Jumping to the Top "When people decide they're going to do this sport, they sign on to dedicate everything to it and to live an extremely disciplined life. ~ Freshrr'a1 MJy M:;Co;. Noah Darnell ~Motocross is one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports out there and is so much fun at the same time." Soph::tn:)-e Brad I-b...rtchens. Noah Oarnell Cole Taylor, no ordinary athlete Sophomore Cole Taylor was not your average college student He did not spend his free time lowlging ar0W1d or going out . with friends on the weekends. Instead, he could be fOW1d in the gym doing physical training or at the 5<md pits in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, practicing motocross. \'({hen Taylor \\;'3S eight years old, his father gave him a present that \\QuId set him on the right track - a track made of dirt. "My dad bought me a bike when 1 \vas eight, and one of my friends th'lt racOO invited me out to the track \Vith him one weekend," Taylor s.1.id. '1 \vas pretty mum hooked from dlete." 1t \vas at the age of 11 when he began to turn his hobby into something much !norc. He entered intO contests and race;; and began to show a true gift for the sport, eventu.'lily ending up in a professional class. His family shmved great sUpJ:XJrt from the moment he started and were bernnd T'l"O' through "very sreJ> H;s futh", supplied hUn with ..n his equipmem and bikes throughout his """"'" carea: They even allowed Taylor to be home schooled in high school to allow him to tra\'CI to events all over the country. This also allowed him to train in the wintertime in California and Florid'l. Even though his parents \\-"ere supportive, they still had concerns aoout the dangerous nature of dle sJ:XJrt. "t..,), mom gets a little nervous at the races due to the fact that I have had 12 broken lxmes and a handful of concussions, but I guess it's her job to \\QIT}~' Taylor said. Participating in races across the country took Tayior to a variery of places. \'(!hen he \vas in high schoo~ he went to California, Las Vegas, NevacL'l and Florida:. as \~ as many other locales. He tried to oompete in as many amateur contests as he coukl. HO'..vevet., ooming to Harding limited him on dle rimes and places traveJ to. \X1hile at I-larding, he raced in Arkansas and Texas, along with a few trips to other states in the south. One of the tThmy races that Taylor participated in was the Texas Pro Challenge. 'This race brought competitOrs from all oyer the u.s. and had a trophy payout of $25,OCO. "I ended up 14th overall our of 38," Taylor said. '1 ended up making like a hundred bucks; most of the money was divided in the top five places." \Xt'hen it came to trophies and awards, Taylor said he had plen!:}, "1 havequire a few trophies tUld pbques.," he said ''\'V'e just started smcking them in the attic because they just collect a lot of dust." Once Ta}~or moved up from Amateur Oass to Pro C1~ he did not get as many trophies.lnstead, the prizes for winning races at that level were mum more valuable and in the form of cash. \'(fhile Taylor was successfuJ at many of his races, there were rimes that he was not at the top of his game. '"There was one time that I was in the lead for dle whole race, and then I fell on the last lap," Taylor s.1.id. 'Then, I was notable to restart my bike. That was pretty embarrassing" Taylor hoped to take his motocross racing further as he kept moving up in classes. He planned to race in the summer of 2009 in an American Motorcyclist Associ:lrion Pro National Series. nus series consisted of 12 races and \vould be a huge step for Taylor in his career.. As for his other career, Tayloe h:ld not fully decided. ''As fur as what I'm going to do for a job;' Taylor saKI, '1 am srill working on that" Cody Waits
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