River Race, page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Chapter 1: Jump In
Chapter 2: Training on the River
Chapter 3: On the Water
Chapter 4: Racing Day
Chapter 5: Ready, Set, Race!
Chapter 6: Rest Period
Chapter 7: A Change of Plans
Chapter 8: A Dangerous Choice
Chapter 9: A Rescue
Chapter 10: Team Up
Chapter 11: So Close!
Chapter 12: Making Friends
Author Bio
Illustrator Bio
Glossary
Discussion Questions
Writing Prompts
More About White Water Rafting
Explore More
Copyright
Back Cover
Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
Start of Content
Acknowledgments
Glossary
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back cover
CHAPTER 1
JUMP IN
“Only one more lap to go, Selena!” yelled Alicia.
Selena swam gracefully with each stroke, finishing her last lap in the pool at the neighborhood community center. Coming up from the water, she removed her swimming goggles. “How did I do?” she asked.
“You shaved three seconds off of your previous time!” Tyson replied, looking at his stopwatch.
Selena gave him a thumbs-up. She walked over to Alicia, who was getting ready for her laps next.
“These off-season training exercises are really going to pay off for us before the swimming season starts. My turn!” Alicia said to Selena.
“Hey, everybody,” said Nate, entering the pool area. “Sorry I’m late. I was at the Super Outdoors Store with my dad, and I saw this!” Nate waved his phone, ushering everyone over. Once they had circled him, he showed everyone what he was excited about. “It’s a white water rafting race for kids!”
“White water rafting? I’ve seen that stuff on TV. It looks dangerous to me,” Tyson said.
“And I’m not sure we should take our attention away from swimming,” Alicia said.
Nate tried to reassure them that this would be a good idea. “The race isn’t for a few months, and my dad said he would cover our fees and training costs if I put a team together. And since we’re all swimmers, I thought it would be a lot of fun.”
“Well,” Selena said. “If we get free training, then maybe the race will be fun.”
Nate smiled. “And I promise that it won’t interfere with our off-season swim training,” he said.
Selena nodded her head. “OK, I’m in.”
“Me too!” said Alicia.
Tyson let out a very long sigh. “Well, I’m still unsure about this, but I trust you. Count me in.”
“All right!” cheered Nate. “I’ll get the training sessions scheduled, and we’ll take it from there. Now, I’m going to change into my swim clothes and break Selena’s lap record!”
“You wish!” Selena said as they all laughed.
The following day, Nate’s dad dropped the group off at River Park for white water rafting training. Selena, Tyson, and Alicia stared in awe at the massive bear statue in front of the main building before entering through the double doors.
The place was small but filled with rafting gear—life jackets, helmets, paddles. There were even canoes and kayaks hanging on the walls. A River Park employee at the center desk greeted the group.
“Hey, kids,” he said. “How can I help you today?”
“We have a reservation for training,” Nate said. The other three were looking around at the gear in the store. “It should be under the name Nate Davis.”
“Here you are!” he said. “You and your friends can head out to station five. Just follow the trail outside the back door. Ms. Ayers will be working with you today.”
“Thanks!” yelled Nate. The group had already started making their way toward the back of the building.
CHAPTER 2
TRAINING ON THE RIVER
The group found station five along the river. Ms. Ayers was standing by a raft and a pile of equipment. She wore a pair of board shorts and a River Park T-shirt.
“Hi, Ms. Ayers! I’m Nate, and these are my friends Selena, Tyson, and Alicia. We’re ready to do some rafting!” Nate said in a rush. He was excited to start training.
Ms. Ayers smiled. “Nice to meet all of you,” she said. She put down a clipboard she was holding and started handing out life jackets and helmets. “I can tell everyone’s excited, so let’s get started!”
“What’s all of this for?” asked Alicia.
“Safety!” replied Tyson. He quickly put on his life jacket and helmet.
“That’s correct,” said Ms. Ayers. “It’s a must for white water rafting.”
The rest of the group put on their life jackets and helmets. Then they picked up their paddles and were about to hop in the raft when their instructor stopped them.
“Now hold on,” Ms. Ayers said. “Before we start, I want the four of you to sit on the ground with two of you in front and two behind. The paddlers in the front will be the paddle captains.” Nate, Selena, and Alicia perked up when Ms. Ayers said “captains.”
“Paddle captains yell commands,” Ms. Ayers continued. “This ensures that strokes are in unison, so everyone is paddling in the correct direction at the same time. Who will be your captains?”
Nate raised his hand in the air quickly. “I’ll be one! I’ve been rafting before, so I have the most experience.”
“I’ll sit in the back, please,” Tyson said as he stared at the river. He was starting to feel uneasy about all of this.
