Larry Hansen

Singles Ward Meat Market

You know you wasted four years of school when a few weeks before graduation you see the lists of scholarships and Sterling Scholars posted on the wall and you say to yourself "What the heck? I'm smarter than that guy, I'm smarter than that girl. Why isn't my name up here?". Being a legend in your own mind is not what it's cracked up to be. Those kids on those lists applied themselves--I didn't. I was content to get a few A's. mostly B's or B+, a smattering of C's, and yes...those two D's in Algebra. Yikes! Who would have ever thought a dope like me would end up with a Master's Degree in Accounting.

Interesting 2021 update (interesting to me that is). The old axiom "The older I get, the better I was" has literally been proven true in my life. The pinnacle of my hurdling "career" occurred when I won a 4th Place medal at the BYU Invitational. Coach Hatch told me at the time he clocked my time at 15.3 seconds. But he was seated in the west-side stands, clear across the stadium, so I questioned how accurate his time was. I distinctly recall my excitement finishing near the winners (less than 2 yards back) and remember calling out "What was the time?" I clearly remember an official calling out from the stands "14.8 seconds". I assumed he was referring to the winner's time. Fast forward 50 years, and I find the newspaper clipping from the BYU invitational and see the High Hurdles winning time was 14.5 seconds. Then it dawned on me the 14.8 seconds I heard was MY time. So the older I get the better I was.

Now if only I hadn't pulled a groin muscle after winning my qualifying heat at Region, I would have qualified to go to state, where most certainly I would have beaten Bob Gillespie and Marshall Brown with a time of 14.1 (Bob won with a time of 14.2). Then of course, I would have gone to the Olympics and beaten Willie Davenport for the gold medal with a time of 13.5 seconds. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. (I can dream, can't I?)

You know the old saying "The older I get, the better I was...". Funny how that works. At the 40-year reunion several classmates commented on how good a hurdler I was. It made me think "Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda". Several guys said I could have gone to the Olympics, but just saying it doesn't make it happen. I regret not applying myself more to staying in shape or getting back into shape after my mission. Now I'll always wonder "...what if I...".

It's funny how we thought certain things were so important to us when we were 17. Now they don't add up to a hill of beans. While I regretted not doing more with hurdling I realized at the same time there are more important things in life than holding the school record for a couple of years. I am grateful I married up to a good woman who truly has been my helpmeet. Being a caring, honest and open person is much more valuable than track medals and trophies. Now if I only could shake off my excessive materialism and put hot cars, guns and watches on the back burners of life.

Fresno & San Jose, CA

Live long enough to buy a decent bucket

All of us were just ordinary middle-class kids. I don't know that we had any princes or princesses among us.

Don't take life too seriously