by Lexy Timms
Tyler was over nineteen so he hadn’t competed at the junior nationals. It wasn’t until the meet in California she had noticed how cute he was. He had the perfect tan, the kind of skin that never faded in the winter. His dark hair was cropped short. It all brought out those eyes. You could notice them from the finish line, a hundred and ten meters away from where he stood before his starting blocks.
They had never spoken to each other. She ran one more race last season and blew everyone away, beating the national champion and world bronze medalist. Her time was a hundredth off the American junior record and the tenth fastest time in the world that summer.
Now she had every school in the country recruiting her, sending brochures, letters and phone calls every night. She had gone on four trips and picked Gatica as her last trip.
“Have you ever seen Tyler race?”
Aileen smiled and leaned forward in her seat. She didn’t mind talking about Tyler Jensen. She just couldn’t refer to him as Tyler… yet. “I watched him this summer at nationals. He just missed out on a medal.”
The driver nodded. “He was probably burnt out. Between football and then winning NCAAs in track, he probably had nothing left in the tank by the end of July.”
“Good point. “ She hadn’t thought about that. She knew he played football because the brochure boasted about some medal or award he had won. She wasn’t a football fanatic. Her cousin said it would all change when she started university and got into college football. She highly doubted it, except if she was here in Gatica, then she would watch every game. It wasn’t going to happen though. She had pretty much told Stanford she would be there in September.
“So you’ve never been to Gatica?”
She shook her head. “I’ve only been to New York once. My parents and I went on holiday to Niagara Falls one time.”
“Niagara Falls is nice. It’s about three hours from here.”
He chatted on about other great places to see in New York and the restaurants she needed to try while in Gatica. Before long he was pulling the van off the highway.
“We’re about ten minutes from the school. I’ll drop you off right in front of Wavertree Fieldhouse. The track offices are to the right of the main entrance on the first floor. You’ll have no problem finding them.”
Butterflies began wiping around in Aileen’s stomach. She pulled her make-up bag out of her backpack and slipped on some lip gloss and then deodorant when the drive wasn’t looking. She hoped her hair looked okay. She had straightened it last night and then stuck it in a ponytail this morning. The pony had come out a few times as she tried to keep it straight and neat. Her blonde hair preferred to have a mind of its own so she usually lived with a pony and hairband to keep the frizzes in check.
Forest trees cut away to houses. Total college town.
“I’ll take you through Campus Corner.”
“Campus Corner?” Aileen tried to remember if she had read about it and couldn’t recall.
“It’s the strip where the college kids hang out. Restaurants, shops, bars, all the things you kids need for a proper college experience.” He chuckled. “If you live on this side of campus, it’s walking distance.”
He turned the van left and then right.
Aileen looked out the window. Little shops and restaurants had the Gatica symbol. An old movie theater had been renovated into a bar named “The Red Coats” and had an army of soldiers painted on the front of the building.
“That’s where all the sport kids hang out.” The driver told her about other places and when he came to a stop sign he pointed to his right. “Here’s the entrance to U of G. It’s the original signed from eighteen seventy-six. They’ve repainted the soldier but the horse and soldier monument where erected when the school opened.”
A larger than life monument stood beside a stone with University of Gatica 1876 engraved in it. The monument was made of brass or copper or something that had turned green over time but the soldier’s coat and hat were painted a bright, poppy red.
Aileen smiled. It was awesome!
The campus was built out of the same stone as the plaque at the front. Maybe limestone or something like that. The buildings each had vintage character to them but with a twist of the twenty-first century. She imagined walking around the campus in fall would be amazing. Even the light layer of snow covering the ground now added to the picturesque seen.
They drove by the outdoor track stadium. Someone had shovelled the two inside lanes and the mondo red track stood out bright against the snow. Behind the track was a building that looked like something that held airplanes. It had to be the indoor track – Wavertree Fieldhouse.
Aileen zipped up her coat and took a deep breath as the van pulled around and stopped in front of the building.
Here we go.
The Recruiting Trip Sample
Chapter 2
A cold wind picked up and whipped Aileen’s pony to the side, slapping it against her cheek. She shut her eyes so the ends of her hair wouldn’t poke her eyes. Blinking, she refocused as she pulled her pony and then threw her hood on to stop it from swinging.
The driver set her suitcase beside her. “Can you sign this so they know I dropped you off in the right spot?” He handed her his clip board and a pen.
The pen didn’t want to write. She shook it and finally got the ink to flow so she could sign her name.
“Have a good trip.” He jumped in his SUV and drove away, leaving Aileen standing in the cold in front of the building.
A girl wearing a bright red coat came out of the building and jogged down the steps. She paused by Aileen as she put her knit cap on.
“Hi.” Aileen stood staring at the girl, the least she could do was say hello.
“Hey.” She smiled. Her dark brown hair disappeared inside her hat. Her smiled reached her pretty brown eyes. “Are you the hurdler?”
“I think so.”
“You here on a recruiting trip?”
“Yup.” Aileen felt silly holding the handle of her suitcase and shaking because of the cold. Ohio was cold, but this was freezing!
