TAKE A CHANCE, LIVE A LITTLE By Russel Bezzant At times, life can be very interesting. Taking chances is a big part of living in a world of decisions. Everyone has taken chances at sometime in their life. For example, when we learn to walk we have to take the first step and then deal with the consequences of falling. Everyone would be crawling around if we never had taken the first step, challenging ourselves to improve. When a child is born, everything is new to them and the learning process begins. They learn by observation, trial and error. Challenging ourselves, trying new things is all part of a healthy childhood. In the movie, What about Bob? Dr. Leo Marvin tries to help Bob Wiley, a lovable therapy patient who fears everything. Dr. Marvin teaches Bob that, "Baby steps is setting small reasonable goals for himself, one day at a time, one tiny step at a time" (What about Bob?). Doing things out of the ordinary isn't something to run from. It gives us confidence in accomplishment. There is no greater joy than to succeed in something. Taking a good look at children going through this process, will clearly prove this point. As I look back on my own childhood experiences, I now see how taking chances built my own character. As little boys, my brothers, friends, and I were the daredevils of the neighborhood, we were out to conquer the world. I spent alot of quality time with my buddies on our pedal bikes; jumping stairs, riding bikes across ditches and canals (using pipelines) and even jumped into these same water hazards on purpose. One time in particular my bike was broken and my brother was jumping off the long driveway into the ditch near our home. The excitement was killing me so I took a chance and borrowed my sister's bike, we called it the, "sweet ride". This baby had a banana seat and handle bars that looked like a two pronged grappling hook. We had all sorts of fun jumping into the ditch and seeing who could ride the farthest down stream after the big plunge. After awhile it was time to try something new. On the other side of the driveway was a branch that we would always jump out and grab and proceed to swing back and forth over the cold water; which was a sense of accomplishment. As I was contemplating whether or not to jump up stream dodging the bushes on the left and the tree supporting our prized branch, the famous words came out of my brother's mouth, "If you do it, I'll do it too!" I quickly responded "And if you don't jump, you owe me five bucks." Never at any time was money issued, except for a few outsiders who doubted our skills. The momentum of the driveway carried me to my obstacle, there was no turning back. The "sweet ride" lifted off the concrete pad. My plan was quickly interrupted as my handlebars hooked our favorite branch, leaving me on my back submerged in water as the borrowed bike dangled above. We couldn't stop laughing until my father's voice grounded me for one week. A mother of five healthy boys and one girl commented, "It seemed like every time I turned around they were getting into some kind of mischief. I never knew what to expect next" (Elaine Bezzant). The older we got the more and more we scraped for things to do. One great idea we all had, that kept all of our parents on edge, was our zip line. It ran from the tree at the top of the pasture to our three level tree house; this was a main attraction for a lot of neighbor kids. It was a pleasant ride as we would glide into the third level and plow into the mattress neatly placed in front of the tree. One day, my cousin came over and I quickly introduced him to the zip line. It was his turn and as he climbed the tree he positioned himself on the edge of the branch. Tears began to muster in his eyes, fear ran through his body. It took some convincing and promising and my cousin finally did it. After all was said and done he couldn't stop doing it. He had overcome the fear of the unknown and loved it. There wasn't a set of stairs we couldn't jump, the zip line was old news and we needed to move on to the next level. At that point in life the money from my paper route sat in the bank undisturbed. The time came to purchase my first motorbike before the rest of the gang. It was a 1980 Honda 80cc, CR and the price was right. Without my father's consent, the bike was mine for 100 big ones. As my old man came home from work he quickly told me to return the prized machine. With the aid of my older and more experienced brother; we smoothly talked our father into letting me keep the bike. Little did my dad know what he just agreed to. As time went on my brother bought himself a Yamaha 175cc, IT for 150 dollars. My father also ended up purchasing a Kawasaki KDX, it was a 400cc monster, that he paid 200 dollars for. As skills and time moved on so did the bikes. They kept getting faster and faster. The chances we took kept on getting bigger and bigger along with the confidence we gained in ourselves. It was through a mutual friend that my brother was convinced to race Motocross. This was a whole new ball game for