WMHS wears pink in memory of a beloved faculty member

by Emily Gill

Woburn Memorial High School recently lost a beloved member of our community, long time English teacher Patricia Stewart. Students and staff alike remember Stewart as a kind, warmhearted woman who dedicated her life to teaching. When Stewart passed away, several members of the WMHS community wanted to do something to remember her by. Student Council took charge and organized a “Day of Pink” in. Stewart’s honor. On Wednesday October 29, WMHS students and faculty members were encouraged to wear pink and make donations for a charity in Stewart’s name.

It was truly inspiring how many people decided to take part in the event. The halls of WMHS were filled to the brim with pink shirts, pants, ribbons and even a few creative costumes. Times like these show how united our school can be. Tanner Pride doesn’t just mean attending football games or cheering at the pep rally. At the end of the day, what it really means is standing together and supporting each other.

Many students wore pink on Wednesday for their own personal reasons. It was sobering just how many lives at WMHS have been affected by breast cancer. Several students have had family members suffer from the terrible disease. Woburn High senior Chris Torres is one of these people.

“My aunt died from breast cancer. My family donates money very year. We want to make a difference. It’s a really important cause to me,” Torres explained.

Fortunately, not every student had to wear pink in memory of their lost loved ones. Some got to sport pink attire in honor of their relative’s courageous fight and victory over breast cancer. Senior Maggie Kenney shared her reasons for supporting the Day of Pink.

“My grandmother had breast cancer. She survived it, and I wear pink today to honor her strength,” stated Kenney.

Other students had no personal reason to support the Day of Pink, but chose to anyways. It just goes to show that you don’t need to be personally affected by a terrible tragedy to want to help stop it. Senior Mike Srajer stated his reasons behind wearing pink.

“Even though I’m a guy, I wore pink today because I’m not ashamed to support a good cause,” explained Srajer.

The Day of Pink turned out to be a huge success. Close to $900 was raised in honor of Stewart and other members of the WMHS community who have battled breast cancer. Student Council treasurer Whitney Hyland wanted to give her thanks for everyone’s hard work.

“We organized ‘The Day of Pink’ to support breast cancer awareness and remember Ms. Stewart. [Some of] the money raised is going to the hospice service that took care if Ms. Stewart before she passed away. We really appreciate everyone’s participation,” Hyland stated.

Student Council will vote on how the money will be divided between charities.

When we get our heart set on a cause, there’s not stopping the WMHS community from doing what we know is right. 

Going pink! pic.twitter.com/D2T1gwkox8
— WMHS Student Council (@WMHS_council) October 29, 2014

Discovering the origins of customs, costumes and candy

The Lion's float travels down Main Street at the annual Halloween parade.
photo courtesy of Host Lion's Club

by Elizabeth Harrington

With Halloween just around the corner many people are scrambling to buy candy and costumes, while many others are busy planning their parties. You know Halloween is coming when every night there’s a flashback to our childhood on television, Hocus Pocus, A Nightmare before Christmas, Halloweentown, and Twitches on Disney Channel and Harry Potter Week on ABC Family.

Locally, a very important aspect of Halloween is Woburn's Halloween Parade, which was October 26 this year. As always it was hosted by the Lions Club, and this year was its 60th Anniversary.

About 80,000 people, mainly Woburnites and many from other surrounding towns, came to watch floats travel the two-mile route. Residents living along the route had chairs set up for their coveted spot they maintain year after year as early as Friday night.

Some 80 floats and 25 bands participated in the time-honored parade this year. All proceeds, as with past years, went to the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Foundation.

With the scrambling for candy and costumes, and the tradition of the Halloween parade, you might ask, when did Halloween start? Who thought of putting on a costume and going house to house trick-or-treating?

Halloween is thought to have originated from an ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain. During the festival, people would light bonfires and dress up in costumes to scare off ghosts. Samhain is a festival celebrated at the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture; during this time ancient pagans would prepare for the upcoming winter by taking stock of all of their produce.

So why is Halloween always on October 31? On October 31 the Gaels believed that the border between the living and the dead worlds were broken, and that all of the dead spirits from the “underworld” were going to come back and haunt them. Bonfires were lit to try and ward off evil spirits, and many people wore masks to try and imitate the ghosts.