“Come on. I’ll take you to Coach Anderson.” She turned and jogged up the large cement steps to the door she had just come out of. She held the door open for Aileen. “I’m Jani, by the way.”
“I’m Aileen.”
“Cool. Where are you from?”
“Bucyrus, Ohio.” She set her suitcase down and pulled the handle out again to drag it by its wheels. “Where are you from?”
“Canada. B.C. West Coast. Mountain country.” She laughed when Aileen nodded, as if it made sense why she didn’t seem to have issue with the cold weather. “I may be from Canada, but it doesn’t get this bloomin’ cold where I live. I had to go and buy another tuque last night. I keep leaving mine at track or where ever and people are nipping them.”
“Tuque?”
Jani pointed to her hat. “Tuque. Canadian hat.” She laughed. She had a contagious kind of laugh that made Aileen smile. “I keep telling Coach he needs to slap a Red Coat on the front and sell them for money for the program.”
“It sounds like a good idea.” Aileen walked beside Jani, noticing how short she was compared to the friendly, chatty girl. “Do you play volleyball?” The girl was tall and Aileen vaguely remembered that the chauffeur had mentioned the volleyball team trained there as well.
“I’m a high jumper.” She elbowed Aileen and leaned in. “Not saying I haven’t chatted up the cute volleyball assistant coach. He’s working on his master’s degree and coaching part time. Super-hot.”
Aileen nodded, not sure how to respond. Maybe a little too much information?
Jani giggled again. “The volleyball offices are just down the hall from the track office. Wavertree is back there.” She pointed behind them. “You go left where we came in. It’ll take you to the indoor track.”
They passed a trophy case with old track and field equipment inside it, along with black and white photos.
Jani t
apped the case. “These things are all over the place. The original ones start here and as you make your way down to the indoor track they move up to present day. It’s kinda neat.” She slowed and opened a door with frosted class.
On the glass was written Athletics T&F. A plaque below the glass showed Coach Anderson as the head coach. The jumps coach, distance coach and whoever else was listed as well, but Aileen didn’t get a chance to read all the names because Jani leaned against the door to let her in.
The scent of new runners waffled through the door. Aileen unzipped her jacket and pulled her hat off. The heat from the office felt ten degrees warmer than it probably was.
A small desk sat directly in front of the door. A petite lady, a few years older than her mom, smiled at the two of them. She pushed her chair back and stood up. “Jani! Did you forget something?”
“I found this poor recruit freezing her butt off outside. Is Coach Anderson still in his office?” Jani winked at Aileen. “This is Marge. She’s the track secretary and totally awesome. She keeps Coach Anderson in line.”
Marge smiled and came around her desk with a file folder. “Aileen Nessa, right?”
She held out her hand, but Marge gave her a hug, surprising Aileen.
“I printed off an itinerary for the weekend.” Marge opened the folder. “Coach Anderson mentioned you would need to train so just look over the schedule and let me know if you need a ride to the track.”
Her face was open, her expression genuine; she seemed really sweet. Aileen looked over the schedule. “Probably tomorrow morning before the track meet. I’m supposed to lift weights. Is there a weight room here at the track?”
Jani shook her head. “We lift at the football stadium. There is a little weight room here but it stinks. Only the distance runners use it so there aren’t any weights heavier than ten pounds.” She nudged Aileen. “Way better view at the football stadium anyway. Most of the varsity athletes lift there.”
Jani sounded like Becky. All about boys. Both of them.
Marge cleared her throat. “Just tell me what time you want to work out and I’ll make sure you have a ride to the weight room. The track meet starts at ten. The Holiday Inn you are staying at includes breakfast. If you don’t mind taking care of your own breakfast tomorrow, Coach Anderson will take you out on Sunday morning so you two can chat.”
“Okay. Sounds good.” Aileen dropped her backpack off her shoulder and stuffed the schedule inside.
Jani grabbed her suitcase and tucked it next to a filing cabinet beside the door. “Let’s go meet the coach.” She grabbed Aileen’s hand and led the way.
There were three offices to the left of Marge’s desk and then a pair of French doors with frosted glass. Jani knocked on one of the doors and poked her head through the small opening. “Coach?”
“Jani!” A husky voice called out.
Jani opened the door all the way. “Aileen’s here.”
The large office was easily the space of the three offices on the other side. A beautiful oak desk sat in the middle of the room surrounded by photos and plaques all over the wall. A large photo of Tyler Jensen hung on one side. It was black and white except for the burgundy red uniform. Aileen glanced at the other pictures and then over to the Coach.
Coach Anderson sat behind the laptop on his desk. He wore a dress shirt, and Aileen guessed there was probably a suit jacket hanging on the back of his chair. He was in his fifties with a dusting of gray hair and bright blue eyes. He smiled when their eyes met, and stood up.
“It’s great to finally meet you, Aileen.” He came around the desk and held out his hand.
She returned the firm handshake.
“Jani, thanks for bringing Aileen in.”
“No problem.” Jani checked her watch. “I’ve got to jet. I’m going to be late for class.” She smiled at Aileen. “I’ll see you at practice later. Coach Anderson asked me to take you out for dinner tomorrow night after the meet. We’ll catch a movie or something after.” She turned slightly so the coach wouldn’t see her wink. “We’ll figure something out. See ya.” She saluted Coach Anderson before leaving.
