TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Chapter 1: Extreme Obstacle

  Chapter 2: In Training

  Chapter 3: A Tall Problem

  Chapter 4: Fear

  Chapter 5: Hiding Something

  Chapter 6: The Rugged Reaper

  Chapter 7: Balance, Swing, and Hold On!

  Chapter 8: The Wall

  Chapter 9: The Final Stretch

  Author Bio

  Illustrator Bio

  Glossary

  Discussion Questions

  Writing Prompts

  More About Extreme Obstacle Courses

  One of the Earliest Obstacle Courses in History

  Explore More

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  CHAPTER 1

  EXTREME OBSTACLE

  In the living room, twelve-year-old Tanisha Carter picked up her controller and settled onto the sofa. She was ready to play one of her favorite online multiplayer games.

  But before she could get started, her older brother, Terrell, walked into the living room. He plopped down next to her on the couch.

  “Hey, T, how long are you going to play your game?” he asked. “There’s a basketball game on in thirty minutes. I was hoping to use the TV so I don’t have to watch it on my phone.”

  “That’s just enough time for me to crush three levels,” Tanisha said. “The TV is all yours after that.”

  “Thanks!” said Terrell. “Hey, did you see the new ad for Rugged Reaper? They’re coming here next month. I know how much you love that show.”

  Tanisha’s eyes opened wide at the mention of her favorite show. “What?” she hollered. “Show it to me NOW!”

  Terrell chuckled as he loaded the trailer on his phone. “Chill, sis, OK,” he said, handing her the phone.

  Tanisha could barely contain her excitement as she pressed play. Her mouth hung open as she watched kids her own age barrel through an intense-looking obstacle course.

  “This is awesome!” she said.

  “Kids, you think you know what an obstacle course is?” the announcer said.

  Tanisha couldn’t take her eyes off the screen. Exciting music played as the announcer’s voice boomed.

  “You’ve seen nothing until you’ve challenged the Rugged Reaper,” he continued. “The best obstacle course designed for kids, by kids!”

  Tanisha was laser focused. She watched Rugged Reaper every week. The competitors were fierce.

  “The number-one TV show for kids has mud runs, balance beams, rope swings, wall climbing, and the dreaded monkey bars of infinity!” the announcer continued. “And we’re coming to your town!”

  Tanisha paused the video. “Are they really coming to Newville?” she asked her brother.

  Terrell nodded. “I checked the website. We’re one of the stops.”

  Tanisha pressed play again and listened to the rest of the details.

  “The top three teams will advance to the national quarterfinals in Orlando, Florida!” the announcer shouted.

  “If you’re between the ages of eight and twelve and love to have fun while getting dirty, sign your two-person team up for this extreme obstacle course today!” the announcer finished.

  Tanisha couldn’t believe her luck. “I’ve always wanted to do this!” she said. “I’m going to get a teammate and sign up tomorrow!”

  Terrell gave his younger sister a skeptical look. “I don’t know, T. It’s one thing to watch it on TV. Do you really think you’d be up for that type of challenge?” he said. “There’s no way you can find a teammate and get ready that fast. That’s like a month away!”

  “I can do anything I set my mind to,” Tanisha snapped. “You’ll see.” She just had to find a teammate.

  * * *

  At school the next day, Tanisha sat with her friends in the cafeteria. She couldn’t stop talking about Rugged Reaper.

  “All I need is a teammate so we can sign up and start training.” Tanisha looked at her friend Justin. “Do you want to join my team?”

  “I would,” said Justin, taking a sip of his soda. “But it’s basketball season. Practice and games take up most of my time.”

  Tanisha turned to her friend Nicole. “What about you?” she asked. “You’re a great gymnast. We’d be unstoppable!”

  Nicole made a face as she picked out the peas that had spilled into the dessert on her tray. “Sorry, T,” she said. “My gymnastics coach won’t let me take on any other extracurricular activities.”

