Savage Race by Taylor

Savage Race by Taylor - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

Taylor Ashley
taylormarieashley2@gmail.com
January. 25, 2017
I felt like the weakest person ever. I was so frustrated yet okay with myself at the same time.
For months I’ve been thinking about this day, September 10th, 2016, and its finally here. My dad and I were in Grandview, Texas. The fields were crowded with porta pottys and parked cars. We’re all here for the same thing, the Savage Race.
My dad and I were pumped and ready to get started. We’re jumping around, stretching, just trying to get our bodies moving, while we’re in line to fill out some paperwork. Now it’s finally time to begin,“GOOOO!” said the leader.
It’s such a muddy mess already, and it’s obstacle after obstacle. About the first ten obstacles were easy, they were things like crawling under barbed wire in thick slimy mud. That’s a lot harder than it sounds, but nothing close to what I was imagining in my head. A few obstacles after that were similar. Others involved jumping over logs that were stacked about four feet high or running up a steep wall, pulling yourself up on a rope that’s somewhere around twenty feet high. At that point I thought it was all just fun and games until the next obstacle…
My dad and I were running as we approach the next obstacle and my mouth hit the ground as soon as I came face to face with it. This next obstacle was monkey bars that were twice my height over muddy water, who knows how deep. I was terrified, but luckily there was a long line. My whole life I’ve never been able to accomplish monkey bars, especially some that are twice my height. My dad and I were almost next in line, and I told my dad, “How in the world am I suppose to even get up there to begin with?” He laughed at me and told me he would lift me up to get started. He lifted me up, and I was already slipping. My hands were drenched in mud, so I quickly wiped them on my shirt and grabbed on again. The rail I had to grab on to was spinning, making it a million times harder. I was struggling to spin my body closer to the next rail, and at that point I was ready to give up. I was stuck up there struggling for a minute. I looked down at my dad, and he was giving me the biggest smile ever. I knew he was proud of me either way. I busted out laughing, and I fell.
I swam out and waited for my dad to finish, then we ran with all we had to cross the finish line. I didn’t accomplish what I wanted, and I let my fears get the best of me. Next year I know I will overcome the fear. I will finish all monkey bar obstacles and never again let fear keep me from accomplishing my goals.