Ode to Les Duke

Published:
December 15, 2008

Katherine Fairbanks Sargent '91

The 1990 Grinnell College women's cross country team: (back row, l to r) Sandra Robinson '93, Kiki Anderson Chanders '92, Jennifer Veshia '91, Melanie Leavitt '93, Kara Beach King '93, Katherine Fairbanks Sargent '91 (author of the poem), Coach E. Freeman; (front row, l to r); Susie Petheram '91, Christine Thorburn '92, Sarah Feinberg Francois '94, Ayse Mallinder-Ozgun '93, Jessica Henry Spayde '94, and Deanna Sand Middleton '93.

I eat cookies and I run fast
Hamburger Hill is such a blast
Up that hill and over the top
Oh yeah, man, I just can't stop
Through those trees, don't slow down,
Oh my Lord, what is that sound? Cheering fans I believe I see,
At the top of the hill waving at me.

Down that cliff, blip ... blip ... blip
Watch those other runners slip
Ha, ha, ha, I'm almost there
Don't feel bad, I know it's not fair,
That we're so fast and we're so cool
And we're gonna beat every other school.

Don't be surprised when at your back
You hear the swiftly approaching pack
Of runners clad in red and black,
Moving in for the attack.
As we blow by in a cloud of smoke,
We'll egg you on, give you a poke ...
You can do it, tee hee hee,
You just can't finish in front of me.

We wish you luck in this deadly race,
Where Grinnell women set the pace.
We've done repeats, we've done drills,
And for those T-shirts we will kill.

So eat this cookie and think real hard
About sprinting in the last hundred yards.
Chew it slowly, think real mean
Man, we are such speed queens
And tomorrow, don't you sweat,
IT'S GONNA BE YOUR BEST MEET YET!

Katherine Fairbanks Spencer Sargent is living in Des Moines, Iowa, where she works as a divorce attorney and takes care of her four children, stepson Chase (14), Austin (6), Alonzo (4), and Audrey (10 months). She recently remarried and her husband, Mike Sargent, is living in Waterloo, Iowa, while he completes his family practice residency program. Motherhood has taken a toll on her physical fitness routine, but she walks her dogs and works out at the local YMCA. You can reach her at kfairbankspencer@aol.com

 

Originally published as an online web extra for The Grinnell Magazine, Winter 2008

 

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