Here is another lighthearted example of Doing Whatever It Takes to succeed...
Like so many exceptional young men and women, our DS has had his heart set on attending a SA for some time now. Well we happened to be blessed (?) with residing in an area where winter means snowfall. And we recieved nearly a foot recently... just in time for our DS to finally attempt the CFA!!!
There are no indoor tracks in our area, so the options were limited. What's a dedicated young man to do in such a case? Grab a shovel.
When the weekend came, the foot of light flakey snow had partially melted into 7 inches of very heavy, wet, slushy snow... AND refrozen in places. Not ideal. Undaunted, he packed up the car and set off the for the highschool. Once there, he he had to cut through the plow runoff that was built up at the edge of the lot. Then carve a path alll the way out out to the track. He then shovelled the 400 yard track not once, but three times around to make room for running without danger. His sister (also a future USAFA wannabe cadet) and I helped some, but he certainly bore the brunt of the work. All in all... not the way most 17 year olds would want to spend their Sunday.
Warm food and ibuprofen awaited us at home... and a very welcome comfortable chair for this old body. He was so tired I didn't even have the heart to tease him about his decision to wait on taking the CFA to try and max his score... "it doesn't snow in the summertime" was the mantra I kept to myself.
When the students returned on Monday morning, there were many stares and pointing fingers at the athletic field, but our DS said nothing. He simply went to his ROTC commander and re-confirmed their appointment to conduct his CFA.
There were no heroics in what our DS did. But we believe it be yet another example of just how dedicated these amazing young men and women who want to serve our country and attend a Service Acedemy really are.
Like so many exceptional young men and women, our DS has had his heart set on attending a SA for some time now. Well we happened to be blessed (?) with residing in an area where winter means snowfall. And we recieved nearly a foot recently... just in time for our DS to finally attempt the CFA!!!
There are no indoor tracks in our area, so the options were limited. What's a dedicated young man to do in such a case? Grab a shovel.
When the weekend came, the foot of light flakey snow had partially melted into 7 inches of very heavy, wet, slushy snow... AND refrozen in places. Not ideal. Undaunted, he packed up the car and set off the for the highschool. Once there, he he had to cut through the plow runoff that was built up at the edge of the lot. Then carve a path alll the way out out to the track. He then shovelled the 400 yard track not once, but three times around to make room for running without danger. His sister (also a future USAFA wannabe cadet) and I helped some, but he certainly bore the brunt of the work. All in all... not the way most 17 year olds would want to spend their Sunday.
Warm food and ibuprofen awaited us at home... and a very welcome comfortable chair for this old body. He was so tired I didn't even have the heart to tease him about his decision to wait on taking the CFA to try and max his score... "it doesn't snow in the summertime" was the mantra I kept to myself.
When the students returned on Monday morning, there were many stares and pointing fingers at the athletic field, but our DS said nothing. He simply went to his ROTC commander and re-confirmed their appointment to conduct his CFA.
There were no heroics in what our DS did. But we believe it be yet another example of just how dedicated these amazing young men and women who want to serve our country and attend a Service Acedemy really are.
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