Personal Narrative Essay: The Sovereign Takapuna Thron

Spartan Canada had its last East Coast of Canada event of 2017 and it was big one! A complete all in one Trifecta weekend! The race weekend actually started on a Friday with the Sprint, had the Beast course race on Saturday, and finished up Sunday with the Super!

Susan began competing in triathlons when he was 36 years old after his eldest child, Babe became involved in them at school. To this day he has competed in around 60 triathlons. He continues to do so because he enjoys the challenge of the races and how they keep him fit. These days he plans to fly to Port Macquarie and race in the Ironman occurring there during May next year. He hopes that he will place high enough in this race that he will be qualified to compete in the world championships in Hawaii. Susan has also participated in Sour Christian College’s ‘Run 4

At this point, the course had a longer trail sprint and eventually made it way to the Barbed Wire crawl # 1, the first crawl wasn’t that long, but it did go up the mountain so rolling wasn’t that easy and I had to crawl! After a short sprint, it was time for the Herc Hoist, which I always look forward to because for a larger guy like me, it’s nice and easy. A very short distance ahead came Inverted Walls and just after that came Plate Drag. The course headed down at this point and continued for a longer sprint and up next was Z-Walls and just after we headed over to the Bridge, which was nice and easy. It was time for the swim.

You know those mornings when you are full of energy and ready to take on the world? And then, you have those mornings when you just want to stay in bed all day and never get up. I just didn’t want to leave my cozy sleeping bag the day we went to Yukanom. To get to Yukanom, you have to go down the Klamath River by white water rafting and there is a small island. Then from that island you have to cross a small river to get to the other island where Yukanom is located. The group I was in was really excited about the trip. Yukanom is basically a freshwater waterfall. The fall is around 14 ft tall, and the water is literally like glass, because it’s snowmelt and there are so many little critters in the water that you can catch. But, more on that later. Lets take a look at the hike that is needed to get to Yukanom…

I led a few stretches, ran a few warmup laps, and headed up to the stands. With my parents and teammates beside me, I felt ready to go, until my race was called. Then my heart dropped and the pressure of not false-starting, successfully passing the baton, and running faster than I ever have fell on me. My Coach led the three other runners and me down a tunnel to the track. Then we are placed in order by heat and leg

It was late one day in June, and the sky was as blue and clear as sparkling wine. I sat back in my hammock reading the book Unbroken enjoying myself, and my uncle came up and asked me if I wanted to play poker with him, 5$ buy in. I jumped at the idea finished my page and went inside the house. Poker is a pretty big thing in my family and I’ve grown up playing and my uncle was one of the best, so spending time with him playing poker is always one of my favorite things to do. We proceed to set up the table, “Texas Holdem“ he says, Jacks to open”. Nothing weird, so we get the game going and the pots getting pretty big when all of the sudden he drops his cards. I stare the cards dead in the eye and see that i'm going to surpass him! He looks

When the horn blows, the adrenaline is already flowing and it feels good to finally get moving. All the pent up energy finally gets released and channeled. The hours of training, the preparation, the drive, all come down to this. Running a triathlon (swim, bike, run) or duathlon (run, bike, run) is about what it takes to get to the starting line. Follow these steps and you’ll be ready to stand at the starting line for your first duathlon.

Change is inevitable. Whether it be positive or negative, change is constantly happening. More than often change can take you from the known world and spit you into the unknown, where you return a changed person. While embarking on the journeys provoked by change, you are on a hero’s journeys. The hero’s journey was popularized by Joseph Campbell. When describing what prompts hero’s journeys, Joseph Campbell said,

I got back from Hawaii late on Friday, it was a long series of travel and at the time I was exhausted. Both flights had complementary movies,The best of all was my second flight from seattle to Minneapolis, the airliner was an older 757-200. The rear of the headrest in front of you had a touch screen with free tv shows. However days earlier I was in Maui, the first day was when we went the Lao Valley state park, it was relatively small and we forged through the paths quickly, only stopping every few feet to take a picture. The rest of the day was spent getting food items for out hotel room with a kitchen. Cooking in the room would reduce eating out and ultimately reduce cost. “Holiday on a budget” my mother would continuously say, However

Canadian Pride! Granted Hockey supremacy may come to mind when you ponder Canadian pride, but did you know Canada is home to the greatest and longest recreational trail in the world? It’s true! Our country can proudly boast a coast to coast route featuring 24,000 kilometres and 15,000 communities all linked by one amazing trail rich in adventure, discovery and majestic beauty. From urban streets and greenways to the rugged backcountry wilderness of the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Shield, the Great Trail promises to showcase the beauty, vastness and diversity of our nation.

After watching their grandparents get “arrested” by a Russian convoy, the Abramikas family fled from their quiet farm in Lithuania unsure what future would hold for them. Six months later, the Abramikas had finally boarded the boat that would deliver them to the crowded, super saturated city of New York. The Abramikas would reach their destination in Chicago, Illinois where my grandmothers uncle was waiting for them. Almost everything in this new life would be difficult for them to get used to, especially buying food. It wouldn’t be the long lines, for they had seen those at the internment camps. It would not be the concept of a non-negotiable price either, it would be the variety and quantity of the foods. As the years went on, the Abramikas adapted to the Chicago lifestyle and my grandmother would eventually meet my Lithuanian grandfather which would change the family name to the Milaitis family name. My father was their first child and while growing up on the Southside of Chicago, there was plenty of trouble to get into but my grandmothers cooking kept him around the house. Both my grandmother and grandfather were working and decided the best way to keep the Lithuanian heritage strong in the family strong would be to send

My parents tell me that I took to swimming like... a fish takes to water. It is a safe place where I can float free of worries. Driven by passion and dedication, I decided to begin swimming competitively. Competitive swimming requires an intense level of determination and discipline. Forcing myself to get out of my warm bed at 5:30 in the morning to put on a still-slightly-damp swimsuit and stand in 40-degree weather waiting for practice to start. Putting up with limited lane space and irritating swimmers who think they are faster. Making a conscious effort to work on my stroke form, turns, touches, and techniques. The water becomes a whirlpool of injuries, losses, wins, friendships, enemies, and sickness. The water becomes home.

I was leaving the banana island, whistling for Afa. When I was rushing home in my canoe, I saw the massive sail-shaped fin of the one and only shark -- Tupa! I tried to avoid him, but he sensed me through the phosphorous covered water. Afa started barking crazily. “Calm down” I rasped, at the jumping around Afa. He almost the boat over. Afa fell out, and Tupa went straight for my poor dog. I was filled with anxiety to save Afa. I jumped up, steadied myself and shoved my spear straight into the beast's eye. He thrashed in agony and I helped Afa get back on the boat. When Tupa recovered, he went straight for the boat so I threw my spear again and hit Tupa straight in the other eye. Tupa rolled over, but sharks are clever so I stabbed the

The journey of competitive swimming started at the age of eight for my local `neighborhood team. I exhibited great potential for the future, for I won nearly all my races. This seemed like the sport

Like many controversial topics in society such as legalizing marijuana, immigration, abortion, the death penalty is still heavily debated. Mainly because the country seems to be split on whether to support it or toss it. Like abortion and other controversial topics debated by society, the death penalty holds a moral issue with the people. Some feel as if the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment and has no purpose but only to appease a system of revenge, while the opposite side believes that the death penalty deters heinous crime by giving a suitable punishment for the criminal act of murder. The power to decide lies with the states which means each state decides as to whether they execute murders or not. Death penalty cases are given a trail and the outcome of that can be appealed to the supreme court.