Trick-or-treating is similar to the medieval process called “souling”.”Souling” was when poor people would go door to door on “Hallomas”, which occurred on November 1, and receive food in exchange for prayers of the dead. “Souling” originated throughout Ireland and Britain with similar processes occurred in Italy, but there is no evidence that “souling” was ever practiced in North America. The earliest known reference of any type of ”ritual begging” occurred in 1911, when a newspaper in Ontario reported that it was common for young children to go door to door on “Hallowmas” between the hours of six and seven,  looking for treats, and the rest is history.

We all remember being the usual witch, princess, or superhero as kids and we all have memories of Halloween night but sadly, now that we are in high school it’s frowned upon for us high school students to dress up and go trick-or-treating, so hopefully you’ve recovered from the horribly disappointing realization the you missed the Elsa boat by now. At least there’s the Student Council Halloween contest to participate in on Friday. So, what will you be dressing up as this year?

We’ll Never Be Royals

by Margarita Forbes

The Royal Family has been around since the 17^th century in England and continues to be the most globally entrancing family.  They are very well-respected, kind, and often support charities to help out communities. Their lives are broadcast and scrutinized by the world through all forms of social media ranging from controversies, marriages, and pregnancies. They truly are royal celebrities

Despite all of this, not every critic is a fan. Yes, they are royalty, but one of the biggest problems with the monarchy is the complete disregard of democracy. The Head of State should always be elected, not simply chosen by the womb they are born from. To have a system where any position is not available to just anyone runs counter to democracy.  Democracy is when people choose who they want elected.  No one elected The Queen of England—she was simply in line for the throne.

Certain Royals such as Prince William may serve in the military, but nowadays, they get fast-tracked through the army ranks without any qualifications or proof of their abilities. This is yet another example of absurd social privileges. 

Indeed, they give to charity and use their wealth for the good of the people, but many forget where all of that money comes from.  They do not earn that money; they take it out of the pockets of the people of England through taxes.  All the money that should be going towards the state to better the nation should not only go toward their benefit and charity. 

Yet, everyone is so fascinated by them.  The royal family is so private, and no one ever truly knows what happens inside of the Buckingham Palace. Everyone around the world is so fascinated by their lives. What happens inside the walls of Buckingham Palace? What are the Royals truly like when away from the public eye? For example, Harry is the young, wild, and controversial Prince, while Prince William is the more older, modest, and more mature brother with the respectable Kate Middleton as his wife and baby number two on the way.  Kate Middleton is notable for her fashion and always has a charming spirit. 

There are always some scandals too, when it comes to this infamous family.  Major headlines included Princess Diana’s various affairs with billionaires (which led to her car crash and death), King Charles’ affair with Camilla while he was married to Princess Diana (and soon after married after Diana’s death), and also Harry’s scandal when nude photos of him were leaked during his trip to Las Vegas.

The Royal Family is seen on the cover of so many magazines and are the center of media attention.  We think we know every detail about them, yet they are so mysterious. They are seen as powerful and noble.  But why are they so idolized?  Why are they seen as differently from the celebrity light, simply just for being royal. 

Being Different is Normal, Right?

by Edward Lam

What is “normal”? This question has been proposed as a means to ignite philosophical conversation among those that are incompetent to discuss such a notion and to those that are, the inquiry remains either as simple or as complex as one chooses to make it. If this is true, what then could a high school boy possibly add to such a conversation?

While I am not attempting to revolutionize the discussion of normality, what has always struck me as fascinating is how contradictory the subject is to us as a society. Being “unique” results in being shunned; individuality remains overrated. Attaching the adjective “different” to a person has become a negative description, but we are told time and time again to “stand out”. Even when one tries to be part of the crowd, the attempt to be accepted has been declared as an act of falling into peer pressure. There is a wonder as to why humans divide into their own social circles when the reality is that it is the process that we undergo to avoid being singled out for our characteristics. By associating ourselves with those that are similar, we are able to escape the fear of not belonging. Under this mindset, the possibility for society to ever have a standard is nonexistent.  Instead, we remain collective to those that will not only tolerate our qualities, but encourage what defines us.

Then again, there is always the alternative: to renounce everything that has been stated as absolute  fluffy nonsense that sounds as though a John Green class were attended on how to touch the hearts of teenagers. This disagreement does not hinder the original idea, and the skepticism is good. Such a disconnection showcases how the distinctiveness of a person’s identity does not have to comply with another’s and thus results in the very world that exists before us. For, as individuals, we must live both in our world and in the world of others. There will always be the exterior that we polish in order to hide the interior that we camouflage. There will always be those that we consider acquaintances and those that we invest in as friends. And, there will always be the personal beliefs and questions we keep to ourselves because we are petrified of being humiliated for being offbeat from social norms.