us. Instead of seeing who could go the fastest and climb the biggest hill. Motocross was something new, it issued another challenge. Seeing who could conquer the outlined jumps and bumps the fastest with other riders. This would take time and "baby steps" were required; "one step at a time" (What about Bob?). My friend and I went and watched his first race with my dad hesitantly watching. It was a local race and you could tell by the expressions on some of the riders faces that it was their first race. The excitement was overwhelming for my buddy and I as we watched the gates drop and the race begin. Little did he know this race inspired us. It was a long week as we anticipated our first race. The day finally came and we all had the butterflies. Remembering the starting line was just like it was yesterday. The rush was so overwhelming I could hardly hold my bike up as the sound of the engines rang in my ears. The gate went down and all the excitement went forward. Dodging the wreck in the first corner, it was time to conquer all the obstacles in the track one by one. Being at the back of the pack there wasn't too much contention for track position. The smaller jumps were accomplished but some of the larger jumps were out of my reach. There was plenty of room to improve. After the race blood was running through my body as my buddy and I gave each other a high five. Even with a tail end finish the joy of accomplishment was definitely there. This was a chance worth taking. We had taken another step. This was the start of our life as a motohead. A description of what a motohead is: "If your monthly payment for your motorcycle combined with your Visa payment for parts is higher than your mortgage payment you might be a motohead. If your family has to eat at Taco Bell more than four nights a week and your motorcycle has fresh rubber for Sunday's race, you're edging toward motohead status. If you have to pacify your significant other with a pricey bauble or an incredibly expensive dinner just so you can race (on the weekend of her birthday) she's too easy and you're nearly qualified as a motohead. If you make your girlfriend ride in the back of the truck when it's raining so your gear bag can ride shotgun and not get wet, you might be a motohead. If your boots are cleaner than your dress shoes, you might be a motohead. If you wear your Alpine Stars to church because they look nicer than your dress shoes, go to confession because you are a motohead. If every picture in your family photo album shows you in full moto regalia, you might be a motohead. If you're in a rotten mood from a work-related malady and feel the need to sabotage a bus load of nuns or drink heavily and mow down a gaggle of small, helpless animals and your wife tells you to load up your dirt bike and go moto your brains out, remember life is good and being a motohead is a critical part of maintaining sanity" (Tom Webb, Dirt Rider). What brings a person to the obsession of riding a two wheeled machine in the dirt, over all sorts of terrain and obstacles? I made it my personal business to find out as I interviewed a local racer, asking him the following questions. Q. How did you get into riding? A. My grandfather had motorcycles all through my childhood and I grew to love them as I rode them off and on throughout my childhood. Q. How long have you been racing? A. For about six years. Q. How has taking risks on your motorbike improved you as a person? A. I feel that taking risks on my motorcycle has helped me a lot as a person. Conquering new obstacles on my bike has given me the confidence to overcome just about anything that comes my way. Q. What is your favorite thing about racing motocross? A. The adrenaline rush. I mean when you're bar to bar with twenty other riders, flying sixty feet through the air, you can't help but get a little excited. Q. What do you hope to accomplish during your racing career? A. For now I'm just out their to have fun and race with my brothers and dad. It has been really good for our family in that way. To answer your question: I'm always looking for ways to improve. With that I would like to be able to compete on a professional level someday. To accomplish this I will have to dedicate a lot of time and training. Q. What's your biggest fear with motorcycles? A. Fear is what this sport is all about. It's that riding on the brink of disaster that really makes motorcycle riding so much fun. The one big fear that I have is the idea of that day when I'm going to have to put my bike away for good, but we know that won't happen for a long, long time. Q. What's the worst injury you've ever had? A. I would have to say that I have been pretty fortunate in my days (knock on wood). I've been banged up quite a few times, but the only serious injury I have sustained is a concussion. Q. What's the biggest obstacle you've overcome? A. The biggest obstacle I have overcome is winning my first race. Before then I never thought I could do it, but once I took that first checkered flag things rapidly changed. It instilled in me the confidence to go out and overcome those hard to tackle obstacles and to go faster and fly higher than I ever had before. Q. How much longer do you plan on doing this? A. Till the day I die. I plan on riding for as long as I can. I would like to give my kids the same opportunity that I had.