  Tanisha sighed. “It’s OK,” she said, even though she was disappointed. “I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble.”

  She pushed her tray to the side and let out a sigh. If none of my friends can do the Rugged Reaper with me, then what am I going to do?

  Just then Derek Reeves approached their table. “Hey, guys, is it cool if I sit with you?” he asked, holding his tray of food.

  “Yeah, have a seat,” Justin replied. “There’s always room for one more.”

  “What’s new?” Derek asked, contemplating the mystery meat in his sandwich.

  “T is trying to recruit a teammate so she can compete on Rugged Reaper,” Nicole said. “Justin and I are both too busy, though.”

  “Rugged Reaper? It’s coming here? When?” Derek said, putting down his sandwich. “I’m obsessed with that show. I watch it on the Travel Games Channel all the time. It looks so fun!”

  Tanisha shot Derek a thoughtful look. “In May,” she said. “My brother just showed me the ad yesterday.” She paused. “Would you want to be my teammate?”

  Tanisha’s friends seemed stunned.

  “You think Derek would be good on an obstacle course?” Justin said. He shot the other boy a look. “No offense, man. It just doesn’t seem like the type of thing you’d be into.”

  Unlike Justin, Derek wasn’t on the basketball team and didn’t seem to care about sports in general. He always seemed a little out of shape in gym class. But he was one of the nicest kids at school.

  “Cause I’m a little bigger? I might not be as athletic as you,” Derek said, “but I’m strong.”

  “Derek did save our butts in tug-of-war against Mr. Drexel’s class,” Nicole added.

  “That’s right! With your strength and my speed, we’d make a great team!” Tanisha exclaimed. “Not to mention how much we know about the show. So you’ll do it? You’ll be my teammate?”

  “Sure!” Derek said, giving Tanisha a high five.

  CHAPTER 2

  IN TRAINING

  Derek and Tanisha walked home together after school that day, planning out the next month before the big day.

  “We need to get started with our training ASAP,” Tanisha said.

  “How do we do that?” Derek asked. “We can’t tear up our parents’ backyards to build a practice course, and the school playground isn’t enough.”

  “Well, we have to do something so we don’t embarrass ourselves,” Tanisha said.

  Suddenly Derek stopped in his tracks and smiled. “Janet!” he exclaimed.

  “Janet?” Tanisha repeated. She raised her eyebrow in confusion.

  “My cousin Janet runs a gym,” Derek explained. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”

  “Do you think she’d let us train there?” Tanisha asked.

  “Worth a try. Let’s stop there tomorrow after school and ask,” he said.

  “OK,” Tanisha said, crossing her fingers. “Hopefully it’ll work out. No pun intended!”

  * * *

  The next day after school, Tanisha and Derek went to Janet’s gym, EveryFit. They opened the double doors to the gym, looking on in awe.

  “This place is huge!” Tanisha exclaimed.

  Janet exited her office and walked over to Derek and Tanisha. “Hey, Derek,” she said, giving him a hug. “Your mom told me you’d be stopping by with a friend of yours.”

  “Hi, cuz,” Derek replied. “This is my friend Tanisha from school. We’re signing up to compete on Rugged Reaper next month and need a place to train. Any chance we can do it here?”

  Janet thought for a moment. “I don’t see why not,” she said.

  “Awesome!” Tanisha and Derek hollered, high-fiving each other.

  Janet held up a hand. “Two conditions, though,” she said. “First, you help at the gym a couple hours a week. Second, you let me train you.”

  Derek and Tanisha looked at each other and turned to Janet. “Deal!” they said in unison.

  “Where do we start?” Derek asked. “How about the climbing wall over there? I know there’s one in the Rugged Reaper course. That would help us practice.”

  Tanisha felt uneasy looking at the massive climbing wall. It was more than twenty feet high. She was overwhelmed by its height.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t start with the hard stuff today,” she said. She pointed to the rowing machines. “Those look cool.”

