The Bair Gutsman

Crazy Bob's Bair Gutsman is a mountain race that climbs up four miles to the top of  Francis Peak, then 7 miles down the other side. If you live in Kaysville, Layton, or Fruit Heights, You've probably seen the white structures that people sometimes describe as "big golf balls"on top of the peak. This race goes over that mountain.


My grandpa is an amazing athlete, at 64, and after having open heart surgery, he still does triathlons and marathons. He ran the Bair Gutsman in the 70's, and after finding out about it from my grandpa, my dad wanted to run this hard mountain race. At the time, I was in the first grade. My dad and I started training every morning by running in our neighborhood and doing "army"(a series of push ups, sit ups, and squats). When we started, it was hard to keep exercising every morning, but as time rolled on, we persisted, got into better shape, and could run  faster and farther than before.

I remember feeling a little scared that I wouldn't be able to finish the race, but after doing a practice race up the mountain with just my dad. I discovered that I could not only finish the race, but have fun while doing so.

The morning of the race, my dad and  I woke up extra early so we could get to the starting line on time. I remember not being tired at all, owing to the butterflies in my stomach. When my grandpa came to run with us, we hopped into our car and headed down to the start line. We got our race numbers and headed over to the start. I remember feeling nervous, but ready to run. Then the gun was fired to set us off.


And so it began. We ran up to the top of the mountain in 2 hours or so with little incident. We decided we were making pretty good time, and set off on the long 7 mile dirt road to the finish line. As soon as we started the downhill portion of the race, I discovered my feet were hurting. I felt like stopping, but my dad reminded me that we needed to keep going if we wanted to finish the race. With my grandpa and my dad holding my hands on both sides to keep me going, we ran towards the finish line. When the end was in view, I got so exited and ran faster on the final sprint. That year the had a huge timekeeper scoreboard at the finish line, telling us how much time it took us to run the race. We finished in a little under 4 hours.

After running we got a sweet t-shirt and a slice of watermelon. I even got a gift certificate to a running store for being the youngest runner in the race. When my mom came to pick us up, we ate subway for a celebratory treat.

Now I have ran  the Bair Gutsman 4 times. In fact, now most of my family has run it too. And every time I finish, I get a great feeling of accomplishment that can't be beat. I will forever be grateful to my dad for running with me, and will always appreciate how lucky I am to live close to the mountains. 

Just Mow It.

When I first began to practice my lawn mowing skills in the fifth grade, I was super exited to be doing something that only 'big guys" could do. I was set to work mowing in my very own backyard. Back then, I struggled to operate our Honda lawn mower. I was often unable to even start the machine. It didn't help that the lawn mower was very old. Even today billows of white smoke emit after you start the mower. Luckily, I was assisted by my dad so I could eventually mow some of my lawn with ease.

Now, four years later I am a master at the art of mowing. I currently mow 5 lawns, and I am pleased to say that I can start any mower very easily. I have even upgraded into using my grandpa's riding lawn mower. I have the routine of riding my bike to the lawn that needs to be mowed, mowing the lawn, and coming home down to a science. I guess you could say I'm a professional, which is true. I make a substantial amount of money every week.


But not everything in the mowing business is as smooth as some people make it seem, on the job, I have broken sprinkler heads and been chased by huge dogs. But no matter how hard it may be to mow a certain lawn, or how hot it my be. One of my greatest satisfactions is to see a lawn that I have mowed glistening in the sun. Who could ask for more?

Climbing to the Top of La Tour Eiffel

Last summer I had the amazing opportunity of touring Europe with my sister and dad. One great part of the trip was when we climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

 When evening rolled around in Paris, my posse and I headed out on the Metro( Paris' underground train system) to the Eiffel tower. The sun was just setting, and it was a great picture moment when we first saw the tower. The sun was gleaming off this gigantic structure that you always dream about seeing, but it seems impossible until you're really there. As we walked along the Seine, ( Paris' major river) it felt like we had walked into the movie Ratatouille. When the sunlight began to fade, we made the trek up to the tower's base The top looming over you at 1,063 feet, gives you the feeling of being very small. After meeting some Australian school girls in the huge line to get tickets, we finally claimed our tickets and began the ascent to the top. After climbing 300 steps to the first level, and another 300 to the second level, we were ready to go to the very top, which is only accessible by elevator. And after waiting in another line, we rode in the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower!

When darkness falls in Paris, the Tower lights up.When you go outside on the highest level of the tower, the wind in your face, the glowing view of the City of  Lights, and the feeling of being able to say, "I am on top of the Eiffel Tower." Puts you in a state of awe. After soaking in these wonderful feelings, it's time to take pictures to prove to your friends that you really got to do something that most people only dream about. Climbing the Eiffel Tower.

The begining of the end: ninth grade year.

So far ninth grade has treated me pretty well. My classes are challenging but fun, and being the Student Body President has been a blast.

Although a lot of my classes are challenging, all of my teachers are really cool. Algebra 2 has been especially hard, staying up late doing homework for that class happens very often. Biology has also worked me very hard. One fun class I have is Rhapsody in Blue, we are singing some really cool songs from Wicked, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat, and Hair (a hippie musical). I also enjoy going to Chinese two, our teacher is funny and we do lots of fun activities, just this week we got to watch The Spy Next Door, starring Jackie Chan. Many of my friends are in Chinese with me. English has so far proved to be a fun class, my English teacher teaches in a different way than any other teacher I've ever had. French three will also be fun this year, because we are doing more speaking and less writing. Seminary has also been way fun, I love to play the hymns when we have the opening song.

Being an SBO has proved to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. All the officers are all awesome and we are now all really good friends. There isn't a moment when we aren't having fun. Planning the assemblies, making posters, decorating the showcase, and cheering at the games are some of the stuff we do, and if that sounds fun, that isn't the half of it. We have now set up a Nerf hoop and a Gamecube in Ms. Allred's room. And if we aren't shooting hoops we can be found sneaking down the halls on secret missions for poster paper.

As Student Body President, I also get the privilege of associating with all the great people at Fairfield Jr High. When I first became Student Body President, I promised myself I would help others have a great experience at Fairfield. Whether that means meeting someone new at lunch everyday, or saying hi to a person in the halls, I am grateful to be the Student Body President.

I am confident this year will be the best year I have ever had. But we'll see about getting that 4.0 GPA.

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