The Ride (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: Big Chill

I was in the gate with two minutes remaining before the last heat of the day. I guess I should have been nervous, but I wasn't. I was more excited than anything. I was standing at the top of the Big Chill. More people got injured on the Big Chill than any other run in Wyoming. I think it's because they don't know the run. I've ridden the Big Chill so many times I could do it with my eyes closed. Not that I would ever snowboard with my eyes closed.

"Thirty seconds," the race official called out.

I quickly double checked my binding, making sure it was tight. Then I pulled my goggles over my helmet. I was ready. I was psyched.

"Ten seconds."

I began to rock my board back and forth. My snowboard slid easily across the snow. I took one final, excited, deep breath. Then I blew out hard, puffing my cheeks.

"Five, four, three, two, one, go!" The gun sounded.

I flew out of the gate the instant it opened. The first part of the run was a narrow chute. All I could do was tuck, pick up speed, and not fall down. After a few seconds, the slope became a bit less steep. Although I was moving at a good speed, I had a second to look around. There wasn't much to see. The trees and rocks were a total blur. I smiled from ear to ear.

We had gotten fresh snow the night before so my board sunk down into the powder. I leaned back to spread my weight across the snow. I knew I was fine when I saw snow spray from my board. A thin mist of powder hit my face. At that moment, I was sure that I was winning.

I fought through the powder. I turned only when I absolutely had to. Otherwise, I kept my line straight down the course. I was really moving. Not out of control, though. I'm never out of control--especially on the Big Chill.

The course opened up into a mogul field. A mogul is a big hard mound of snow on a run. It's not a jump--it's more of an obstacle. If you hit a mogul the wrong way, you'll land face first. If you face plant when you're going as fast as I go, it really hurts. I knew every bump on the run, though. There was no way I would hit one wrong.

I moved through the mogul field with ease. I got a little bit of air a couple of times, but nothing too big. This was all about speed. I took each bump exactly as planned.

After I passed through the mogul field, there was a final jump before the finish. It wasn't much. But when you're going fast, even a little jump can turn into big air. I tucked down low and really went for it. I wanted this to be the best run of the day. Not just my best run, but the best run.

My board lifted off the ground and I felt as if I were flying. I grabbed my board with both hands. I could see the finish in front of me. There was a small crowd that had gathered. I tried not to look at them. From the corner of my eye, though, something seemed out of the ordinary. I barely turned my head, wondering: is that a gorilla wearing a clown wig?

Just like that, it was over. I lost control for a second--a split second. My balance shifted. Not too much, but just enough to mess up my landing. The first thing to hit the snow was the front edge of my board. I was moving forward at full speed, so when I hit the ground, I hit hard. My board dug deep into the snow and stopped when it hit the frozen surface. My body, of course, shot forward. I hit the packed snow ten feet in front of where my board landed. I hit hard, with a loud thud that I could hear and feel in my ears. Instantly, the breath was knocked from my lungs. My teeth rattled inside my head.

Everything became a blur. My mouth and nose filled with snow. My goggles flew off my helmet. I opened and closed my eyes as I flipped down the hill. I caught a glimpse of the sky, then some snow. This cycle repeated itself as I kept flipping--sky, snow, sky, snow. I felt like I was caught in a washing machine. I tried to stop, but there was nothing I could do.

I ended up flat on my back, sliding down the hill. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I had rolled past the finish line. I leaned up and looked at the crowd staring down at me on the ground. Mixed in the group of people was someone in a gorilla suit and a clown wig. What was that guy thinking?

I squinted to read the bib the person was wearing on his gorilla chest. It read, "I go ape for Mad Marty in the Mornings on 104.5." As I finished reading, I realized who was inside the gorilla suit. It was my father--Mad Marty Morgan.

There might have been a time when I was more upset with my dad. But at that moment, I couldn't remember it. I sat up, stretching my body to make sure I hadn't broken any bones. Then I got to my feet. That was when I began planning how I was going to move out of my house. I would go live with my best friend Sally--away from my embarrassing father.

Just then, a voice rang out over the loudspeakers. "Despite her odd finish, Cece Morgan grabs first place in the thirteen-and-under girls' category." This announcement was followed by some applause from the crowd. I gave a wave. The voice went on, "the final results are now in. The overall winner of the Rockville Junior Snowboard Jam is. . . " I took a deep breath. ". . . Chad Doogan." I let out a sigh.

My name is Cece Morgan, not Chad Doogan. I know Chad Doogan, and he's a jerk. I undid my binding and walked away from the crowd. At least I wasn't injured from my big wipeout, which I guess was lucky. At the moment, though, I didn't feel very lucky. I thought I might just be the unluckiest person on the planet. How many other kids had a gorilla for a father?

I walked over to the tent where they posted the day's results. It was true. Chad Doogan, the biggest jerk in Rockville, had beaten me by 3.2 seconds. 3.2 seconds!

That wipeout cost me the championship. I felt like punching something. I felt like crying. I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around. There was no one there. I felt a tap on my other shoulder. I turned around again. There was still no one there. I knew only one person who was childish enough to think that this was funny. I stared straight ahead. "Stop it, Dad."

"Congratulations, Chili," my father said through his gorilla suit. I ignored him. I crossed my arms tight across my chest. "Come on, Chili, you won your age group. That's fantastic!"

He didn't get it. Winning my age group wasn't enough. Today was supposed to be my day! I was supposed to win the whole thing! The reason I didn't win was because of him. He just didn't get it.

I finally turned around. It was worse than I imagined. Not only was my dad a gorilla, he was also a clown. He was wearing a full gorilla suit. On top of his mask sat a big rainbow colored wig. He wore ridiculously large sunglasses too. A big red clown nose hung from his face. He was also wearing rainbow suspenders and a yellow bow tie. And, oh yeah, a giant diaper.

"Dad, please walk away from me. Pretend we don't know each other."

"What's wrong, Chili?" he asked, pulling his mask off. His light brown and gray hair stuck straight up.

"Dad, I never would have wiped out if you weren't wearing that stupid costume. You made me blow my concentration! And if I didn't crash, I would have won. I would have beaten Chad Doogan."

My dad stared at me, silent for a moment. "Beaten Doogan, huh?"

I nodded.

"Chili, I'm sorry." He hung his head. "I just came to see you race. I would never do anything to mess you up. Today is such a crowded day, I thought I'd advertise for the show." He stared down at the snow again, then back up at me. "Honey, you were great!"

When Dad looked at me like that, it was impossible to stay mad at him. So instead, I just smiled. "Let's go, Dad. You're such a goofball." I grabbed his arm and we made our way toward the parking lot. I knew he didn't mean to ruin my concentration. He really is a great person. He's just kind of weird too.

Before we stepped into the parking lot, Chad Doogan walked up to me. "Great race, Cece. I was worried there for a second. Lucky for me that jump got you at the end. Now that's drama." He smiled his confident smile. I wanted to tackle him. "Better luck next year," he said. He turned to face my dad. "Hey, Mr. Morgan. Love the outfit." He laughed and walked away.