Running Brave Reflection Part 2

Coach told Billy that the latter could out-run every competitor if he decided to live to his potential. Billy was a disciplined man, in a letter he wrote to his sister how he studied all night and read the same lectures several times until he had a meaningful understanding of the material discussed in class. He had pertinacity. He even verbalized to the coach how he dreamed of participating in the Olympics and winning the event, he knew what he wanted.

Continuous triumph bestowed upon young Billy: He won the MVP in a running tournament he participated, inducing him to feel as good as ever. He got engaged with Pat, his white heritage future wife he met at KU. He was offered a job at mutual. starting off as soon as he graduated. He started winning every single race he ran in. Everybody seemed to believe in him, even his coach told him how Kansas University had never won an NCAA championship and that Billy Could change that for them.

But eventually not everything developed perfectly in this young man’s life. After being invited to the fraternity party and presenting himself there, a member of the fraternity told him how the affiliation didn’t allow Indians in their club. His girlfriend’s parents demonstrated prejudice against Billy’s heritance. And the events that struck him the most were: when Eddie convinced Frank to believe that Indian’s didn’t belong in a White men’s World, thus leaving Pat’s parents house and abandoning Billy's company after being 10 minutes in the house. And lastly, when he walked into Frank's room to only find him laying in his bed with a bullet through his head and a gun in his right hand.

Obviously his family situation inflicted him the most. Around this time he began to loose focus, he began to loose races, and his inter relationships with his former track coach, his girlfriend and his potential future boss and co-worker began to decline. Inherently he began to doubt himself, and his temporary failure to formulate a strong intra relationship led him to screw his outer actions and outer relationships with the world.

We haven’t finished seeing the movie in class, but word has it he won the Olympics just as he stated in the coach’s office. He lived his words: <<You’ll be amazed at the marvelous results you’ll achieve if you add a lot of hard work to a bit of talent>>; something like that Billy stated in the movie, and frankly, that’s a life lessons we should all be inspired to act upon.  

Running Brave Reflection

Billy has talent. But was he born a natural elite runner? I choose to believe that he was a disciplined, well able, conscious, intelligent young fellow with strong convictions. Undoubtedly, his winning attitude is the most attributing factor throughout his development as an athlete and as an individual.

Since Billy was a little boy he grew up in a stimulating environment, he knew early on life’s not always fair, he knew he had to work his butt off if he wanted to become the magnificent prodigious man he strived to become. Reality struck him hard through his father’s death; through the discrimination he received by his track coach (Bill) when he said Indians were talented but not disciplined. Billy even received harassment by Dennis Riley (his future roommate) the first day of college in the showers room.

External situations spontaneously stumbled upon his path, but he had the choice to reflect upon those situations and act with respect and intelligence, towards himself and towards others. He decided that he was not going to be a victim; his internal relationships were so well structured he even inverted his external situations from adversity to opportunities. He became so internally strong in his beliefs that he was decided to assist high school every school day even though he had to run a few miles to get there.

Billy became an equilibrated, emotionally well-stabilized individual, thus he reached a high level of morality and sportsmanship. He refused to ridicule his opponents in practices and in official races. He stood up for his beliefs even though there were outside forces stimulating him to act erratically; he stood firm and never disrespected anyone in any way. He most certainly made his family proud, and carried their teaching in his mind and heart; like Billy stated in the movie: <<Frankie taught me how to use the legs, dad taught me how to use the heart.>> And evidently he was a Champion using both.