Ambassador on the oval

Charles Thompson stood about a meter beyond the finish line, his face shaded from the sun by a brimmed hat inscribed with the letters USATF. A stick draped with red and white flags rested in his hands. 

Less than three hours had passed since the National Senior Games track and field competition kicked off at Samford University, and a timing system malfunction already had halted the meet’s progress on this warm June morning. 

Thompson, recognizing the forthcoming delay, left his position on the line to take refuge under a nearby tent. He munched on a sandwich as anxious athletes milled at the opposite end of the oval. All he could do was wait. 

After 31 years of officiating, many of them for USA Track and Field, Thompson has grown accustomed to the ebbs and flows of track and field meets. Timing sensors hiccup. Race starters burn through their ammunition. Participants show up late. 

None of that, however, has kept Thompson from assuming his typical position near the finish line weekend after weekend. The longtime Cahaba Heights resident, who completed more than 50 marathons as an athlete, officiates nearly every indoor and outdoor track and field meet held in the Birmingham metro area.

“You don’t find very many people that are as dedicated to the sport as he is,” said Houston Young, who in May directed his 50th straight Alabama high school state outdoor track and field meet. “I can’t say enough words about how big of an ambassador he is for track and field in Alabama.”

Thompson doesn’t do it for the money, either. Compensation for track and field officials typically consists of meal vouchers and a meager payment that hovers around $50 per day. Shifts, on average, last nine to 12 hours.

So why endure the taxing days?

“You get to see the growth of the athletes,” he said, “and some of them become great.”

While Thompson’s reliable presence at local meets has earned the esteem of officials and meet directors, his distinct swagger has garnered the attention of the state’s athlete community. 

Two practices, in particular, have lifted him to semi-icon status. 

As runners enter the final lap — known commonly as the bell lap — of their races, Thompson, 71, rings a chest-high bell with unparalleled intensity. His arm shakes the instrument, and its high pitch notifies participants that only 400 meters stand between them and the finish line. 

“His emphasis on ringing that bell makes it very fun,” said James Sweeney, a rising senior distance runner at Vestavia Hills High School. “When we go to out-of-town meets when he’s not there, it’s kind of lame.” 

While this first practice appeals to the ears, the second appeals to the eyes. Thompson slips a white foam finger — the same kind donned by fans at pro sporting events — over his hand and points to the race leader when he or she begins to lap the competition. The tactic enables him to track the forerunner, reducing confusion about lap count during the distance events. 

Thompson’s attention to precision can be traced to his professional background. He enlisted in the Marine Corps a couple of years after graduating from Shades Valley High School, and he has worked locally as an attorney since 1985.

Thompson’s start in law nearly coincided with his start in officiating, and his faithfulness to each has seldom wavered. Last summer, he was recognized by the Alabama High School Athletic Association as the state’s official of the year for track and field. 

“I was very surprised because of the competition,” Thompson said. “There were a lot of outstanding officials who were selected.”

He also is a former recipient of a lifetime service award from the Birmingham Track Club, the organization that helped introduce him to officiating. 

Through the decades, Thompson has seen generations of runners, jumpers and throwers pass before his eyes. Some may label his work monotonous. He calls it rewarding. 

“It’s been a great life,” he said.