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What decision does Squeaky make while waiting for the announcement?

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While waiting for the race results, Squeaky decides to focus less on herself and more on her brother, Raymond. She realizes she wants to coach Raymond, who has running potential, rather than continue her own racing career. Additionally, she decides to explore other interests like studying for a spelling bee and learning piano, indicating a desire to grow and mature. Squeaky also resolves to be friendlier with her rival, Gretchen, reflecting her personal growth.

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At the end of the story, while Squeaky is waiting for the announcement declaring the winner of the race, she decides that she doesn't really care so much anymore about winning the race, ostensibly because she can always "begin a whole new career as a coach with Raymond," her brother. The decision to possibly coach Raymond, however, is not the most important decision she makes. The most important decision she makes is simply to think less of herself, and more of Raymond. After all, she has "a roomful of ribbons and medals and awards. But what has Raymond got to call his own?"

Squeaky also decides that she should concentrate on other things for a while, rather than racing. She decides, for example, to study more for the spelling bee, and to start learning how to play the piano. She perhaps makes this decision to concentrate on other things because...

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she has become a little bored with winning her races all the time, or possibly because seeing Raymond running so happily alongside her has made her realize that she has been taking the running too seriously.

The realization that she has been thinking too much of herself, combined with the realization that she has perhaps been taking the running a bit too seriously, also leads Squeaky to decide to be more friendly with Gretchen. At the end of the story she smiles at Gretchen, with "about as real a smile as girls can do . . . considering we don't practice real smiling every day." Altogether, these decisions that Squeaky makes point to one overarching decision, which is essentially the decision to grow up a little bit, to stop acting tough just for the sake of acting tough, and to become "something honest and worthy of respect."

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Squeaky's just finished the big race with her rival, Gretchen. It must've been a very close-fought contest, because no one actually knows who won it. The tension is unbearable as the two girls stand around—waiting for the final results to be announced over the PA system. To add to the tension, the judge's voice is unintelligible, submerged beneath a loud crackle of static.

As she waits (for what seems like an eternity) for the results, Squeaky has something of an epiphany. During the race, she noticed that her brother, Raymond, had been running alongside the track. Although his technique had been untrained, it is clear to Squeaky that the boy has talent—the kind of talent that could be turned into something special by proper coaching. It is this kind of coaching that Squeaky determines that she will provide. From now on, she's going to put her own running career aside in order to concentrate on coaching Raymond.

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