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Personal narrative writing short story
Reflection on writing personal narrative
Personal narrative writing short story
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I race down the mountain that has been covered with a thick blanket of snow with my dad at my side. I stop, and I see a large freestyle terrain course coming up. "Keep straight, Dad," I holler. "I want to go on the trick course." I ski down and wait for Dad.
After he finally arrives, I follow him to the first bump.
"Make sure you don't go too fast, and don't do too big of a fall!" he shrieks as rides. I'm scared to death but, my eyes somehow droop. Two weeks ago, I skied blue. The snow looked like a drop straight down, a death sentence. But when I skied down I had no fear, skiing was regular, and now I also know the hill did not go straight down, even if it seems to. As my eyes open again, I know that I can do it.
We are going through a massive drought in Oklahoma. We had just gone through the Great Depression and now this. We are struggling to pay for our land or even buy food. We have no idea what to do. I had talked to my wife and she had told me, “We should just wait it out for a bit and hope everything gets better.” I had reminded her that the government was taking people’s land and that we do not have much time. We had decided to go to breakfast with the children and let them know that we were struggling. We weren’t able to get much food though.
I rush toward the mechanical clanking and rattling of the ski lift and collapse into the chair. Exhausted, I use this time to restore my energy. I begin to form the image of the steep route that I plan to attempt on my next run. Its nearly vertical face, large jagged rocks, and rough terrain send shivers down my spine and adrenaline into my veins. I painfully recall my previous attempt, where I did not perform the necessary technique in order to survive the run without a crash. This time,
I always felt that I had to know or believe something with certainty. Not so now. I’ve come to realize how little I know about anything. With snowboarding that’s the point I most understand. It’s just when you think you’ve got it under control that the board goes out from under you, and you discover yourself sloshing in the congealed icy mush. Suspending judgement and having fun at the same time and being confident and assertive balances me, and I ascertain an equilibrium. Achieving balance, however, is a constantly mercurial endeavor. If you’re too careful, you’ll never carve the slopes, and if you’re not careful enough, you’ll lose the edge, and forces beyond your control will sling you into the trees or off the slope completely. I’m not anticipating all gloom and melancholy depression with all the snow and barren, gray trees standing stark against the aging night. In fact, anytime I strap on a snowboard and point it downhill, I feel the life force of fun and I can’t stop smiling. It’s just fun—there might not be a better word. On the next slope, should I go it alone? Bringing my favorite people along with me will be the greatest
I was born and raised on snowmobiles. I remember times when I would fall asleep in front of my parents and, being able to ride by myself when I was 5 till now. All the trips my family has been on in four states and we are talking about going to the mountains this year. Being able to ride around here with all my friends see who can go the biggest jump.
Skiing has been a significant part of my life since I was three. The slopes fill me? with more joy than anywhere else. Throughout my years skiing, my Dad and my older brother Trevor have helped me. Following in their footsteps, I have progressed in both the way I ski and the difficulty of slopes I attempt. When I began skiing, I was scared and needed lessons. I could not complete any slopes except bunnies and greens (the easiest slopes). Through many days spent on the slopes challenging myself, my skill improved. I wanted to ski with my dad and brother, and knew I had to practice in order to even try keeping up with them. Determination to join them and be together skiing made me work harder than I have worked before to improve a skill. This story will help you see some of the challenges I faced and successes I achieved as I began to ski, and improved both my skill and mindset.
“Throughout many years I have gained skill sets that got me to where I am today” Rob has looked upon his life as learning process. Rob explained that in his earlier years, during his quest for a sense of adventure and meaning in his life, he worked as a ski instructor in Park City, Utah. Rob’s day consisted of running the slopes as many times as he could while training people of all ages how to ski. At one point Rob set the world record for the downhill ski slalom during the time. However, the day after day tasks of skiing had gotten repetitive for Rob, as he began to lose insight on what he wanted to accomplish in life, and Rob knew he could not be a ski instructor forever. The countless days he had been sleeping in his car he started to think more and more about how Rob wanted to change his life. One day as he was looking upon the Wasatch Mountain Range contemplating life, Rob thought to himself “It’s time, It’s time to make a difference in my life, for better or for worse I need to change.” Rob felt like his adventure was just beginning with the many different challenges on the horizon that were about to face
Eventually, a majority of my rides started to get lengthier, and I started to feel like I was starting to get the hang of it. I finally got the self-confidence that I knew I needed if I was going to be able to do overcome this challenge. I hopped on the bike, getting a feeling that this was going to be my lucky run. As usual, my dad gave me a little push start, and I was on my way. I rode through the grass like it was a breeze, and I didn’t fall off at all. I could hear my dad in the distance shouting, “Good job! You got it!” It was at this moment when I knew that I had finally learned how to ride a bike.
