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When junior Connor Wilkins cocked into the spring-loaded start position for his time trial of the 100 meter sprint, it wasn’t the normal “no pressure” time trial. But it also wasn’t the pressure of beating his teammates and crushing his personal best time bearing down on his back.
In the previous heats, one runner’s time had impressed everyone. Had it been a different newcomer it wouldn’t have mattered to Connor, but this time it belonged to his brother, freshman Troy Wilkins. Although he did not know Troy’s time at the start of the race, by watching the race Connor knew it was fast. Connor thought to himself like he had many times before “no way I could lose to my younger brother.”
During Connor’s time trial, it became clear to the coaches that the race was going to be close, not close between Connor and the field but between Connor and Troy. Connor crossed the finish line. The time on the stopwatch baffled the coaches, the track team, and most of all the two brothers. Their times were exact. They both ran 11.41.
According to track coach Brie Meschke, the coaches knew Troy was going to be fast but not this fast, and no way was he supposed to tie his brother.
“I knew [Troy] was fast,” Meschke said. “But a lot of the time, kids claim they are fast, before they actually run. So you don’t believe it before you actually see it, and he is the real deal.”
The time of 11.41 was fast enough to have placed eighth in last year’s state track meet. With that same time, Troy would have been the fastest freshman in the state.
From an onlooker’s point of view, this sort of competition between the two may be hard to fathom, but according to the two brothers, this drive they share has always been there and the desire not to lose to the person they live with continues to make them work harder.
From a game of 1-on-1 basketball to comparing grades of past classes, Troy and Connor have found a way to compete in everything and it has become a major facet of their lives.
Just like any pair of close friends, the brothers had their moments of rage. Whether it was someone not doing their share of the chores or winning a game of NFL Blitz on the Nintendo 64, the game would sometimes be taken away from the virtual world and be fuel for a take down and wrestling match. With the age separation between the brothers, Troy was left at a major disadvantage physically. Being the younger of the two, Troy had the privilege of having the sympathy of their parents. Troy used it to his full advantage when he was younger.
“I would tattle on [Connor] all of the time,” Troy said. “I would hit him and then tell my mom that he did something and he would end up getting in trouble for it. Typical little brother stuff.”
Although they may have outgrown the amateur wrestling matches, the fights have turned more playful and become more verbal. Connor’s jokes about Troy usually revolve around calling him fat or ridiculing the way he talks to girls, while Troy makes fun of Connor for being extremely skinny, and small, as well as for “that high pitched voice, and being squeaky. Dr. Squeaky, that’s his nickname.”
Ever since the insertion of a Nintendo 64 into the basement of the Wilkins’ house, their rivalry reached a new dynamic. With Super Smash Brothers being their game of choice, they would set wagers of either money or small tasks to up the ante.
Although they give each other trouble, they are still brothers and throughout the fights they encountered at a younger age they still have remained close; Connor being a veteran at East has helped Troy out.
“He gives me tips about how to survive at East,” Troy said. “Stuff to do and stuff not to do — how to get on a teacher’s good side or how to get on a coaches good side.”
The more competitive of the two is Connor, whether it be a time trial or a race at junior nationals, he can’t stand to lose. Confidence is also a contributor to Connor’s success. Meschke points out that Connor is no stranger to friendly banter, and so far he has backed it up. At age 13, Connor was the junior national champion in the 3000 event, pegging him for stardom in the track landscape. Early in this season, he is already considered the favorite to win the 400 meter race at state.
“If [Troy] beats me in anything, I will be really pissed off,” Connor said. “And no one really knows it, but I always try a lot harder when we are at some of the same workouts.”
Troy and many of Connor’s friends and track partners are all used to Connor’s pre-race antics.
“He always says that he just going to absolutely dominate me,” Troy said. “That he is going to burn me and leave me in the dust, and it helps, because it makes me run faster I feel like — more of a reason to try and beat him.”
More mellowed out, Troy isn’t as talkative as his brother. While Connor is built more like a track star: thin and lanky, Troy is built like a running back. With a low center of gravity and a fast turnover, he is more suited for running the shorter sprint events.
Had Connor and Troy both been in the same heat at that time trial, a tie would never have happened.
“He probably would have beat me,” Troy said. “He takes things a lot more seriously than me, and he gets really mad; he has anger management problems. (Laughs) It has gotten better, but still pretty bad.”
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