Never Giving Up!

 Author's Note: This is a piece that uses a footnote and is a piece that reflects on a quote. 

 “It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up”. Vince Lombardi [1].This is a great quote because champions don’t always succeed at first any great athlete was a beginner once. The people that get knocked down and stay down are the quitters who accept failure but the select few who keep going and get up are the ones that are winners in anything. If you want the be the best at anything you have to work the hardest nothing is going to be handed to you.

In sports people that achieved great things didn’t just show up and get their trophy and leave, they worked. Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner who both won a gold medal at the London Olympics in wrestling didn’t just show up they put years of work into that dream and they got it they where once getting pinned and thrown around but they got up and got better and now they are Olympic champs.

Anthony Robles was born with one leg and in the book Unstoppable. He didn’t give up he was made fun and he tried wrestling and got pinned and he could not even stay in a stance with one leg but he go back up and now he is a NCAA champ in wrestling.

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[1] "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up. - Vince Lombardi at BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2013. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quote.

Authors  Note- This is the District Writing Assessment piece and it is about the book The Leroy Butler Story. 

Leroy Butler was born with a birth defect on his legs. Doctors said that he be lucky if he would ever walk normally in the future. However that didn’t stop him from going from wheel chair to leg braces to playing for the Packers. In the book Leroy Butler Story it teaches readers that there are no limits and you have to chase your dreams instead of giving up. Even though Leroy Butler was challenged in his childhood he didn’t let that stop his from trying to reach his dreams.

Leroy Butler and anyone that has a problem in their life gets picked on and made fun of and that was another thing that he had to face. Then he used that motivation to reach his dreams; then he was in a accident and was push out of his wheelchair and stood up and he was able to walk. From there on he was running and he was faster than everyone. He was not just walking but he was playing sports and riding his bike. As a kid and in high school Leroy lived in a bad neighborhood with shootings and robberies all the time. Leroy learned to be a better person fighting through all the hard times that he went through.

I can connect this book with Unstoppable a story about Anthony Robles who was born with one leg; became  a NCAA champion wrestler. Just like Leroy he didn't stop, he wanted to reach his goals and he did he kept trying and never thought he was different. When Leroy could finally walk he was faster than everyone else and when Anthony started wrestling, he was the strongest wrestler because he could have more upper body strength because of his missing leg.

These two athletes aren't just role models because there great athletes it is because that there great people. They’re both motivational speakers and help kids that are going to through hard times that they went through. I look up to both of these people for what they overcame and what they did in sports.

In both books it shows the drive that each of them had to keep trying and not giving up. Having a challenge did not stop Leroy from reaching his dreams. That proves that people that have challenges in their life that fight through become better people and great at what there striving for. 

Freestyle state

Author’s Note: This is a creative piece including dialog.

“Great match”, my coach said, As I walked off the mat and put my shirt on I just won by tech fall. I was in the state finals now. “Make sure you are heavy on the head and always attacking”, my coach said.

“Okay”, I replied. As I walked over the seats where my dad was I got a sip of water and got my iPod and looked at the board with the upcoming matches and I saw that I was up in two matches. “Dad I am up in two matches”, I yelled

“Okay get your water and your headgear”, he yelled back.

As I was getting ready I saw my opponent someone who I beat 2 years ago. We stepped on the mat and the ref yelled “Check in”,

“Raschka”, I yelled and I ran to the middle of the mat we shook hands and the ref yelled “Wrestle”.

 I shot in right away and he rolled me and got two and then I got a takedown for one. The ref brought us back to our feet. I got three more takedowns and won that period. I walked over to the corner and my coach yelled “Good shots and stop the rolls and keep attacking”.

As I walked to the middle I heard my dad yell “Schoolboy duals”.

 Schoolboy duals are the national duals in Indiana and if I won I would be on the Wisconsin national team. The second period started and I took him down. We went back on our feet and he rolled me twice and got four points. Then he started bleeding. I went over to my corner and my coach said “You need a take down to a turn”. When the match started again I took him down and then I needed one more take down and I got it I won. I stood up and was jumping and clapping when I got my hand raised I felt amazing all the hard work paid off. As I walked off the mat the other coach told me “Good match”.

“Thanks”, I replied back.

After that I got my trophy and went swimming it was a great day! 

Figurtive language

Author's Note: This is a short story that includes figurative language.

I was as hot as the sun, standing in line for the roller coaster at Sea World called kraken. My sister was scared to death to ride Kraken. As we reached the front of the line we loaded the coaster looking at my sister her face was as red as a tomato. As we took off we started going up slowly but surely we got to the top and we dropped and I look over and my sister and she was screaming like a baby as the wind cool as ice blew through our hair. It was as fast as a racecar as we flew through loops and corkscrews and then it ended. As we unloaded the car my sister said, "that was the best thing she had ever done”. 

Friendships

 Authors Note: This is the piece about what does Physical Activity do for you?

After a long exhausting practice I sit down on the mat and start to un-tie my shoes. As I am sitting there I am talking with friends. Over the 2 years I have trained at Askren Wrestling Academy and I went to Elkhorn and Milwaukee to train I have met so many great people that are great leaders and friends. One of the best thing about sports are the friendships you make with the coaches and your teammates.

My best friendships come from the sport I love, wrestling. When you train with someone with the same dream as them you learn who they are. I have been friends with my friend Kelvin since fourth grade, we meet at a wrestling tournament and he pinned me twice. But then we started training together and now we have known each other for 5 years. And now we work to win state titles and we work each other till exhaustion in the practice room.

While friendships can be found in sports role models can be found also, someone that I looked up to and dreamed to be like is now my coach. Ben Askren is one of  the best colligate wrestlers of all time and he knows what it takes to get to be the best and now he is helping me achieve my dreams.

Over all the years of sports I have made several great friends and coaches. But friendships are one the best things about sports.

Championship Saturday!

 Authors Note: This is a short story about 2013 state tournament and includes dialog.

It was the last day at the 2013 Wisconsin youth state tournament and it was championship Saturday. I was waiting for my start my match for third place and my Dad said to me, “wrestle hard”. I was pumped to wrestle and it was my time and I got a mat assignment and walked to the mat. Where I saw my opponent Travis Hudak, someone who I have beaten this year. I got up to the table and the ref yelled, “What is your name”.

“Jacob Raschka”, I said. As I checked in and the ref made the decision that I was green and I got the ankle band and put it on I ran to the center of the mat and shook my opponent's hand “Wrestle”, the Ref yelled at us. I scored first with a awesome ankle pick and rode him for a little bit until he reversed me and got two I heard my coach scream, “ Get  the ankle’’. So that he can’t stand up and escape. So I did and he couldn’t  escape. As the time expired I won ten to five in a crazy match. After the match I gave my dad and coach a hi-five and walk off the mat.


 

As the Snow Fell

Authors Note: This is a short story that includes some symbolism.  

As the fluffy snowflakes as soft as a cloud came flying down through the sky, I ran quickly through the snow to the enormous sledding hill by my house. I was so happy and excited about the first snowfall of the winter, that I was running faster than a cheetah to get to be the first one down the hill. When I arrived at the hill, I sat down on my sled and took off the down the icy hill. I was flying down the hill as I hit a snowbank and went flying and fell on my arm, when I heard a snap. I knew it was bad as I got up.I noticed the pain in my arm. We went to the hospital and my arm was super swollen. I got into the room where they give you a cast and I picked the neon yellow one, which was as bright as the sun. After my cast was put on I went back to my house and had to watch my friends sled down the hill, instead of me going down the hill.