The race had already been postponed from a previous date, and after having to wait an extra week for our highly anticipated home invite, our entire team was stirring by the time the day finally befell us. It was a reassuring feeling to be able to warm up on the course knowing that every step of the 3.11 mile course had been imprinted into from the time I had started running on it the summer before. Granted the weather wasn’t perfect by any means and the course’s condition was already less than stellar, but I could make do, to be honest I was too excited to even let it
A wise person once said, “If I tell you I need you, do not take it lightly. I do everything I can to never depend on anyone, to never show weakness, and if I say that I need you, it means that I am trusting you to catch me when I fall.” For many years my friends have never been there to catch me when I fall. I never knew what a true friend was until I met my horse. She always helps me through my ups and downs. Sometimes she lets me fall, but only when she has a very good reason! This year I will be the best barrel racer that Kansas has ever seen in history, smart, brave, and strong. .
Every runner wore a bib number with the time they start on it. As I was running people were passing me who had started after me, and I kept thinking I was going too slow and that I shouldn’t be taking this long to complete it. Through words of encouragement from my mom and decipline mentras from myself I finished the race, I crosses the fanish line and the feeling of triumph as I crossed it was something I’ll never forget.
We finally got three practice laps so we could feel what the track was like to ride. Next we immediately started trials meaning we raced to get the best 14 riders to continue to the main event that night. I was in two classes The 250 and the 450 so I had two chances to make the main event. 250 trials was the most difficult because there were 28 riders, and only 14 could go on. Now nobody really tried on trials it was just a chance to be good enough to make it to the next round. I was 7th out of the 28 so I ended up getting 7th gate pick for the main event. The 450 class had its pros and cons. There were usually less riders, but I rode a 250, a bike almost half the size, but racing against harder competition can only make your better. There were only 20 of us in the 450 trials, and I gave to the best of my ability to get the best gate pick I could get and ended up being
It all started as a passionate love towards the sport, then came as a dream to be one of those guys you see on t.v riding their bikes down a mountain, then became reality, and then….I was there on those mountains. Breathless. Just staring down below me as if I was a bird looking down from the clouds. I could taste the pine from the trees below and beside me. The taste was so surreal. And for a split second I couldn't believe where I was, and who I had become. I was so happy to be where I was, and was sure my mom was looking down on me today, and smiling from ear to ear seeing her son fulfil his dream.
This will help me in the future to remind me to be happy, and grateful for the opportunity to run as I do in my life. This race changed my point of view of “opportunity” to try and do things right the first time, and if I don’t, then forget about it because I can’t change it. Before this race, I felt as if I failed, everything was over, and the disappointment would never leave. For example, if I ran a terrible race, with a terrible time, I couldn't stop thinking about it for WEEKS. Now, I let it go and forget it ever happened. This also keeps me humble, by not letting me think about my accomplishments for too long, because there’s always a new opportunity. Walt Disney once
So as you can tell one of my biggest wishes is to run the Boston Marathon and I have a whole plan based out on how to get there. Now I just need to take them time and effort to get there. And as Neil Weygandt said it’s one of the best marathons in the
My throat was parched instantly. Knowing that I had to stay with Shelby. Repetitively telling myself that I could do it, I have to. Once I arrived at the mile mark before I knew it. I was searching all over but I could not see Shelby. Second guessing that she was ahead of me, I worked even harder. The wind was strong and the air was dirty. For a minute I was thinking that I could not do it; however, I changed that thought quickly after I saw the finish line. Pushing the hardest I had ever pushed. Noticing that I had made it, I placed 81st in
Sitrep, I’m not going to lie - today was really tough. It was psychologically tough. It was physically tough. I felt like I was going up a 65-degree slope, wading through concrete with a ball and chain attached to both feet, and a heavy bulletproof vest on. The day started off with
So I decided to keep running. I knew that I may be a little more sore tomorrow, but if I was going to accomplish my goals I had to work hard. I kept running, and toward the last mile I began to really feel the burn, but I did push and finished with plenty of time to spare. That practice is what I thought of as i crossed the finish line with a smile on my face. As I headed back to camp still beaming about my time I thought to myself,
I could feel the tension amongst the riders. Our team is known for always helping out, so of course we were holding horses and helping out. I love doing that, it distracts me from my nervousness. So my coach, Cathy, my teammate, Brooke, and I waited for my class. The time was getting closer and I went to get ready for my class. On my way to the car, I met up with the rest of my family and some friends that came to watch. Having them there gave me a reassurance, but also some butterflies. Now that I was all dressed, and could see my reflection in my polished boots, I felt ready to
Snow skiing. The first day learning to ski is rough for almost anyone you ask. The day before my first ski trip, I could not help but wonder. Was I going to fall on my butt? Would I fall flat on my face? Would I make a fool out of
“Good Job keep going, you can do it, run run faster, you got this!” These were the words coming from the audience as I was finishing my last 100 meters in the cold, pouring, rain during sectionals. I was in second place
Mountain Biking I have come to love bicycles in the course of the past year. I am especially fond of mountain bikes, including my own. Riding it opens up a whole new world of opportunities and challenges for me. I am still fairly fresh to the whole mountain biking scene, so I push myself to become better with more experience. Riding is an outlet; it is something I can channel pent up energy through. I love the sport because it is a full body, soul, and mind experience that affects all five of the senses.
I got used to it, or so I thought. I started taking my turns faster and getting in race mode. By this time I had calmed down and relaxed. I got to relaxed and got ahead of my self and BAM! I went down jamming my knee between my bike and the hard packed dirt ground. Adrenaline instantly hit me. I felt dizzy from the adrenaline. I could feel it run through my veins like cold blood. I picked up my bike I finished the practice lap and pulled into the pit. I put my bike on the greasy aluminum stand that I had been using for a year. I sat down to calm my nerves. The adrenaline was still there. I tuned my bike up for the race. I sprayed my chain down with a sticky liquid called chain lube. I took out the wrench and tightened my chain. As soon as I changed out of the sweaty clothes and wash the muddy dirt off of my face, I sat by the fire.