The Shoes, the Shoes: DELTA Brings Home the Shoes

What is it about shoes that drives people to obsession?  Imelda Marcos’ obsession with shoes (reportedly 2,700 pairs) certainly contributed to the downfall to her and ole’ Ferdinand.  Obsession with shoes also didn’t work out too well with the Wicked Witch of the West, whose legions of flying monkeys were deployed with the singular purpose of retrieving the powerful ruby slippers which she so desperately craved.  (At least Wicked has a happier ending for the WWotW.)

Whatever the source of the mysterious force of the universe that drives the obsession with shoes, it descended upon DELTA like an addiction from which there was no escape.   Since first winning the shoes–affixed to the winner’s trophy–in the 2008 NC State Fun Run and Fitness Walk, the obsession has grown and tightened its grip on our collective psyche to the point that it causes behavior that an outside observer might consider odd, embarrassing, or even frightening.

The 2010 Fun Walk was my first personal experience with this event.  DELTA first competed in the Fun Walk in 2008, when the judges deemed “those crazy DELTA people” (whom we lovingly refer to as the “DELTOIDS”) to have displayed the most team spirit during the four-lap run/walk around the track.   Unfortunately, I was in California for the Entrepreneurship Initiative’s annual Silicon Valley Spring Break field trip and could not participate.  Almost immediately after the DELTOIDS won the coveted Red Sneakers, the excited calls and emails reached me in Palo Alto.  “We won the sneakers!  You’ve got to see them!”  When I returned the following Monday, there were the Red Sneakers prominently displayed in the DELTA office on Centennial Campus.  Bright red with crisp white strings, what a sight to behold!  For an entire year those gorgeous Sneakers greeted visitors to our office, a proud and magnificent reminder of our successful quest.

The 2009 Fun Walk also fell during spring break, so once again I was in Silicon Valley and unable to participate.  I was confident that we would win again, though, because our team, under the powerful and unexplained influence of the sneakers, had vamped up the costumes in anticipation of even more competition than the prior year.  But no call came.  Had I miscalculated the time shift between east coast and west coast, or had something gone very, very wrong?  As soon as I spoke with Barbara, I knew that my worst nightmare had come true – we lost the shoes to BTEC.  The year that followed was kind of like Star Wars after The Empire Strikes Back.  A feeling of hopelessness and withdrawal had engulfed the DELTOID team.  The precious Red Sneakers were no longer ours.  Would we ever see them again?

Was it karma, or just a stroke of luck that the 2010 Fun Walk took place on April Fool’s Day, two weeks after spring break?  A week ahead of time, I was pulled behind closed doors and the Top Secret Plan to retake our magnificent Red Sneakers was revealed to me.  It was an elaborate and masterful plan with a cast of characters including Little Miss Undecided, her Grandma, and the Wolf.  The story went like this:  Little Miss Undecided was having difficulty choosing a university to attend for her college education.  For each lap around the track, Grandma had a different suggestion.  The Wolf reacted strongly to Grandma’s initial suggestions of Duke, Carolina, etc.  Finally, on the last lap, Grandma sees the light and suggests that Little Miss Undecided choose NC State.  The Wolf is quite happy with that recommendation and Little Miss Undecided finally decides; dancing and merry-making ensues and all live Happily Ever After.

“OK, it sounds like a great plan,” I said.  “Who is Little Miss Undecided?”

“You are.”

“Oh.”

“Tom, you have to do it.  We’ve got to get those Sneakers back.  Your costume is already made.”

It didn’t take long to realize that there was no option here.  I had to do it.  Whatever the consequences of appearing in public, in drag, as Little Miss Undecided, I would have to face it.  The powerful lure of the Sneakers was simply irresistible.  Unlike the story of LMU, the decision had already been made.  There was no turning back.

It was really hot that day.  It seemed we waited forever with the sun bearing down upon us for our turn to go out on the track.  The Wolf survived only by virtue of ice pack belts worn inside the costume.  The tension was high and the anticipation was great.  The adrenalin was flowing.  Other teams gazed upon the DELTOIDS with shock and awe.  Who were those guys in drag?  Was that Wolf REAL?

The DELTOIDS won back the prized Red Sneakers.  All is right again with the universe.  The competition will be greater next year.  The Top Secret Planning has already begun…

View more pictures or video clips from the victorious event.