(Aaron Bezzant) When most people think of a motorcycle rider they think of the long haired Harley dudes and wild teenagers with bleached hair. The truth is that there are those few who give that image away (free of charge) to those on the outside. For example, Seth Enslow, a bleached haired motohead, is well known on motorcycle videos for his daredevil things he does for the camera. One of Seths sayings is, "If you blow it for the camera, its no good right" (Terrafirma). Most people look at Seth and think he is just a plain old idiot. People tend to look over the many baby steps he has taken before he reached this higher level of challenges. In a recent survey conducted at Utah Valley State College, many people were surprised as they found out that they were risk takers. Questions were asked about everyday life, on the job, at home, during recreational activities, personal life and on the road. How many of you look at speeding as a risk? Naturally we take those small risks without even thinking about it (Florida Agricultural Information Retrieval System). Why are some people afraid to try new things? When I was younger it was because "they were chicken". People are afraid of the unknown. It's a mind game played within each of our heads and it's up to us to overcome. Riding motorcycles has given me the opportunity to overcome some of these mind games. After the gates dropped my first race, the mind game began as I reflected back to practice where each jump and corner was examined. During the race, split second decisions had to be made. Mistakes could cost positions by not taking a jump or wrecking. This was a beginning of a new stair case and I had made the first step. Taking a chance I became a conquer. Watching a professional motorcross rider is like watching a professional football player or even a gymnast. Years of practice and competition has put them in the situation they are in. Every athlete has to go out of their comfort zone in order to improve. They to have to climb the stairway of challenges, take those baby steps (What about Bob). It was a process of building one thing on top of the other. In order to get to the top you have to start somewhere. Practice makes perfect they say as you are constantly improving yourself. Taking chances isn't putting your life in danger, inflicting bodily injury or doing the craziest stuff you can think of. Its leaving your comfort zone. This requires courage and self discipline. People who hibernate in their house and never get out to meet new people usually have a low self esteem and poor social skills. These types of people let the mind game conquer them. Following is a list of a few different types of chances or risks we are confronted with everyday: 1. Physical- This is the one most people are afraid of and are usually hesitant about trying. These chances challenge your physical body along with our minds. Most of the examples in this paper deal with these types of chances. 2. Emotional and Mental- Chances in this category are very similar to the first example because they deal with our mind. Decisions that are emotional can often be a fight. Our emotional and mental health can be affected as we overcome challenges in making decisions in life. 3. Social- People are afraid of what others think of them. Dating is a great example of this type of chance. Some of the chances we take in dating are making those moves to further a relationship. Rejection is definitely something we all fear. Getting out to meet new people is also a fear that some people have. Many are afraid of the unknown. Taking social risks can help us improve ourselves and give us a renewed confidence. People who are known as outgoing and popular have conquered the "social risk factor". 4. Spiritual- This apply to those who attend church and those who don't. For those who do attend, one can make decisions to grow even closer to God by greater study, sacrifice, etc. For those who don't attend, they can take the first steps towards spiritual growth by going to church, reading the scriptures, praying, or participating in other religious activities. Life is full of many opportunities for growth and development all of which contribute to making one better. Our growth starts naturally with our childhood as we tackle challenges placed before us, one step at a time. As life goes on we are continually carving out who we are. From pedal bikes, to motorcycles, to dating, and every day decisions we are given the opportunity to become a better person. Every chance we take, big or small, may mean improvement just around the corner. Go out today and try something new, improve on something you enjoy, take a small chance. Take the first baby step. Allow yourself for some growth. "Go ahead, take a chance, live a little".