The freezing wind had chilled my hand to the bone. Even as I walked into my cabin, I shivered as if there was an invisible man shaking me. My ears, fingers, toes, and noes had turned into a pale purple, only starting to change color once I had made a fire and bundled myself in blankets like ancient Egyptians would do to their deceased Pharaohs. The once powdered snow on my head had solidified into a thin layer of ice. I changed out of the soaking wet clothes I was wearing and put on new dry ones. With each layer I became more excited to go out and start snowboarding. I headed for the lift with my board and my hand. Each step was a struggle with the thick suit of snow gear I was armored in.
The ground moved farther away from me as I went higher up. I nervously swung my legs back and forth and placed my ski poles next to me. When I looked down, everyone looked like itsy-bitsy specks in the vast, white snow. Whoa…, I thought to myself, the sight made me feel disoriented. As I went up the lift shuddered, shook, and occasionally swung side to side which made me feel jitterish. I couldn’t believe I was doing this though, but there was no going back now. After a few minutes, or what felt like hours, I could see the end of the ski lift coming closer. I prepared myself by getting ready to stand up by grabbing my poles and tensing my legs. There was a bright red line printed on the snow a few feet ahead and when I reached the line, I quickly stood up and got off. “Phew, at least half the journey’s done”, I thought to
I am frequently faced with the challenge to work hard on the mountain, especially on the difficult terrain to which I subject myself. I learn how to tackle the hard work ahead of me with a predetermined game plan, and I have come to value the joy of overcoming the obstacles. Knowing that your hard work has resulted in surmounting a tough challenge is very rewarding. My main goal as a skier is learning the skills to conquer any terrain on the mountain. In this process I come face to face with terrain that requires me to dig deep and face my fears. Surely this discipline on the mountain has rubbed off, because I find myself not afraid to attempt a challenge that others may find daunting. I trust my skills, and I know that “the only thing to fear is fear itself”. It is imperative that skiers learn to overcome fears that impede them from skiing down the terrain. I can confidently say that with the hard work I have put in I have conquered my fears on and off the
A blast of adrenaline charges throughout my body as I experience the initial drop. My body's weight shifts mechanically, cutting the snow in a practiced rhythm. The trail curves abruptly and I advance toward a shaded region of the mountain. Suddenly, my legs chatter violently, scraping against the concealed ice patches that pepper the trail. After overcompensating from a nearly disastrous slip, balance fails and my knees buckle helplessly. In a storm of powder snow and ski equipment, body parts collide with nature. My left hand plows forcefully into ice, cracking painfully at the wrist. For an eternity of 30 seconds, my body somersaults downward, moguls of ice toy with my head and further agonize my broken wrist. Ultimately veering into underbrush and pine trees, my cheeks burn, my broken wrist surging with pain. Standing up confused, I attempt climbing the mountain but lose another 20 feet to the force of gravity.
I felt the gentle rocking of the chairlift against my back, clearing out any cramps that had formed in my last run. The cold snow fell onto my face, stealing that feeling of the warmth from my body, and snapping me back to reality, back to my ski trip. This was the second time I’ve gone skiing this year. I always look forward to winter, because these trips give me a reason to look forward to winter, and they provide a fun way for my family to bond. “So when are you going to start talking to me,” Mom said.
It was the winter of 2010 when I first saw snow come from the sky and actually stick to the ground from the window of my childhood bedroom. I was eleven years old, in the sixth grade, and before this I had only seen snow when my parents would drive my brother’s and I to Lake Tahoe to see it. In California where I grew up it was extremely rare that it got to temperatures where it would snow, nevertheless actually stick. I remember waking up that morning and going into my parents bedroom and telling them that there was snow. Real snow! After they got up and looked out of their window, I ran down the hall and through the front door. I remember standing with my mouth open to the dark morning sky and tasting the cold frost of fresh snow while still
Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...
I use any excuse to walk along the ocean, especially alone and without my phone. The wind blew cold air, but the sun’s warm rays kept my body at a perfect temperature. It was three in the afternoon and I was calm.