Coach Anderson chuckled before pointed to a leather chair for Aileen to sit down in. He went back around the desk. “Jani’s a fireball. She’s got lots of spirit. You won’t be bored around her.” His phone began to ring. He checked the caller ID before muting it. “Jani broke the school high jump record as a freshman last year. She qualified for NCAA’s indoor and outdoor last year. Coach Maves is the jumps coach. She thinks Jani will set a new PR at tomorrow’s meet.” He leaned back, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair, and folding his hands together. “I’d like to hear about you. How is school going? Training?”
Aileen was used to this. The past four recruiting trips had all the coaches asking her the same questions. “School’s good.”
“By your GPA, it looks like you aren’t having any problems.” Coach Anderson chuckled. “Do you know what you want to study when you start university?” He scratched his jawline. “Last time we talked you said you weren’t sure.”
“I’m still trying to decide. I like the sciences. Maybe biology or something like that.”
“Gatica has a very strong science department. If you decide to major in biology, or any life science jobs, it opens you up to a lot of possibilities like biotechnology, pharmaceutical, post doctorate. We have a fantastic master’s program here as well. There is also kinesiology. A lot of the athletes at the school get into the kin or physio therapy program. The school just added a new sport therapy program to go with it. The classes filled very quickly.”
“I’ll have to look into the program.” She said politely. They did interest her, more than dissecting frogs and rats for the next four years. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to show any interest in anything particular.
“And how’s training going?”
She didn’t mean to, but a sigh slipped from her lips. “It’s going. My high school coach has me training through indoors to focus junior nationals this summer.”
Coach Anderson nodded. “It’s not a bad idea. I know it’s more fun to compete than it is to train, but it’ll pay off in the long run.”
She nodded, glad he got it. “I like training. It’s fun practicing or doing plyometrics and stuff in the weight room. My coach just has some crazy ideas for combining weight room stuff with plyos. Since I’m from a small town and we only train at the high school, he likes finding things in the school to use for training.” She laughed. “Last week he decided to make an obstacle course inside the school. I mean down the halls. He found this old tire and filled half of it with sand and made me run stairs with it, then drop it and hop over these old chairs he had found in a storage room. I had to hurdle them! It was crazy. They were set so the chair part was facing me and I have to get my lead leg down fast or I’d nail the next chair. It was deadly.” She still had a good bruise on her shin to prove it.
“I think I like your coach.” Coach Anderson smiled. “I like his work ethic. We just happened to have a better choice of training equipment to use. Gatica’s football program had a state of the art weight room and training facility that all the varsity sports use. You’ll see it tomorrow morning.” He pointed to a panoramic picture hanging beside Tyler Jensen’s picture. It showed the indoor track. “We have cold winters. I won’t lie to you about that. However our indoor facility has hosted Indoor Nationals and international meets. It’s one of the best in the country. We do warm weather training over spring break, usually down in Florida, and also head south for a number of our opening outdoor meets of the season. It works well for us.”
She liked the idea of spending a weekend in Florida, especially if the cold weather ran into March or longer. Stanford, on the other hand, was warm all year long.
His phone began vibrating. He checked the call. “Shoot! I have to take this.” He shot her an apologetic smile and then glanced behind her. “Coach Maves!”
Aileen turned in her chair to see th
e jumps coach. Coach Maves looked a few years younger than Coach Anderson. She was about five foot seven, close to the same height as Aileen and had short dirty blonde hair kept in check by a simple headband.
She smiled at Aileen. “Perfect timing. I was about to ask if you were ready for lunch?”
“Sure.” Aileen stood and slipped her backpack over her shoulder. She looked at Coach Anderson who had picked up his phone. He moved it away from his mouth so he could speak to her. “Maves will take you to lunch. I’ll see you again at practice?”
She nodded. It sounded good to her. She followed Maves out of the office and paused by the track office main door. “Should I take my suitcase?”
Maves paused. “I’ll toss it in my office while we are out.” She picked up the suitcase and set it in her office. She grabbed a file off her desk. “You have… a campus tour after lunch. I’ll keep the case in here and you can grab it after the tour. If there’s time between the tour and practice, I can take you to the hotel to check in. Otherwise one of us will drop you off after.” She slipped her coat on and wrapped a scarf around her neck. “You hungry?”
Aileen checked her watch. It was just after one. “Yeah,” she admitted honestly.
“Then how about we hit the Student Union? It’s a short walk and we can cut through the field house.” She led the way out of the office and waited for Aileen in the hall.
Aileen followed her and they headed down the hall where she had come in, and then off to where Jani had pointed to earlier.
“The school mascot is a red coat soldier. The school color was originally a poppy red. Over the years the color has changed to more of a burgundy color. The track uniforms are burgundy red while the football team still uses the poppy red color. We changed ours about two years ago.” She chuckled. “The team kept complaining the poppy red was bleeding into their other clothes. Apparently a lot of the track team doesn’t know how to separate their whites from their darks.”