WORK CITED
1. Bezzant, Aaron. Personal Interview. March 5, 1998.
2. Bezzant, Elaine. Personal Interview. April 15, 1998.
3. Enslow, Seth. Fox, Peter and John (Producer). (1995). Terrafirma. [Film] Fox Productions.
4. Florida Agricultural Information Retrieval System. Survey on taking risks. On-line. Internet. Available: http:/hammock.ifas.ufl.edu/txt/fairs/27205 5. Webb, Tom. "Wolf tales, You know your'e a motohead when." Dirt Rider Magazine. Boulder Colorado, Peterson Publishing Co. November 1994 Pg. 6.
6. Ziskin, Laura (Producer). (1992). What about Bob? [Film] Touchstone Home Video.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
7. Apter, Michael. "The dangerous edge" Extreme sports. NY. Maxwell Macmillan. 1992. pg. 67. Book on daredevil risks that people take.
8. Callan, Joe. Kitt goes off-road. On-line. Internet. Available: http//www.extreme-offroad.com/kitt.html. Joe Knight, a young driver of off-road racing.
9. Carroll, Douglas and Eves, Frank. "Gambling." Encyclopedia of mental health. 1992, pg. 249. Talked about the risks of gambling. 10. Loi, Amy. Providing school-based support for court-involved youth. On-line. Internet. Available: http://broadway.vera.org/vhp/risks.html. Article about taking smart risks in life, particularly during adolescence. 11. Oblak, Don. Raft Utah adventures. On-line. Internet. Available: http://raft.utah.com/adventures/hike.htm. Describes other adventures that you can do such as hiking, biking, 4-wheeling and climbing.
12. Quist, Richard. Raft Utah visitor center. On-line. Internet. Available: http://www.raft.utah.com/visitor/history.htm. Article on how early explorers used the rivers as their highways. 13. Raft Utah. On-line. Internet. Available: http://raft.utah.com/adventures/day.htm. One day river trips and jet boats down the Green River.
14. Risk Levels. Club sport risk levels. On-line. Internet. Available: http://www.indiana.edu/~recsport/clubs/manual/risklevel.html. List sports of different risk levels and describes what the different levels are. 15. Ski Utah. On-line. Internet. Available: http://www.skiutah.com/greatest.htm. Skiing the greatest snow on earth. Describes Utah skiing and the great experiences we can have.
JUSTIFICATION SHEET
1. What is the specific purpose of the paper? To persuade people to take chances. By doing this it will help them to grow as a individual.
2. Who is your audience? Everyone.
3. What did you do to specifically create significance in your paper and to apply your purpose to your readers? I used personal experiences and examples of when I took chances from when I was a child to present. Also by giving description along with the stories about how and why taking chances is a healthy thing.
4. What were your main inherent barriers? Did you successfully overcome them? One of my biggest inherent barriers was trying to get the point across to the audience as I used past experiences. I didn't want to just talk about motorcycles the entire paper because not everyone can relate to it. I feel that by using other experiences and having a point to each story that I did overcome the barriers.
5. What specific writing skills did you use in your paper? I feel that I had good use of pathos as while trying to keep it exciting.
6. How did your usage of research influence your papers effectiveness? To be honest, it really didn't help to much. It was pretty tuff to find anything on my topic. Everything I found seem to be teaching something else. My interviews were far the best things that helped my topic.
7. What grade does your paper deserve and do you hate this question? A++++++. Of course I don't hate that question. It gives me the opportunity to take a chance and live a little.
8. Will you allow this paper to be used for examples in the future? Sure, you bet.
9. Is this paper your own writing? Yes, scouts honor. Million dollar signature:_____________________ |