  Janet shook her head. “You’re doing an obstacle course with a lot of running and endurance activities,” she said. “Let’s start with cardio and circuit training. Go to the locker rooms and change into your workout clothes, then meet me in the training area.”

  Tanisha and Derek did as they were told. Minutes later, they were standing with Janet at one of the training areas.

  “All right, let’s warm up and stretch a bit, and then we’ll get started,” Janet said. “Warming up and stretching improves your heart rate and prevents fatigue. It also minimizes your risk of pulling or straining a muscle.”

  Janet showed Tanisha and Derek how to properly stretch their calves, hips, arms, necks, legs, and shoulders. Then they were ready to begin.

  “Let’s start a cycle of twenty push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks,” Janet said. “Go!”

  Derek and Tanisha had no problems doing the push-ups. But as Tanisha blazed through her sit-ups and began her jumping jacks, Derek struggled.

  After finishing her jumping jacks, Tanisha looked at Derek. “C’mon, Derek, you can do it,” she said. “Only four more to go! You’ve got this!”

  Derek completed his sit-ups and quickly did his jumping jacks. After finishing, he was breathing heavily.

  “Sorry, T,” Derek said, panting. “I don’t want to slow us down. I’ve never been good at sit-ups.”

  “It’s OK. It’s our first day. The more we train, the better we’ll get!” Tanisha said, trying to sound positive. “We just have to support each other.”

  “She’s right,” Janet agreed, nodding. “Having a supportive partner makes a difference. But so does training, so let’s get back to work! Another round of push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. Go!”

  After completing a few sets, Janet led them over to the balance beam next. It looked just like the one on Rugged Reaper.

  “You’ll need some balance training,” Janet told the kids. “Climb up on the beam and slowly walk across. Focus on your center of gravity and posture. The more you practice, the quicker you’ll be able to go.”

  Derek got on the beam first. After a few steps, he lost his balance and fell off the beam. He landed on the mat below with a thud!

  “Oof!” Derek coughed.

  Tanisha stepped onto the beam next. She was halfway across and feeling good, so she decided to pick up the pace. Almost immediately she lost her balance and fell on the mat.

  “Ow,” she muttered. “This place needs softer mats.”

  “What did I say before you got on the beam?” Janet asked.

  “Slowly walk across the beam, and the more we practice, the better we’ll get,” Tanisha said.

  Janet nodded. “That’s right. Now both of you get back on the beam and try again.”

  CHAPTER 3

  A TALL PROBLEM

  Tanisha and Derek continued training with Janet at the gym every day after school. That weekend, they helped at the gym as repayment. After a week of training, they were already starting to see some improvement.

  “I can actually run a couple laps around the track without getting tired or taking a break,” Derek said. “I’ve never been able to do that before!”

  “I know!” Tanisha agreed. “And your cousin’s nutrition tips have been a big help. I’ve been drinking more water and less soda and not eating as much junk food. I don’t feel as sluggish as I did last week.”

  “We’re going to do great on Rugged Reaper!” Derek said.

  “Bring it on!” Tanisha agreed.

  Janet approached the kids. “Looks like you two are all ready for training today,” she said.

  “Definitely,” Tanisha agreed. “And we got an e-mail with additional rules about the course. You can help your partner on the terror wall and infinity monkey bars.”

  “But if one of the players falls off an obstacle, he or she has to start the obstacle all over again,” Derek added.

  Janet walked the kids over to the gym’s climbing wall. “Speaking of walls, I think today is the right time for both of you to practice some climbing.”

  Tanisha and Derek looked up at the climbing wall in front of them. It stretched all the way to the ceiling.

  “Whoa,” Tanisha said. The wall seemed even higher than she remembered.

  Janet helped both Tanisha and Derek with their climbing harnesses. Then she secured their bungee ropes.

  “When climbing, remember that your legs are stronger than your arms,” she told them. “So focus on your foot and leg placement. And take your time today. This is new for both of you.”