Alicia and Selena looked at each other. Ever since they first met in preschool, the two had been very competitive with each other.
“Paper, Rock, Scissors to see who the other captain is?” Selena asked.
“Sure,” Alicia replied.
They yelled “one-two-three” at the same time and displayed their hands.
“My paper covers your rock,” said Selena.
“All right, we have our captains!” said Ms. Ayers. “Tyson and Alicia will sit in the back. Now, just because you’re in the back doesn’t mean your role isn’t important. You all are a team.”
The group sat in their proper places on the ground with their paddles as Ms. Ayers continued to explain the basics of rafting. She told them to keep one hand on the T-grip at the end of the paddle.
“If you don’t,” she explained, “then you’ll lose your paddle at the first sign of rapids.”
Next, Ms. Ayers showed them the proper motion for a paddle, or stroke. She wanted them all to paddle in unison.
“When Nate says the command, ‘stroke,’ the team will paddle at the same time,” Ms. Ayers said. “Then Selena will shout ‘stroke,’ and everyone will paddle again in unison. Your two captains will take turns giving commands, one after the other. The more together you are, the more efficient your paddles will be. Begin!”
“Stroke!” yelled Nate. Selena, Tyson, and Alicia tried to do a paddle stroke at the same time as Nate.
“Stroke!” yelled Selena. The team repeated the movement. They practiced for the next ten minutes. It took a while for everyone to paddle together.
“Great job, everyone!” said Ms. Ayers. “Now, it’s time to get on the water.”
CHAPTER 3
ON THE WATER
The kids then put themselves in the raft.
“Hey, what are these things?” Selena asked, looking at the floor of the raft.
“Those are footholds,” said Nate. “They secure your feet in the raft and help keep you still so you can paddle effectively.”
“Correct!” Ms. Ayers said. “You can put one foot in the foothold, and if needed, use your other foot to brace yourself on the interior wall of the raft. Now, all of you are entering the race, right?”
“Yes,” said Nate.
The upcoming race consisted of Class I Rapids. Since Nate was the only one in the group with experience, Ms. Ayers and another park employee would sit in the raft behind the kids. The group was eager to begin. But before they did, Ms. Ayers talked them through what to expect.
“Class I Rapids are good for beginners. They’re smooth, like this river we’re on. There are some shallow and rocky parts, but it’s nothing you won’t be able to handle with practice,” Ms. Ayers explained.
“What other classes are there, Ms. Ayers?” Alicia asked.
“Well, classifications for rapids can go all the way up to number six. The rapids get more difficult with each increase of number. Class VI rapids are technically impassable.”
Selena eyed the calm water. “What do Class II rapids look like?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about that. Your group will only encounter Class I for this training” Ms. Ayers said. “Now, let’s paddle down the river and back to the pier. Nate, your side will start to get the raft in position. Go!”
“Stroke!” Nate yelled once they were out into the water. The team began to paddle. They started moving forward. Selena and Nate took turns leading as the team easily went down the river.
“You all are doing great!” Ms. Ayers said from the back of the raft. “Now, let’s turn around.”
“Left! Left! Left!” Nate yelled. Selena and Alicia paddled from the right side of the raft, helping to turn it to the left with ease.
Alicia looked over at Tyson. His face was pale, and to Alicia, he looked like he was in complete shock. “Hey, Tyson, are you OK?” she asked.
Tyson was speechless. Unlike the community swimming pool, this river was massive.
“I’ve never been surrounded by so much water before,” he finally answered. “This is way scarier than I thought. Can we take a break? I don’t know if I can do this.”
The rest of the team heard him. They steered the raft back to shore to talk it through.
“Are you going to be OK?” Nate asked when they made it back.
Tyson didn’t respond.
“If you don’t want to do this, we won’t force you to,” Selena said.
“No, I want to do this. I can’t let the team down,” he finally said.
Ms. Ayers walked over to the group and pulled Tyson aside. “When I started rafting, I was just as scared as you are,” she said.
“Really?” Tyson asked.
“Absolutely. After a lot of proper training and instruction, I was able to work through my fear of large bodies of water and enjoy rafting. But if you want to stop, you can,” Ms. Ayers said.
“I’m scared, but I don’t want to quit,” Tyson said. “Can you help me?”
“Of course!” Ms. Tyson said.
Nate and Alicia chimed in. “And we’ll help you too!”
CHAPTER 4
RACING DAY
Nate, Selena, Tyson, and Alicia made their way through the crowd at the Catacorner River Park. All four were wearing matching shirts. They walked past other teams and spectators, looking for the check-in booth.
“Are we ready for this?” asked Tyson.
“Well, we’ve had close to two months’ worth of training to handle a two-day, twenty-mile river race,” said Selena.
