ABSTRACT
A track and field team is practicing on an overcast day in Northern California. There are about 40 high school athletes and three coaches spread about various parts of the track. Hurdlers are practicing jumping over hurdles on one part of the track, long distance runners are running laps, sprinters are on another part of the track, and the field events athletes (discus, shot-putters, and jumpers) are in the middle. The coaches float to different parts of the field, where young people are working. They watch, critique, give instructions, and offer feedback and encouragement. The athletes and the coaches are all African American. Their practice occurs in what is considered a very tough part of the city, and occasionally one can hear a dog bark or a child cry. Other younger children ride by on bikes or stop to watch the athletes for a moment.
