Jon Rankin:
A Letter to the Goddess of Victory: Falling In-Love
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)
Posted January 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 PM by Jon Rankin
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Jon Rankin
Welcome to the official blog of rising U.S. track & field star
Jon Rankin; the inaugural member of TheFinalSprint.com’s
Elite Athlete Blog Series. Make sure to check back every other Wednesday for Jon’s latest entry.
I assume you heard it at least one hundred times already, so bear with me as I say it to you one more time:
‘Happy New Year!’ to all of you.
In this entry I will be sharing a letter from my newly minted journal. It’s a letter that describes how I feel about the sport that I play (I want to achieve all that I’m capable of achieving) and also, a girl that has helped re-ignite my passion for life—a passion that I thought only existed in dreams before she won my heart.
I write this letter and will write any subsequent letters to a Goddess known as Victory. In these letters I personify the word victory because in sports victory and the idea of victory is talked about so much that it sounds like it’s something tangible, something that can be touched; and sometimes, even someone that is real. Victory is unique because the concept behind victory and what it really is goes beyond finishing first. I’ve gained a greater sense for the broadness of the definition and meaning of the word from a mentor of mine, Mebrahtom (”Meb”) Keflezighi who tells all that he meets: “RUN TO WIN.”
The interesting thing about his mantra is that it sounds like he is saying run to get first place, and that’s all. But what he is really saying is that you must run in such a way that you’re always giving your best. If you can do this then you’re truly “running to win.”
In my heart I believe those who compete give victory its many meanings. And because those of us who compete talk so much about victory, I thought that I would write to her and seek her favor for this coming Olympic year, since it’s She who ultimately controls our fate. Why does She control our fate? She controls our fate in sport because it is She that we’re after. In the end, it’s She from whom we aspire to attain favor when it comes time to test ourselves against our fears and those who too share in similar aspirations of achieving unending glory.
Dear Goddess of Victory,
I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I should start at the beginning since this is the beginning of a new year. Well, as far as your place in the world, you’re highly revered among all of my brethren. We speak of you as if we have known you our entire lives, yet none of us have ever seen your face. We have sensed your presence many times, but only a few have ever really known your grace. For myself, I know not what you look like. Yet, I imagine that you’re beautiful. I imagine that your hair is as yellow as the golden sun and that your eyes see so deeply into a person’s soul that that is how you determine their worthiness. I pray to you that you see such quality in my heart.
Without hesitation I concede that I’m in love with you. Or rather, I’m in love with the idea of you. And although I do admittedly aim to flatter you, I do not write just to praise you. I write to you because I am just a young man who dreams of being something more. I don’t want to be a mere mortal. I’m a young man who aims to be remembered for all that he does; and who seeks to honor all that he says with great action. I know that it’s presumptuous of me to assume that you will favor me for the highest of accolades in sport, but I hope that my bravery in asking you for this honor will earn your respect and admiration.
I also write to sing the praises of a girl who, if I may say, lives a life that would honor your perceived persona. If there was ever a mere mortal who embodied all of the goodness that we believe makes up your character, that mortal is she. I’ve fallen for her as I have fallen for you. And there in lies a conflict. I know that I must be diligent in pursuing my daily tasks if I aim to become a remembered athlete. However, if her love moves me to act in ways that move my legs with greater swiftness after having learned of her existence then she must be a blessing from you. And if her love is not a distraction then it must be for the purpose of helping me to achieve glory in your realm.
All that I understand is that she inspires me in the same way that you do. I aspire to display the joy and love I have for her by competing as well as I ever have. Her love inspires feelings and emotions deep within my soul that were once dormant. I sometimes wonder if her love isn’t comparable to your grace, which is bestowed upon so few of the sporting arena. Sometimes I find myself confused because I have a difficult time telling the difference between who she is and who I perceive you to be …
Sometimes I wonder if maybe she is you or you are she.
The above entry from my journal represents a world that I’ve created for myself as a person in pursuit of the Olympic dream. I wrote this letter as if I were a child seeking the approval of an elder. We all seek grace in whatever line of work we pursue. Victory and the celebration of our triumph is something can be appreciated when one dedicates himself to the pursuit of a dream. As an athlete I’ve grown to see victory as more than a word and more than a concept. I view the word victory and the concepts associated with it as something that is real. If I had an address I would send the above letter to wherever the Goddess of Victory lived.
My life as a professional athlete is one where I must often separate my self from the reality of the world in order to be successful on the field. Among my friends and family this is what is referred to as sacrifice. This sacrifice includes years of strict dieting, strict sleeping schedules, strict training regiments, very little extracurricular activity and the ability to constantly believe in the intangible (i.e. dreams).
The sad reality is that most won’t achieve all that they set out to achieve in their lives. So the question must be asked, why pursue something as intangible as a dream and as victory if it may never come to fruition? The only answer I have is love. If you really love something, nothing else matters. If you really love something, you will act for the sake of your love for it. Your fear of failure, your lack of success or your abundance of achievement, the prizes you win or never won, none of it really matters if you truly love what you do. When I think about my love for running, my dreams and my girlfriend I reflect on the following lines from the book of Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 13: 1-8
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
May we all focus on our love for each other and for our dreams in this new year. May this year be filled with love both in our lives and in our world.
- Jon
To comment on this entry please click here and to send questions to Jon, please fill out the form below:
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: corinthians, dream, elite athlete, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, elite runner, failure, girlfriend, goddess of victory, happy new year, heart, jon rankin, journal, journal entry, letter, love, love never fails, mantra, Meb Keflezighi, Mebrahtom Keflezighi, montra, new year, olympic dream, olympic hopeful, passion, professional athlete, professional running blog, run to win, runner, sacrifice, success, tfs elite athlete blog series, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field, victory
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
WordPress database error: [Can't open file: 'wp_comments.MYI' (errno: 144)]
SELECT * FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '5810' AND comment_approved = '1' ORDER BY comment_date
The Final Sprint