Why do we need a destination when we walk? As humans, it seems we require a reason to do anything, but when was the last time you walked (especially teenagers) to simply enjoy walking? Why are we afraid of public speaking? I know when I am in an audience; there is only an unenjoyable, cringing feeling from listening to a speaker who stumbles. If overpopulation is such an issue, why are cures and better medicine continuously developed? What if I believe shaving cream causes hair to grow faster and is a ploy to sell more shaving cream?  What if I believe that cell phone companies are decades ahead in technology, and only release minor improvements every year to continuously make a profit?  What if I believe that a viable way to use seawater as a mainstream fuel source has been discovered, but is being suppressed by oil companies and the government?  What if I believe that foldable tablets will be the next big thing in electronics and that perhaps even Ebola is just a government distraction for the public.

Besides essentially depicting a personal and very obscure dating profile, revealing such thoughts can illustrate that whether such perspectives are justified or unjustified, what matters is the fact that these viewpoints are ones that have merit as personal opinions and choices. Openly, these reflections could easily be considered “weird.” or “ridiculous,” in a negative sense, going against society’s teaching that people should “stand out.”  What these extremities encompass is how individuals view daily aspects in such differing manners, not as a congruous whole. Being “normal” will always be a cycling process, but in the end, what normality depends on is whether you choose to fit social norms or have social norms fit you.

ACT vs. SAT: the battle between standardized tests to determine one’s intelligence

by Delaney McDaniel

As the 2014- 2015 school year begins, seniors and juniors are burdened with the question, “Should I take the SAT or the ACT?” For colleges, each test is weighed similarly; therefore, it makes no difference to the admissions representatives. The difference between the tests lies in the hands of the student and their test taking ability.
             The SAT is the older of the standardized tests. Established in 1952, the SAT was aimed to test a student’s level of intelligence in reading comprehension, analogies, antonyms and sentence completion questions. More and more students began taking the SATs and the College Board responded to the increase in test takers by adding a math and writing section.

This chart shows the significant differences between both tests.

photo from Cardinal Education Blog

            Overall, the SAT has a larger emphasis on vocabulary and the test is broken up into ten sections consisting of: one twenty-five minute writing section, six twenty-five minute sections varying in subject matter from math to critical reading to an experimental section, two twenty minute sections in both math and critical reading, and finally one ten minute grammar section. The test is totaled to last three hours and 45 minutes. The student usually receives their test scores two weeks after the date of their test. The SAT is currently based on a grading scale of 2400 points. 
             The ACT, therefore, is the more modern of the tests being established in 1959.  The ACT is more popularly taken in the mid-western part of the Country whereas the SAT is taken more by students living in and around the coasts of the country.  The ACT is said to be more straight forward and less wordy than the SAT. Consisting of four multiple choice sections, the ACT tests a student’s intelligence in English, Mathematics, Science and Reading. Unlike the SAT, this test allows the student to choose whether or not to take a writing section, although most colleges require it.
            If a student excels more in mathematics and science, most of the time they will achieve more by taking the ACT. The ACT tests more advanced mathematical topics such as trigonometry, a student’s ability to read and reason upon a given a set of scientific facts. The test is based on a composite score of 0-36: each section is graded 0-36 and each score is incorporated into making a composite score.
          The question to which test is more beneficial to a student lies in the ability in the way the student prefers to take tests. Senior Lauren McCarthy chose to take both the ACT and the SAT to determine which test was better suited to her test taking ability.
          “I think the main difference between the ACT and the SAT is that the ACTs are longer in general although the time limits for each section were shorter than the SATs and the ACTs also had a science section. Despite the differences, I preferred the ACTs because I thought the test was more straight forward and practical. I felt that it was testing my intelligence on a more practical level,” McCarthy said.
         When it comes down to deciding which test will be more beneficial to a student, (s)he should think about the subjects in which the student excels. If a student does significantly better in math and science than in vocabulary and reading comprehension, then (s)he should take the ACT. If (s)he excels in vocabulary and reading comprehension, they should take the SAT.
            As a student contemplates which test to take (sh) may also question whether or not to even take the test. Should one test dictate whether or not a student gets into the school of his or her choice? This question has not only crossed the minds of the students, but also many administrators. Colleges and Universities are now adopting a test-optional policy and instead focusing on the student’s academic achievements throughout their four years of high school.
           The test-optional policy has become more popular over this past year, as colleges and universities have come to a conclusion that one test should not dictate a student’s overall academic potential. Senior Michael Stone, along with many other students, finds tests stressful for this reason.
            “One test should not dictate your entire life. Someone might just not be an excellent test taker and they might receive a 1650 on the SATs although they might have an almost perfect GPA of a 4.0. The acceptance into a school should be based on your grades throughout high school and your overall performance in and out of school during those four years,” voiced Stone.
          Whether a student decides to take the ACT, the SAT, or take no test at all, (s)he will likely be accepted into a college. Don’t fret! Always remember to take time to prepare for the tests, and, if one does poorly on his or her first try, (s)he can always try again. For more information on the SAT or the ACT and to find out when and where tests will be held log on to www.collegeboard.com or www.actstudent.org.

