second off your winning time in the 1,600 meters at state last year – which was the last race you ran before you shredded your knee?

“Not really,” he said. “I thought I had it in me, but I didn’t expect to win. I just wanted to finish and not get hurt.”

So how did Armon feel the morning after? Well enough to play his first round of golf in a year.

He went with a couple of friends to the Coeur d’Alene Golf Club and broke 100.

“It was relaxing,” Armon said. “When I’m playing regularly I shoot about 92. I shot 97. I was happy.”

Memo to CdA boys golf coach Bryan Duncan: If you need another stick you might want to consider Armon.

Next up for Armon are the Inland Empire League championships Friday, back at LC. He’s going to push himself by doing the 3,200. If all goes well, he’ll double up the following week and do both distances at the District I All-Star meet at Post Falls.

He watched his comeback on video.

Any final thoughts?

“I’m pretty stoked,” he said. “I really don’t know how to put it in words, really.”

That aptly sums it up.