Maddie Dickinson remembers a fair amount of what happened leading up to her medical emergency last May.
“Me and my team were getting ready for the relay,” Dickinson said. “When I got to my zone, I just felt so hot and dizzy … I just felt tingly, then like 10 meters before the finish line I couldn’t see anything.”
That’s where her memory fades. She later learned what many saw play out in real time on the Zaepfel Stadium track.
The then-freshman collapsed at the finish line after finishing the final leg of the 4x100 preliminary heat, and local medical personnel administered life-saving treatment on site before she was sent to a local hospital.
With the help of medical personnel and doctors, Dickinson was able to make a recovery, and last week, she was able to compete in the state meet on the same track where the emergency took place.
She ran in the 100, 200 and the 4x100 preliminaries, again anchoring the Tiger quartet.
“It was special,” Dickinson said. “It’s really cool … It was different, but it was still fun.”
Napavine coach Gary Reboin wasn’t there last May, but he knew to keep a close eye on Dickinson throughout the year.
“It was always in the back of my mind,” Reboin said. “After every event, I was always at the finish line to double check on her, to make sure she was okay.”
For the most part, Reboin and Dickinson said it was smooth sailing throughout the season, outside of a couple of times where they held her back out of caution. That doesn’t mean there weren't any worries, however.
“There’s doubts,” Dickinson admitted. “I’m scared every time I run.”
Reboin said that he could tell there were some nerves leading up to the state meet, but added that there was a collective sigh of relief at the conclusion of her races.
“You could see it on her face,” Reboin said. “It was very relaxing after her last event.”
Reboin knew that Dickinson had it in her to get back. He commended her work ethic, on and off the track, noting that she was a part of the girls team that earned an academic state championship.
And Dickinson herself knew that despite everything that happened last year and the doubts throughout this year, she'd do as much as she could to get back.
“I really like running,” Dickinson said. “I knew I was gonna do it from the start.”