Ending gender inequality one woman and man at a time

by Julie O'Melia

Emma Watson was just eleven years old when she was chosen to play the coveted role of Hermione Granger in JK Rowling’s world-famous Harry Potter series. Small, well spoken, and wise beyond her years, she took on the role with gusto and confidence, much like she does with her life. After closing the chapter of her life spent filming Harry Potter, she decided that she was ready to take on a new challenge: college. The young actress enrolled in Brown University, and graduated with a degree in English Literature. With Watson it seems as if there is always something next for her, so, when she was appointed as a UN Women Ambassador six months ago, she surely worked her magic.

Watson’s newest project in her life is the He for She Campaign, a campaign unlike any of its kind. If you think back to the 1960s and 70s you will have images of young females lining the streets of cities with posters shouting in protest; proud and determined. These women took inspiration from the Civil Right’s movement on how to stage their campaigns.
The He for She campaign has developed an entirely different tactic for spreading its message. This campaign for gender equality calls upon men and boys of the world to bring attention to the lack of gender equality that still exists in our lives today. Unlike most women’s rights campaigns, this one will not be duped as “man hating” because men will actually be advocating for themselves, as well as the opposite sex. 

Emma Watson spoke about the UN Women He for She Campaign in September.
photo from modive.com/CC 

In her speech, Watson brings attention to the fact that it is not only females that are being affected by gender equality, but men as well. Watson shares that she started realizing gender inequality in her own life at a very young age. As her acting career blossomed, she began to feel the pressure of being in the public eye. At age fifteen she started becoming sexualized by the press. But a few years later, at age eighteen she noticed a pattern in her male companions as well. She discovered that they were unable to express their feelings, out of fear of not appearing “manly”. Today in the United Kingdom suicide is the main cause of death among men between the ages of 20-49 years of age, proving that men aren’t always given the benefit of the doubt in gender equality.

As for the female population, Watson sheds light on the ever evolving violence and discrimination against women in third world countries. Poverty has created a bridge between the advancement of men and women in society in developing countries. Often times, a young girl is married before the age of sixteen to keep her off of the crime filled streets of India. In Africa, the majority of female students will not be given the chance to receive a secondary education. In Watson’s speech she gives the horrifying statistic that 15.5 million girls will be married before the age of sixteen, and it will be approximately 2086 until all of those African girls can attend school without the fear of being shunned, or even raped for trying to attend school.
           We say that women are just as equal as men today, but that is simply a bold faced lie. Yes, a woman in America can run for office, be a lawyer, doctor, or anything else she wants. But, when a five-year-old girl turns on the television what will she see? A perfect depiction of what a man would find appealing in a woman being advertised as sexual objects. As a society we have made advancements towards gender equality but to say that we have achieved it would be an insult to the women, and the men, of the world who still suffer every day. As women we have done our part, but it has become clear that more aggressive action needs to take place. So, Emma Watson, the United Nations and the women of the world are calling upon the entire male species to do their part.

“I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too—reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned and in doing so be a more true and complete version of themselves,” exclaimed Watson.

So when you log on to www.heforshe.org  and accept the challenge that has been bestowed to you, you will understand who you are doing this for and hopefully you can visualize the beauty of a world where your sons and daughters will not be afraid to be themselves.

Works Cited:

Watson, Emma. "Emma Watson: Gender Equality Is Your Issue Too." HeadQuarters. United Nations

      Women, 20 Sept. 2014. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.

HeForShe." HeForShe. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <http://www.heforshe.org/>.

