In Chapter 7, Knight says that he “want[s] to dedicate every minute of every day to Blue Ribbon” (150). He therefore decides to find a different day job, one that allows him to pay his bills but allows for more time to dedicate to his passion. He applies for and gets a teaching job at Portland State University, and on his first day of class, he meets a young lady, Penelope Parks, with whom he is immediately impressed. Knight asks Parks if she would like a part-time job with his shoe company, and she accepts. Working in the home office, Knight and Woodell begin to wonder “how [they’d] ever gotten along without her” (156). Knight eventually asks Parks on a date, and they visit the Oregon Zoo. A second date leads to meeting one another’s families, and soon Knight and Penelope are spending all their time together. After months of dating, they agree to marry later in the summer when Knight returns from a planned trip to Japan.

Knight’s trip to Japan is meant “to cement [his] relationship with Onitsuka” (164). In Japan, Knight again meets with Kitami, who welcomes him warmly and tells him he is pleased with Blue Ribbon’s performance.