Obstacle Challenge, page 3
“You two are really good,” said one of the kids on the other team. “How many of these obstacle courses have you tried?”
“This is our first,” replied Tanisha.
“Really?” the other kid said. “Sure doesn’t seem like it!”
Just then, the announcer’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “That was a photo finish for third place, folks! Who’s ready to hear who made it to the finals?”
The crowd cheered, and Derek grabbed Tanisha’s hand.
“Good luck,” Tanisha said, crossing her fingers.
“All four of our contestants did great,” the announcer continued, “but today, Tony and Billie crossed the line first. They advance to the finals!”
Next to Derek and Tanisha, the other team cheered. Disappointed, Tanisha and Derek shook their hands.
“Congrats,” Derek said.
“Thanks!” the other kids said. “Hope to see you at another event!” They walked away to collect their third-place medals.
Tanisha was upset. “I’m sorry, Derek. My fear of heights at the mother wall put us behind. That’s why we lost.”
“That’s not true,” Derek said. “I fell on the balance beam. We both made mistakes. But together we beat our fears and did something a lot of first-timers could never do! We came this close to going to the finals! How awesome is that?”
“You’re right!” Tanisha said, smiling. “We should be proud of ourselves!”
Derek gave Tanisha a hug. “You’re a great teammate and friend, T,” he said.
“You too,” said Tanisha.
A moment later, Derek and Tanisha’s friends and families came over. Everyone was eager to congratulate them.
“I can’t believe how well you two did!” said Terrell.
“Not bad for a girl, huh?” Tanisha joked. She looked to Janet. “Is it OK if I come by on Monday to train?”
“Me too!” said Derek. “We’re a team!”
“But the event is over,” Janet said. “You completed the course.”
“We want to be ready for next year!” said Tanisha.
“Yeah!” cheered Derek, fist-bumping Tanisha. “Let’s do it!”
AUTHOR BIO
Shawn Pryor is the creator and co-writer of the all-ages graphic novel mystery series Cash & Carrie, writer of Kentucky Kaiju, and writer and co-creator of the 2019 GLYPH-nominated football/drama series Force. He is also the author of the Jake Maddox Sports Stories title Diamond Double Play. In his free time, Shawn enjoys reading, cooking, listening to music, and talking about why Zack from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the greatest superhero of all time.
ILLUSTRATOR BIO
After graduating from the Institute for Cinema and Television in Rome, Italy, in 1995, Giuliano Aloisi began working as an animator, layout artist, and storyboard artist on several TV series and TV games for RAI TV. He went on to illustrate for the comic magazine Lupo Alberto and for Cuore, a satirical weekly magazine. Giuliano continues to work as an animator and illustrator for advertising companies and educational publishing.
GLOSSARY
center of gravity (SEN-ter uhv GRAV-it-tee)—
the point at which the entire weight of something can be balanced
circuit training (SUR-kit TRAY-ning)—
a workout technique involving a series of exercises performed in a rotation with minimal rest, often using different pieces of equipment
competitor (kuhm-PE-tuh-tuhr)—
a person who tries to win a race or contest
descent (di-SENT)—
moving from a higher to a lower place
endurance (en-DUR-enss)—
the ability to keep doing an activity for long periods of time
fatigue (fuh-TEEG)—
great tiredness
hydrated (HYE-dray-tid)—
having achieved a healthy balance of fluids in the body
massive (MAS-iv)—
very large, heavy, and solid
nutrition (noo-TRISH-uhn)—
the study of how bodies use food to stay strong and healthy
obstacle (OB-stuh-kuhl)—
an object that you have to go around or over; something that blocks your path
overwhelmed (oh-ver-WELMD)—
completely overcome by thoughts or feelings
posture (POSS-chur)—
the position of your body
skeptical (SKEP-tuh-kuhl)—
to doubt that something is true
sluggish (SLUGH-ish)—
slow in movement or reaction
unison (YOO-nuh-suhn)—
in exact agreement or at the same time
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Imagine that Rugged Reaper is coming to your town and you are selected to compete. Who would you choose to be your partner and why? Talk about what qualities would make that person a great teammate for the obstacle course.
Tanisha and Derek spent weeks training and exercising in order to take on the extreme obstacle course. What kind of exercises would you do to prepare for an obstacle course?
Tanisha doesn’t want to share her fear of heights with Derek because she doesn’t want to let him down. Do you think that was a fair reaction? Talk about some other ways she could have handled the situation differently.
WRITING PROMPTS
Imagine you’ve been given the task of creating an obstacle course for your classmates and friends. What kind of obstacles would you have on your course? Draw a map and write a few paragraphs explaining your obstacles and course.
It can be interesting to think about a story from a different point of view. Try writing Chapter 7 from Derek’s point of view. What do you think was going through his mind when he fell off the balance beam and into the water?
Tanisha discovers that she has a fear of heights when she starts training. Have you ever had a fear of heights or something else that you conquered? Write two or three paragraphs about what your fear was and how you overcame it.
MORE ABOUT EXTREME OBSTACLE COURSES
Extreme obstacle courses have grown popular in recent years. In 2017, more than six million people signed up to participate in obstacle courses worldwide. Obstacle course running has become so popular that colleges have even launched organizations and club teams that feature obstacle course training.
One of the toughest obstacle courses of all time is the World’s Toughest Mudder. Unlike other obstacle courses, this course runs for twenty-four hours straight! The course can be as short as five miles or as long as twelve miles. But all contestants must loop the course continuously until the clock runs out.
In order to qualify for the World’s Toughest Mudder, a contestant must first be one of the finalists in a regular Tough Mudder race. All obstacles for the Tough Mudder are kept secret until the day of the event. That way no one knows what they’re preparing for—the whole course is a surprise for everyone who runs it.
On average, only ten percent (or fewer) of the World’s Toughest Mudder contestants actually complete the challenge.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST OBSTACLE COURSES IN HISTORY
One of the earliest obstacle-based compet itions happened dur ing the 1900 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France, during the two-hundred-meter obstacle swim.
This wasn’t your typical swimming event—it featured three types of obstacles that swimmers had to face in the water:
A pole that every swimmer had to climb over
A set of rowboats that swimmers had to climb over
A set of rowboats that swimmers were forced to swim under
The event was held over a span of two days, with Frederick Lane of Austria winning the gold medal.
Jake Maddox Adventure is published by Stone Arch Books, an imprint of Capstone.
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Copyright © 2020 by Capstone. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on the Library of Congress website.
ISBN: 978-1-4965-8696-4 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-4965-9204-0 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-4965-8697-1 (eBook PDF)
ISBN: 978-1-5158-8104-9 (ebook)
Summary: Tanisha Carter can’t believe her luck when she finds out her favorite extreme obstacle course challenge is coming to her town. She needs a partner to compete, so her pal, Derek, agrees to team up with her. But when training reveals Tanisha’s fear of heights, the pair realizes they have more than one obstacle to overcome in this extreme challenge.
Designer: Lori Bye
Jake Maddox, Obstacle Challenge