“We can easily handle Class I Rapids, we’re more than ready,” said Nate.
“There’s the booth!” said Alicia, pointing up ahead.
The group walked up to the counter and signed in. The volunteers at the booth gave them their paddles, life jackets, safety helmets, maps, and first aid kit.
“Do you all have on dry-fit clothing? Cotton will weigh you down and take longer to dry,” said the woman at the booth. Once the four nodded, she continued, “Your team, the Wave Riders, has raft number six. Good luck and be careful out there.”
“Thanks,” the group replied. They left the booth to talk with the other teams. Another team walked up to them.
“Hey, I’m Jason, and this is Teri, Jimmy, and Leia. What class level are you in for the race? We’re Class I.”
“I’m Selena, and this is Nate, Alicia, and Tyson. We’re Class I racers too!” she said.
“Awesome,” said Jason. “This is our fourth race, but we’re still nervous.”
“This is our first,” Nate said. “What are you so nervous about?”
“Us!” yelled another boy as his group approached the other two teams. “You rookies don’t stand a chance against our team! We’re called the Water Wizards, and we’re undefeated in Class I races. Prepare to eat our dust.” The rest of the Water Wizards snickered.
“Water doesn’t have dust,” said Tyson.
“You know what I mean!” said the boy.
“If you’re so great, then why don’t you move up to Class II or higher then? Sounds like someone is taking the easy road instead of challenging themselves,” Selena said.
“We’ll find out who the real winners are when the race is over,” Nate added.
“Sure, we’ll see,” said the leader of the Water Wizards as they walked away.
“Well, he was pleasant,” said Alicia.
“Don’t worry about him,” said Nate. He turned to Jason’s team and wished them luck.
“Thanks,” said Jason. “Same to you.”
The two groups went to their rafts near the edge of the river. Nate opened the river race map while Selena read the racing pamphlet. Tyson and Alicia huddled around them.
“This map is awesome,” said Nate. “It shows everything. This Class I river should be a breeze for us. Look at all of these other paths on the river!”
Alicia looked at the map. “Those other paths are higher class rapids. We won’t be getting near those.”
“The twenty-mile race has a midway point at mile number ten that serves as an overnight rest stop. There, each team will receive food, drink, and shelter,” Selena said.
“Free food? That’s a major incentive!” said Tyson.
Selena continued. “On day two of the race, the teams will go according to when they first arrived at the midway point. So, if the second-place team arrived at the midway point five minutes after the first-place team, they have to wait five minutes before returning to the race to complete the final ten miles.”
“We can’t afford to get far behind the others, guys. When the race starts, let’s be focused and ready!” Alicia said.
The Wave Riders put on their gear and properly loaded their raft. They were finished by the time the announcer’s voice boomed over the outdoor speaker system. The race was about to start.
CHAPTER 5
READY, SET, RACE!
“OK kids, get ready to push your rafts from the shore and onto the river. It’s time to race!” said the announcer.
All the teams moved into position beside their rafts. The Wave Riders nodded at each other with confidence.
“On your mark, get set, go!” yelled the announcer.
Everyone ran their rafts into the river. As the Wave Riders made their way, Nate tripped.
SPLASH!
Nate landed face first in the water. He got up while the other teams passed them by.
“Sorry!” he shouted to his teammates. “I’ve put us behind already!”
“We’re OK,” said Selena. “Let’s get in the raft and go!”
They all got in the raft, braced themselves, and began to paddle.
“STROKE!” yelled Nate.
“STROKE!” yelled Selena.
The Wave Riders paddled quickly in unison, working hard to catch up with the other teams.
“Hey,” said Alicia, “We’re getting closer!” “Keep paddling,” said Selena. “STROKE!”
Twenty minutes later, the Wave Riders were in the lead.
“We’re doing it! Keep going and let’s build on this lead!” said Nate as the Wave Riders deepened their lead ahead of everyone else. “We’re going to get through the first leg of this race in no time!”
A moment later, a medium-sized drone flew over the kids.
“What was that?” Alicia said.
“They have drones flying over the racing path to keep an eye on us in case a team gets into trouble,” Nate said.
After ten more minutes had passed, the Wave Riders started to get tired.
“Can we take a quick break? Ms. Ayers told us not to overdo it,” said Alicia.
“My arms are starting to hurt,” agreed Tyson.
“Mine too,” said Selena. The team stopped rowing and let the river guide them down the path.
“Yeah, I think we’ve overdone it,” said Tyson. The Water Wizards laughed at them as they passed by.
“You rookies used up all your energy too early! Ha! See you later!” yelled their leader.
A few minutes later, the other teams passed them as well. Nate sighed. Selena hunched low in her seat. The Wave Riders were in last place.
