Mr. Wilcox gave an interesting talk on Track and Field and the transatlantic competitive history that began before my time. Composed of top-tier universities primarily Ivy Leagues and Oxford and Cambridge, the Transatlantic Series is a American-British meet for Track and Field. I didn’t expect this going into the talk because the title of the actual event was attributed to something an athlete in that meet had once said. But his presentation thematically fit it: “Freedom to Look at Life in a Different Way.” I think it is remarkable that these athletes are able to dedicate at least a week of their time to travel across the ocean (traveling was more impressive in the past when boat was the form of transportation) and engage in a competition with their counterparts. Now while it was a fierce series, both sides of the Atlantic winning over the years with a constant shift in victories, Mr. Wilcox highlighted the more social aspect of the experience. After all, it is not often you get to meet foreigners for a continuous period, work hard and sweat alongside them and eat as well. Mr. Wilcox showed pictures of where the participants stayed during the Series and it was a very impressive vacation home. I think it is great that they are able to represent themselves in a sport they clearly love and also bond with others and get a different perspective on life. From what I can tell, the social aspect grew organically and soon became an integral part of the experience. I think it is something valuable, going back to the title of the talk, to not only do what you are given and instead extend beyond. You don’t need to just go there to compete and leave. Instead make friends, socialize and essentially make bonds that could possibly last for a long time. This philosophy could be applied to other parts of life as well.

It was a good talk because he did a fine job of detailing the history of Track and Field, particularly at a collegiate level, giving context. I was only aware of what events the sport involved but nothing totally in depth. The extra information was certainly helpful and interesting to learn. There also a section about the differing cultures and the cultural shock the athletes have when they come over so that was certainly illuminating. I think it is a good thing that this type of event is promoted and facilitated since it allows for collegiate unity across the ocean. I can tell this would quite the experience to go if one had the chance. I am curious if other sports or activities have similar programs in place. It is of course expensive to implement, and I liked learning about how Mr. Wilcox and his fellow colleagues work together to make this event happen, but if it can happen, I don’t think anybody would reject such an opportunity. What would you be interested in if you could get a transatlantic completion of sorts for it?