Disney’s Golden Age of the Golden Statue

by Megan Xie

Remember when that little, unheard of song, Let It Go took home the beloved category of “Best Original Song” at this year’s 86^th Academy Awards? Alright, maybe the motion picture song from Disney’s Frozen wasn’t so unheard of after all. It was only the world’s most sung along song, causing an overnight frenzy with its renowned lyrics belted out by the ice queen, who finally learns to celebrate her true identity. The song was predicted to sweep every major cinematic-music award during awards show season thanks to its powerful message. Nevertheless, it certainly is not the first “Best Original Song” winner from an animated Disney film to do so. In fact, Disney been long known to sweep this category in the past. Its Oscar domination has an unquestionable history of rewarding the world’s most cherished songs with the top prize. Since Frozen contributed to the film studio’s once again, ever-expanding roster of Oscar winning ballads, let’s take a look back at the most memorable “Best Original Song” winners.

When You Wish Upon A Star: Pinnochio, 1940

            The studio’s first win ever for “Best Original Song” proved to be quite the momentous occasion. Many film critics and historians agree that the simple, lovable tune paved the way for Disney’s spot on reputation for composing heartwarming songs. The song was written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington, sung by Cliff Edwards, who voiced the character of Jiminy Cricket. The song is ranked highest on the American Film Institue’s list of the 100 Greatest Songs in Film History. The song is even a popular Christmas song in Japan, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, depicting the story of the Star of Bethleham. To top off all of its success, the song was also deemed by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant” and conserved the song into their National Recording Registry.

Under the Sea: The Little Mermaid, 1989

            This playful song began the legacy for Disney’s unstoppable music duo, composer Alan Menken and lyrcist Howard Ashman. Menken is the genius behind the famous musical scores for the Walt Disney Animation Studios; with a whopping eight Academy Awards under his belt. Howard Ashman’s perfect ability to pen lyrics to Menken’s pieces made them a collaborating dream team, as well as granting Ashman two Academy Awards. Under the Sea was based off of various sounds heard from the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The song is recognized for its strong Caribbean flair and was preformed by Samuel E. Wright, who voiced the bubbly character of Sebastian the crab. True Disney fans will remember that this ballad opened for the film, setting the fun tone for the magical underwater world. Because of the song’s influence on sea life, it is now the trademark sound for the Disney Water Parks Resorts and Disney Cruise Line.

Beauty and the Beast: Beauty and the Beast, 1991

            With the same title song, Beauty and the Beast provides the harmony that paints the complicated, but affectionate relationship between the film’s two main characters, Belle and the Beast. The song was brought to life by Menken and Ashman, and proved to be one of their most critically acclaimed pieces of work. The original version seen in the 1991 animated film was voiced by British actress, Angela Lansbury who voiced the sweet and maternal Mrs. Potts. Beauty and the Beast was chosen to be the film’s theme song, and the actual theme of the song told that love can extend beyond any physical circumstances; that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. The song was so successful that Celine Dion covered the song and went on to perform it at the 64^th Academy Awards. Alan Menken himself declared that his composition of the song was a turning point in his career, because it was the first time that one of his compositions needed to be rearranged. This was because in that same year, Belle and Be Our Guest were also nominated in the  category for “Best Original Song.”

A Whole New World: Aladdin, 1992

           Perhaps, it can also be arguably said that A Whole New World is Menken’s most dazzling composition yet. The lyrics to the song were initially composed by Ashman, who unfortunately died before the piece was completed. British lyricist Tim Rice heroically stepped in and finished the masterpiece that Ashman had began. The ballad is sung between Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, who are in the midst of experiencing the wonders of seeing the world on a magic carpet ride. The song begins with a simple piano introduction and gradually adds on enchanting melodies which soar throughout the remainder of the piece. In order to achieve this distinct sound, an orchestra of seventy members was required when recording the song in studio. The voice of Aladdin was sung by Brad Kane while Jasmine was sung by Lea Salonga, who also notably provided the singing voice for Disney’s Mulan. A Whole New World made staggering history as well, being the first and only Disney animated movie song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

These songs are only just a few of Disney’s captivating and award-winning classics. It is normal to catch yourself humming along to these songs, or any Disney song in that matter. The studio continues to develop ballads that we simply cannot imagine not having in our lives. But why exactly are the songs still so prevalent in all of our lives? Besides giving us a great melody to sing karaoke to, they have the ability to pull us into the root of the song, associate ourselves with the characters and to truly feel the emotions that the song portrays. Allowing ourselves to surrender to each rhythmic journey, audiences envelope the joy that the characters bring. Since the characters are so dear to our hearts, we enjoy the music even more. So well done, to The Academy. Time and time again, thanks for reminding us how incredibly inspiring these songs can be for the soul.