  Derek approached the wall first. “I’ve got this,” he said under his breath.

  Tanisha watched as Derek started to climb. She froze where she stood as she realized how tall the wall was.

  “Tanisha, are you going to start climbing?” Janet asked.

  Tanisha gulped nervously. “Um, yeah,” she said. “I was just watching how well Derek is doing. I’ll get started.”

  Derek was already near the top of the wall as Tanisha began.

  “I can do this. I can do this,” Tanisha repeated to herself. She placed her foot on the first foothold.

  As Tanisha neared the halfway mark on the wall, she paused. Looking up, she saw Derek start to make his descent back down. Then she looked down. Janet looked like a tiny speck down below.

  Tanisha started to sweat. Her fingers tingled. She’d never been up this high before.

  “Hey, T, are you OK?” Derek asked, pausing near her. He looked concerned.

  Tanisha sweated even more. “Um, I’m not feeling so well all of a sudden. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right,” Derek said. “Do you want me to help you down?”

  “No, no, it’s OK,” she said. “Just give me a few minutes. I’ll get down.”

  Tanisha wheezed. Only halfway up the wall, and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe, let alone move. If she looked up, the wall seemed even more terrifying. If she looked down, she felt like she was going to puke.

  She’d never felt this way before, but it suddenly hit her—she was afraid of heights. And if she couldn’t conquer her fear, she’d embarrass herself on television—and let down her teammate.

  CHAPTER 4

  FEAR

  Later that week, Tanisha was sitting at the kitchen table, doing her homework, when Terrell walked in.

  “Hey, T,” he said. He headed to the fridge to grab a drink. “Rugged Reaper is on. You want to watch?”

  “That’s OK,” Tanisha said, looking through her textbook.

  “But you never miss an episode,” Terrell replied. “I’m sure Mom and Dad won’t mind if you finish—”

  “I said I don’t want to watch it!” Tanisha snapped.

  Terrell looked shocked. “Geez. What’s your problem?” he said.

  “It’s nothing,” Tanisha said, shaking her head.

  Terrell pushed Tanisha’s textbook away and sat next to her at the table. “C’mon, what’s wrong?”

  Tanisha sighed. “Derek and I were training earlier this week, and I froze on the climbing wall. Apparently I’m afraid of heights. Now I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe you were right. Maybe I can’t do the Rugged Reaper after all.”

  Terrell shook his head. “I was just giving you a hard time. You and Derek have been working too hard on this for you to quit.”

  “But what if I mess up? I’ll be letting Derek down too,” Tanisha replied.

  “You’ll never know unless you try. And I believe in you. You should talk to your trainer or Derek about this. Maybe they can help,” Terrell said.

  * * *

  Tanisha got to her next training session early, in the hopes of shaking her fear. She put on her climbing harnesses and secured her bungee rope. Looking up at the wall, she began to climb.

  But after only three small levels, Tanisha’s heart began to pound. She looked up at the top of the wall and began to sweat heavily. She was afraid to climb any higher.

  Tanisha quickly got down off the wall, removing the bungee rope and harness.

  What am I going to do? she worried.

  A moment later, Derek walked up. “Hey, T!” he called. “I got here early to do some pull-ups before we started training. I can do twenty in a row before I get tired!” To prove his point, he picked Tanisha up off the ground.

  “OK, OK, I get it!” Tanisha laughed as Derek put her back down.

  Just then, Janet walked over. She put them to work right away with a set of push-ups.

  “Great job!” Janet said as they finished. “You guys are blazing through those!”

  “I’m still too slow with my sit-ups, though,” Derek complained.

  “But you’re great with jumping jacks,” Tanisha reminded him. “And you’ve improved on the balance beam in the past week.”

  “You’re both doing well,” Janet agreed. “I think it’s time to make it a little tougher.” She put ankle weights on both Derek and Tanisha.

  “What are these for?” Derek asked. “Isn’t running already hard enough?”

 

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