Back on Track

By Kyle Jackson and Simon Rumble

Track and field season has arrived, and Mac is ready to report. Between last year’s returning stars and standout newcomer Aleesha Ramos, the Predators are poised for an even better year at the state championships. That is, until practice ends, and meets begin. When the bleachers fill, Aleesha’s sprinting is unremarkable. While the other sprinters warm up, Aleesha looks down. During races, she clips hurdles and loses speed. And afterward, she simply disappears. Mac is determined to find out why. Can Mac find out the cause behind the sprinter's poor performance? Or will the Predators lose their chance at a championship win?

Stewart “Mac” McKenzie is THE sports expert at Coyote Canyon Middle School, and its best sports reporter. While he scores big on the court with his wheelchair basketball team, his love for all sports is equally epic. There isn’t a stat he doesn’t know, a player’s name he doesn’t recognize, a big game he hasn’t seen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: North Star Editions
• Release date: Sep 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781631632259

Kyle Jackson

Kyle has a young daughter named Eve, he is from North West England, he is a software developer by day and avid fantasy enthusiast by night. The author left Staffordshire University with a master's degree in Computer Games Design and what started out as a game idea, evolved into a high fantasy spanning thousands of years, numerous islands and many diverse characters.

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Back on Track © 2019 by North Star Editions, Mendota Heights, MN 55120. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book design by Jake Nordby

Illustrations by Simon Rumble

Published in the United States by Jolly Fish Press, an imprint of North Star Editions, Inc.

First Edition

First Printing, 2018

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (pending)

978-1-63163-224-2 (paperback)

978-1-63163-223-5 (hardcover)

Jolly Fish Press

North Star Editions, Inc.

2297 Waters Drive

Mendota Heights, MN 55120

www.jollyfishpress.com

Printed in the United States of America

The Mac Report

Predator Preview: Track and Field

This week marks the start of tryouts for the Predators’ boys’ and girls’ track teams at Coyote Canyon Middle School. The school’s top runners, jumpers, throwers, and other track athletes finished strong last year, leaving fans of the Predators ready for more. A particular standout was the girls’ team, which took second place in the SoCal Championship Meet last year.

The girl Predators face high expectations this year, but can they win it all? Their success at the local, regional, and national championship meets will depend on the performance of last year’s stars.

Seventh grader Jesse Roberts’ long jump of 15 feet, 4 inches earned her third place at last year’s championship meet. She is now on a quest to cover 16 feet. If she comes close to meeting that goal, she will be first in the long jump not only for the school but possibly in the state. Roberts is also the Predators’ best hope at competing in the triple jump.

Eighth grader Samantha Vent’s strong arm set a school record with a throw of 28 feet, 9 inches in the shot put. That was good enough for an overall second-place finish at the championship meet last year.

Another returning star, eighth grader Bailey Jenkins, finished third in the 400 meters while helping the 4x400-meter relay team take second. Now, with nearly a year of experience behind her, she is likely to beat those results, finishing even stronger at the championship meet.

Also returning to the track is the core of the Predators track team: sprinters Cecilia Cooks and Trish McDaniels, both eighth graders this year. At every meet, Cooks and McDaniels start their events with a strong and fast start. If this year is anything like the last, other teams will need to bring their A game to keep up.

Chapter 1

Stewart Mac McKenzie’s chair creaks as he sits back to review the article he wrote the night before.

Something is missing, he thinks.

Before he posts it to his blog, The Mac Report, he could add videos of Jesse, Samantha, and Bailey competing last year. The athletes that he mentioned in the article so far did well last year. He’s written about them before, and many of his readers are familiar with them. What’s missing is a highlight of some of the team’s rising stars. The athletes who could help the Predators win this year’s championship.

Just then, his mom pokes her head into his room.

Are you ready to go? she asks.

Mac looks at the time on his laptop. School doesn’t start for another couple hours, so if he leaves now, he can get in some shooting practice. With the basketball season over, he will do just about anything to get some time on the court—including waking up at the crack of dawn.

Just a second, he says.

After saving his article, he is out the door.

Mac’s mom drops him off in the school parking lot, which is mostly empty at this time of day.

Remember, I’m covering track tryouts tonight! Mac calls as he steers his wheelchair toward the gym entrance. Somehow, his mom manages to work long hours at the emergency room while, for his sake, catering to Coyote Canyon’s sports schedule. Not to mention, reminding him to eat breakfast. Mac shakes his head thinking of the granola bar that she shoved into his backpack on their way out the door.

Mac’s in the hallway just outside the gym when he hears dribbling coming from the court. He’s not surprised. Diego Lunez is one of Coyote Canyon’s basketball players—

and just as dedicated to early morning practice as Mac. The two often share the court in the morning, with Mac on one end and Diego on the other. But today, when Mac opens the gym doors, the dribbling stops. He hears the squeak of shoes coming from the direction of the locker rooms, and then nothing. The court is empty.

More court for me. Mac shrugs, lines himself up at the basket, and shoots.

Swish.

When Mac reaches the track after school, he is geared up and ready. He has his tablet out for taking notes and videos. He also brought a stopwatch.

Practice has already started. The first thing Mac sees is a group of girls lining up for the 100-meter hurdles. He positions himself in front of the stands to watch their race.

Mac recognizes one of the sprinters. Eighth grader Cecilia Cooks, or CC for short, is one of Coyote Canyon Middle School’s shining track stars. She finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles at last year’s championship meet, and could go all the way this year.

CLICK!

Mac presses his stopwatch as soon as one of the assistant coaches yells, Go!

Six sprinters take off, quickly finding their stride.

Two take the lead. One of them is CC. But Mac’s attention falls on a different runner—a tall, lanky girl who is on CC’s heals.