CreditNathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
Dale Peterman watched and waited. It was all he could do.
His daughter, Sam Peterman, a sophomore at Sweet Home High School near Buffalo, was 100 meters away from finishing the 1,500-meter race in the New York high school state championships at the University at Albany on Saturday. Dale Peterman stood at the finish line.
As Sam sprinted down the last straightaway, she was losing her balance — arms flailing, head cocked back, mouth agape. Her father positioned himself inches behind the line. He knew what was coming.