Dan Middleman (An ode to an athlete in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics)

I have a relative

Dan Middleman by name

Who as a distance runner

Attained considerable fame

When Dan was about seven

He was a member of a soccer team, as I understood quite an ace

Which came to Virginia for a match

And the day before, Dan spent some time at my place

Thinking Dan might be somewhat nervous

About the forthcoming day

I concluded that a distance run

As a calming agent might be the best way

I took Dan to Haines Point

Which when circled was about three miles, perhaps a bit more

I told him if he completed the course

We would then head for the ice cream store 

Dan ran the course

For a seven year old, quite a feat

So we headed for the ice cream store

To complete his treat

Many years later I attended a meet in which Dan was running

In a Penn Relays 10 kilometer race

I stood at the rail and shouted “ ice cream” as Dan went by

In the hope it would inspire a faster pace

I don’t know whether Dan heard me,

Or whether his running was affected in any way

But in my mind it was the most meaningful

Shout of encouragement on that day

Dan became qualified in 1993

As an entrant in the Olympic 10-K race, which he didn’t win

I wasn’t there that day but had I been present

And able to shout “ice cream,” who knows what might have been.

– Chester Salkind, Durango