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DyeStat Features
Renee Gunning -
a series on the development of a distance star
Part 1
Gunning for Excellence -
the pursuit of dreams
by Don Rich, publisher of DyeStatPA
Renee Gunning showed potential as a national caliber distance runner from her very first XC dual meet in 1996. Along the way to a spectacular senior year, she experienced the ups and downs that every runner shares. And, as is usually the case for those who work hard and persevere, she experienced a new level of athletic success. Gunning for Excellence is a multi-part series on her career, her transition to college, and her dreams.
Renee Gunning, formerly of Pennridge HS, is in love with her chosen sport more than most. Want proof? She not only watched the entire US Olympic Trials, she taped them. "So I can watch the races again and again."
Renee isn't just a super fan. She's an elite runner who has added to her distance repertoire every year of high school, landing a spot and a scholarship from one of the most storied programs in US T&F history, Villanova. More importantly, a program that has remained strong, and seems to be getting stronger.
With this story, DyestatPA is undertaking a first for us. A series on a single T&F athlete. From her high school career, which included some incredible highlights and some temporarily devastating disappointments� to her first year at a top Division I program, we'll take a look at the ongoing development of one of Pennsylvania's most talented, most delightful athletes.
In between, we'll experience the challenging, and "very interesting" recruiting process for such a highly sought-after runner. We'll visit her early transition from high school elite to Division I competitor.
Through this, Renee and DyestatPA hope to help other Pennsylvania athletes, male and female, realize that their experiences, good and bad, are similar to those of every other athlete who is striving for excellence.
The first six stories will be published in August 2000. Later pieces will be published at least bi-weekly during Renee's first cross country season at Villanova. A season, we're sure, where she will continue to improve and excel.
But first, to get a little insight on the person, Renee has granted permission for us to publish the essay she authored as her entry in the first DyestatPA Scholarship Essay Contest. And while it is one of the few contests she has not won, it does provide evidence of her core philosophy that you can never win a race you don't run.
Everyday Choices, An essay by Renee Gunning, May 14, 2000 Written for the DyeStatPA Scholarship Contest
Cross-Country and Track & Field are an important part of my life. I have learned so much from these two sports, which has made me a stronger person and runner. Every race I run is a new lesson, and although I have learned a lot, there is much more learning to be done as my running career continues. There is one lesson that I learned which made a major impact in my life.
I have learned that choices I make effect my everyday life. It is not just one choice that affects me but every single decision I make.
There is one choice that really sticks out in my mind. It is a choice I made after a huge disappointment. I believe the decisions you make after disappointments are what make you a stronger person. This disappointment came with the thing I love doing most, running.
Running and competing are a huge part of my life. I began in seventh grade and from my very first race, I knew it was the sport for me. The feeling I get after a race is worth everything to me. The thought that I just ran a one, two, or three-mile race is an unbelievable feeling. I came into high school and was a standout in my freshman year. I was not good enough to win a cross-country state championship being that young, but as my experience grew, I became a better and stronger runner. When I was in ninth grade, I remember saying at least one hundred times, "I am going to be the Pennsylvania Cross-Country State Champion."
My senior year came, and I had an unbelievable season. Undefeated in dual meets and invitationals, league champion, Pennsylvania district one champion, and the big favorite for the state championship meet. I did everything right all season with my training, eating, and hydration.
Race day came and I felt horrible. When the gun went off, I knew it would not be my day. I tried as hard as I could to keep running, but ended up falling several times and getting sick at the two-mile mark. I did not finish the race.
The favorite, holding the course record by about 15 seconds, was no longer in the race. I kept asking God why this had to happen to me, the girl who wanted the state championship so bad. Was it to make me stronger in the long run? I was devastated and cried for days. I even thought about quitting.
With support from my coach, my family, and my teammates, I decided I had to put this race behind me and move on. Real champions always look ahead for the next competition and that is what I am to myself, a champion. I could have thrown in the towel and mentally given up on my running career, but I came back strong in the next race and proved that one race does not make a great runner. I learned that hard work is noticed and sometimes rewarded. I was named Pennsylvania Cross-Country Runner of the Year and I earned a scholarship to a school that I have dreamed of going to for years. I also came back this past winter and won the mile at the 2000 PA Indoor State Championships.
Now I believe that God does things for a reason. It may not always seem fair, but later in life this experience will make me a stronger runner and a stronger person. Everyday choices matter, but those choices we make after big disappointments are the ones that most likely will determine our futures.
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