Afterglow 2003

Since it was Tuesday, we all knew that the day of my return had finally come. Of course it was the day of the infamous obstacle course, but I was more concerned about the tug of war. Everyone now must have heard about my harrowing defeat last year, so I trained for 11 months this past year to not fail. A little bit of rain postponed the action, but there was a break in the clouds, so the 2003 obstacle course was underway. This year, there were so many little kids participating that the big kids (like me) got to hype the little kids up and get them excited. It worked for me cause all I really wanted to do was the tug of war.

I couldn't really tell you who was on my team, with the exception of Gary. He and I were supposed to encourage the little kids, but we were both pretty tired. My cousins Tommy (left) and Brian (right) took advantage of the weather delay and goofed around a little bit.

Tim was a really big fan of this thing. Even though he probably shouldn't have been on it, he still took the time to ride off-road with Brian.

This was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities for me, and Brian knew I had to have a picture. He's even laughing because he knew I would laugh at him for holding hands with Dave. They do make a nice pair.

Teamwork is the greatest necessity for getting these ski things to work properly, and unfortunately, James just couldn't stay with the group on this one.

It was almost time for the tug of war, and I set myself into the position of the steadfast anchor. I had promised myself that I would never loose at this game, for if I did, I could never show my face at Afterglow again.

James pulled with all his might, summing up all the demons within him to beat his little brother, but not even a Timmy could help him win this one.

Gail climbed aboard their side and attempted to add a little bit more muscle to swing the victory from me, but I would not let it happen. Never again will I face the oppression of going through another year as the defeated one.