Victory

Pat Donnelly
 

    She is gorgeous, isn’t she? Her alluring smile went perfectly with her playful and self-confident swagger; almost as if she was completely aware of just how coveted she really was. Boys would stop tying their shoes mid-double-knot just to catch a glimpse of her walk by. She would toss them a smile without breaking stride and then continue on her way, leaving them with the hope that maybe they would leave with her today.

    Victory, you thought you heard someone say her name was. Lately you’ve been finding it hard not to be one of those sappy, love-struck boys who had fallen head-over-heels for her. Your friends have noticed it too. “Where were you last night?” they would ask, referring to the party last Friday night that you had skipped to catch up on sleep for Saturday’s race. You would shrug and they would walk away, confused as to where their old friend had gone and who this new boy was. But how could they understand? Victory just seemed more important than partying with that same group of aimless friends.

    You hadn’t always been this way. Not too long ago you would have gone to that party and not cared about your race the next day. Your friends were shallow and the girls you went out with were not much better. Take the girl you had dated during cross country season last fall, 12th Place. She was cute and fun to hang out with but you never felt like she cared about much of anything. And the more that you hung out with her, the more you became the same way. After things cooled off with her you went out with 7th Place later that spring. You had taken her to a carnival at the University of Pennsylvania and a festival at West Chester Henderson, but neither of you really enjoyed each other’s company. She was just a girl with mediocre aspirations and you were a boy with hopes of one day accomplishing great things. Your coach even pulled you aside after one meet and told you to your face that you could to do better than the girls you had been seeing. While it was noticeably uncomfortable to receive advice about girls on such a personal level from your coach, you had to admit that he was right.

    Now it’s one thing to want to be with Victory, but it’s a totally different thing to call her your own. She is a girl with the highest standards. And why shouldn’t she be? After all, thousands of boys across the state fall asleep at night, dreaming that she will be theirs. They wake up the next morning, go to class, and stare out the window, imagining how they are going to win her over while their frantic teacher scribbles notes on the chalkboard that are sure to be on the midterm exam. Newspaper columns gossip about who she was with the past weekend and running forums ponder who she will be with next weekend. The attention around Victory is like the whirlwind of activity and noise that circles the perfect and calm center of a hurricane. Everyone in the running community wants to be with her. In fact, last November you saw her turn down over 500 teenage boys in Hershey, Pennsylvania, only to leave with one runner from Boyertown.

    But don’t get too down on yourself. Victory is not out of your league. There are a few simple things that you can do to grab her attention. For one, Victory loves a guy who works hard and is determined to become the best runner that he can be. You have to make running a top priority in your life. This mental toughness and belief in yourself must be complimented by a physically fit body. As shallow as it sounds, nothing catches Victory’s eye like a toned body fresh from the gym. Set aside time each day to hit the gym and she will be that much closer to being yours. Victory also notices how confident of a guy you are. She can sense a timid boy with little conviction right away and dismisses him quicker than you can ask for her number. What Victory really loves is a guy who is confident that he can walk away with her. Even if you see her with someone else that day, know that she could still be yours. Victory never lasts very long with one guy.   

    “Will she be there today?” you ask yourself as you rest your head against the frosted window of the team’s jostling school bus, on your way to the big invitational that weekend. The loud chatter that fills the bus is suddenly muffled as your eyes glaze over and your thoughts drift to Victory. Of course she will be there. She always is. You can already picture her, standing gracefully by the awards table, carefully studying each runner as he strides by and trying to decide which one is worthy of having her. Every one of those young men will be giving their all to catch her attention, and you know it. However, not even that daunting fact can keep a smile from spreading across your face. You know that you have done the work and changed your lifestyle. You know that Victory is within your reach. After all, it’s a new season, isn’t it? With the right determination, anything and everything is possible.