The final sprint felt like a lifetime. All four kids ran as fast as they could toward the finish! Tanisha’s heart was racing as she breathed heavily. Beside her, Derek was panting for air.
“We’re almost there!” said Tanisha.
With a sudden flash, they crossed the finish line! They’d done it! They’d completed the Rugged Reaper!
“Did we do it? Did we get third place?” Tanisha asked.
“I don’t know,” said Derek, gasping for breath. “It was so close. We were right beside them as we crossed the line.”
The four kids stood over on the sidelines, waiting to hear who would take third place.
“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)
