Visiting Kaufman athletes help clean up after relays

Members of the Kaufman, Texas, boys' team pick up trash at the end of the Runnin' Rabb Relays on Saturday in Atlanta, Texas. Leaving the hometown's stands clean after a track meet is a team-spirit and character builder for the Kaufman track program under the direction of Jeff Lester.
Members of the Kaufman, Texas, boys' team pick up trash at the end of the Runnin' Rabb Relays on Saturday in Atlanta, Texas. Leaving the hometown's stands clean after a track meet is a team-spirit and character builder for the Kaufman track program under the direction of Jeff Lester.

At the conclusion of the 21st Atlanta Runnin' Rabb Relays track meet Saturday, some of the departing fans stopped and stared. They were seeing an unusual activity in the stands.

Several members from one of the track teams were busy cleaning up the trash.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

They were hopping railings and nimbly bending over to pick up the soda cups, sticky wrappings, uneaten food and boxes. Two held open big, white plastic sacks as trash receptacles.

They were going at it with nearly as much energy and efficiency as they had used in competing in the field events. Not a frown on any face or an unwilling posture in anyone's stance was visible.

"We're doing the home team and school a favor," one of the track boys said.

The youths and coach of the track team were from the Kaufman Independent School District. At the end of the track meet, they were in the middle of the stands picking up trash.

Kaufman is about 150 miles from Atlanta and south of Dallas.

The unusual occurrence is a wider feature of Kaufman athletics, coach Jeff Lester said.

"This actually isn't just us," the track coach said. "All the athletes buy into this program, that no one's too good to pick up trash or do something for someone else."

"At home meets, the JV will take the home side stands, the varsity takes the visitors' side and others take the middle. It's a sea of black uniforms out there. The students just swoop down on the field and in a matter of minutes, there's not a hint of trash."

It's Lester's first year in Kaufman. He also teaches biology and science.

He said everyone got together and talked about starting the pickup program.

"We looked at how people just leave. What would happen, we thought, if we got out there and started picking up? Would others follow?"

The coach said he told the students, "We won't win a medal for this. And we don't want to draw attention to ourselves. But people will forget the medals but maybe not the impact of what we did."

Lester said every pickup effort brings different reactions. 

"At Atlanta, our kids said the Rabbit custodial crew just looked at us in amazement. One of our kids just called out, 'You don't worry about it. We got it this day.'"

The Runnin' Rabb Relays is one of Atlanta's most popular sport activities. Eight school districts brought 200 athletes among them for the events. Every parking spot was taken and the home stands were packed with fans.

The Kaufman Lions were, indeed, kings this day.

No one knew beforehand or expected the favor. But afterward, in just minutes, the Rabbit stadium shone brightly again of chrome and aluminum.

One never knows. The Rabbits may return this favor or do another someday. It will all go to show Rabbits and Lions do get along.

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