—
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.
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