My Application Essay

To The Top

What would have been a majestic, shiny, risk takers dream, looked like a massive, rusty, coaster phobic’s nightmare. It looked like a rusty contraption to me, so I think you can guess where I stand. I could not believe I was about to put my life at risk in this unsteady piece of junk. With the corkscrews, 360 degree twists, and the hurricane speed it bragged, I didn't know what scared me the most. I could see the headlines now, “12 Year Old Dies In Tragic Accident.”  

My stomach somersaulted as we neared the front of the line. My blood turned to ice. My skin was a ghostly pale. All I could see was the 67 foot drop. My mind was blank other than that one picture. I couldn't get it out of my head, it was as if it was cemented at the back of my mind. “C'mon hustle! Four people is it? Here, your seats.” He spoke those dreaded words. My heart plummeted to my feet. I slowly climbed into the seat. With quivering hands, I pulled the seat belt down over my head. The car jerked forward. We began our slow ascent to the top. My heart was pounding. The car reached the peak of the 67 foot drop. Before I could comprehend anything, the car dropped.

It rocketed down the track. The wind whipped my hair into my face, and when I tried to scream, no sound came out. I don’t remember much due to the fact that my eyes were sealed shut, my brain had been reduced to mush, and my body had completely locked down. I do remember those being the longest two minutes I had ever been through.

When we pulled into the exit dock, I thanked my lucky stars I had made it through alive. As I shakily got out, I knew I had just had the fright of my life. I thought about some of the things I was too afraid to do. I remembered Hershey Park last summer, where I was too afraid to go on the rollercoasters. I remembered Telunas Beach a year ago, when I was too afraid to jump off the high dock. I remembered when I thought that I could never do those things.  I had always thought it was my fear of heights that stopped me. But it wasn't. It was that picture of a drop cemented at the back of my mind. As soon as I broke down that block, I could do it. I could always do it. I just needed to break down that block.