           

My journey through hell

by Tyler Movsessian

Wow. The 2014 Killington, Vermont Spartan Beast World Championships sucks more than I expected. I knew it would be a half marathon and I knew the course would be grueling and take me all afternoon to finish, but the difficulty of the terrain and the physical, mental, and emotional brutality of the course is indescribable.

            It all starts at the line with the usual Spartan Race pep talk of how we trained all year for this moment but when that is over, the smoke bomb goes off and off we go, running through the grassy terrain of the base of the mountain. Then we take a sharp left turn and the steepness of this face of the mountain makes it seem like Sturgis St at Horn Pond here in Woburn is going downhill. Spirits are high because adrenaline is through the roof and jokes are being thrown around up and down the mountain. But this is mile 1; there are still about 30 more obstacles ahead.

            The next 8 miles is about a four hour journey straight up to the top of the 4500 foot summit of Killington peak. It is a quad burner but there are some breaks in the obstacles and I get through them pretty easily, until we have a balance beam over water. My balance leaves a lot to be desired so I get about half way across before ending up in the drink and having to do 30 wet burpees.

            We get to top of Killington Mountain where the legendary spear throw is. It is so windy and so cloudy that I really can’t see, and I think I had master a technique as I am  able to nail the spear throw in my last race but nope, it is 30 more burpees as the spectators are all nice and warm after their relaxing gondola ride to the top. All I can do is shake my head and think about how many burpees I do to ride a gondola to the top (probably about 300).

            Then comes the irony. When I get to the downhill it is so steep that I once again have to use my questionable quad strength to keep myself balanced, especially with muddy and slippery shoes. This moment is ironic because it is full of uphills and downhills; when I am on an uphill I am wishing for a downhill, and vice versa. The downhills are just as tough as the uphills because of the terrain. We always have to watch our footing because there is always a stump to stub a toe on or a mossy rock that will cause my feet to slide right from underneath me. I slip so many times that I make Mark Sanchez’s butt fumble slip up look good.

            However, I trek along, into the darkness. Now as I face my ultimate test, at mile 13, we climb the side of Killington again. Almost to the peak, but for about a quarter mile of it we have to carry an 80 pound sand bag; to say I am struggling would be an understatement. I crawl up about 20 feet and stop for a long pause and eventually I ask what the penalty is for leaving my sandbag behind: 30 burpees. So I do them, anything that will get me off of this steep uphill. The burpees are very hard to do especially seven hours into the race but I know I have come this far—I can’t give up.

            Now that it is dark, the mountains are more treacherous. The downhills still have the same terrain except now my visibility is limited to about five feet in front of me. It is the hardest hike I have ever been on; it seems like it will never end. Sure enough I come out of it briefly, for an upper body obstacle I get through easily due to my experience rock climbing, until I get to a section where I have to hold onto ropes as I use arm rings for footholds. I miss the second to last foothold, kick it and am unable to recover after about a minute of dangling with just my arms. I then have to do 30 more painful burpees, knowing that this final set could have been easily avoided.

            I get stuck doing these extra three miles because a group caused a false alarm in the water obstacle. They thought they lost a group member when really he ended up just going ahead of them. So instead of a 50 yard swim and a 20 foot rope climb, I get an extra three miles of hills. I would have much preferred to have given the swimming a try.

            I make it through the dark woods and complete a few more obstacles without any problems including monkey bars and a memory challenge where I am given a code around mile eight and have to memorize it until I am about a half of a mile away from the end. (I still remember my code a week and a half later: Sierra 121-3096). This last mile is cold and scary especially after the dunk wall (I had to go underwater) and the Tyrolean Traverse (traverse across 50 feet of horizontal poles using only my hands, but my past Spartan Race experience helped me get through that.) Then, I take a sharp right and jump over the fire and through the finish; I complete my trifecta, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

            I certainly got a lot of takeaways from the race: number one being start much earlier, that way it won’t be dark next time, and bring more supplements, because I had to go the last three and a half miles with an empty tank. However, with this experience under my belt, I am ready to really improve my time next year and I can’t wait to get back out there. A year ago from that day I first set foot into the Spartan community and it has been a fun journey, I didn’t think I would make it this far, and it has certainly taught me a lot about my hidden strengths that most people back at home probably didn’t know I had.