Its been a long road

Taking a step back I wanted to summarize my journey so far. I started this blog at the end of January explaining how my goal was to not only become a jockey but win the Kentucky derby. The posts to follow where about \the NARA. I than tolled of my experience when I  visited The NARA and how much I fell in love with the program. after the trip I let everyone know how very selective it was and that I still had hope of getting in. Than on the night of March 14th my life and dream almost came to an end when I had my car accident. I told of the long process of wearing my halo for 3 months and how I was thankful not to only have my life but that I was still able to be a jockey. Than came the day I was suppose to get my halo off but unfortunately there was no bone growth. The following Friday I was planning on heading to Kentucky for my Interview and I didn't want anything to get in the way So I opted for the surgery the very next morning. The surgery went well even though my throat was very very soar. I was thankful I was still able to attend my interview. A few days after the interview I received the email telling me I had been accepted It was one of the happiest days of my life. It has been a long road with a bunch of twist and turns but I have made it. I'm going back to steak n shake July 6th to start working again. Things are finally starting to go back to normal. Even though there have been numerous challenges. I made it and am heading towards my dream at a full sprint. I will become a Jockey and I will win the Kentucky derby nothing will stop me and nothing can hold me back. I'm on my way and wont be looking back. I see the open road ahead and running at it at in a full out sprint.

I'm In!

When I woke up today I did the routine check of looking at my phone to see if I got any txts or emails. As I glanced at my phone, I saw I had an e-mail waiting for me. When I opened my inbox, I thought it was probably the usual junk mail.  But, then I saw it! It was an e-mail from Chris McCarron. Thoughts went racing through my mind. Did I get in to the NARA or was it an e-mail telling me I didn't make it. I put all the bad thoughts out of my head and opened it. As I read the words: "Congratulations you have been accepted for the fall 2011 semester." I couldn't hold my self back.  I went nuts with excitment! I did it!  I made it into the school that would launch me into my career. This day is one of the best days of my life. It looks like I'll be heading down to Kentucky in August to get ready for when school starts on the 17th.

Last night I was browsing youtube and came across this music video. This song is my life and my dream. It is my new theam song. "A Horse that can Fly" by Templeton Thomposn

Surgery and Kentucky were both a success!

My surgery was a success! Although my neck is still very stiff and I still don't have full neck movement yet, I'm doing well. The odontoid screw fixation process took about an hour. When I woke up my neck was very swollen and it was extremely hard to swallow. I am thankful that the surgery was able to be scheduled last Friday so I could make it to my interview with Chris McCarron. I have been through a lot over the past few months on the way to  fulfilling my goals: almost died in a car accident, had to wear a halo for almost 3 months, graduated from high school even though it was challenging at times, went through a spinal surgery since the halo didn't work, and had a wonderful interview with Mr. McCarron. There are no words to describe how thankful, excited and blessed I am. My passion and life long dream lay before me. I'm currently waiting to see if I passed the interview and I should know within a week.

Surgery

So I've been wearing a halo brace for the past 2 months so that my spine could heal from my c1 and c2 fracture. Just got back from the Drs and found out there had been no bone growth so having the pain and dificulties of wearing a halo for 2 and 1/2 months turned out to be pointless. I'm going into surgery tomorrow morning at 9:30. The surgeons will be placing a screw that will fuse my c1 and c2 together. Thankfully the drs said this will not interupt my plans of becoming a jockey. Hopfuelly I'll feel good enough to go down to Kentucky for my interview on June 3rd. I've gone through alot over the past months but my dream is still alive!

Graduation+an awesome surprise!

Graduation, a time of excitment, memories, and parties. On Sunday I officially graduated from Roanoke Benson. I had so many great experinces at that school that I will never forget. As graduation ends my dream comes closer and closer.  I am still excited by moving one step closer to my goal. I hope to be in Kentucky soon attending jockey school and being closer to the Kentucky Derby. Now for the big surprise. Last Saturday I was checking my emails and came across one from the academy. I clicked on it, wondering if this might be an email about an interview. My heart started racing and I could hardly contain myself. I had an interview with the academy! It is now on me to prove to them that I should be accepted and show them my hard determination. I'll hopefullly be getting my halo brace off on May 26th and heading down to Kentucky for an interview and to sign up for classes on June 3rd!

Its almost Derby day

In two more days, owners, trainers, and jockeys will be in the biggest race of the year. It is like the super bowl of football, the championship of basketball, and the World Series of baseball. It is the Kentucky Derby, where people from all walks of life tune in to watch a fantastic race. It is this race that I long to be in. I created this blog because of this race. Looking back I have come a great distance in getting closer to fulfilling my dream. I'll be keeping my eye on the the number 10 horse Twinspired. His jockey is none other than the legendary Mike Smith. Although the odds are against him I believe it comes down to how much the jockey and horse want to win it together. My second favorite would be the number 11 horse Master Of Hounds. Garrett Gomez will be racing this horse for his first Derby win ever. Even though he is one of the greatest jockeys in the U.S., he has yet to win the Kentucky Derby. Two other people I'll be watching is the number 1 horse Archarcharch ridden by Jon Court, and last but not least, the number 7 horse Pants On Fire. Jockey Rosie Napravnik will be riding him and will also be looking at setting a record as the first woman to win the Kentucky Derby. Major props go out to her. The only thing that could have made this derby better is if Joe Talamoe was racing in it. Good Luck to everyone. This Derby should be a great one!

first come first serve

The jockey school is currently running on first come first serve basis, which means the first ones that mailed in their applications are interviewed first. Because of where my name is on the list some people may have to no longer be interested or not pass the interview process for me to have a chance at getting in. The jockey school will be starting the interviews shortly. They'll start interviewing down the list until the class is full. I just hope they reach my name before the class is full. If I don't get in I'll have some thinking to do over the summer. Getting in would mean the world to me and would get me closer to reaching my goal.

Recovery

Here is a little update since my accident. I went to the neurosurgeon a week ago and he said my spine is healing nicely which was great news. However, the recovery process has been long and painful. I am taking Vicodin about every 4 hrs to keep the pain level down. But even with Vicodin, the pain doesn't completely go away. I'm currently on track to have the halo removed at the end of  May/beginning of June. I am happy my spine is healing and my dream of becoming a jockey is not over. I went back to school last Friday for a couple hours. Thankfully, I'm going to be able to graduate and hopefully finish out my science, history, and language classes on time. The school staff has been super helpful. After the halo is removed, I'm guessing I'll have a few weeks of therapy.  The doctor said I should be as good as new and have full neck movement. I'm still anxiously waiting on a phone call from the academy inviting me to come down for an interview.

Very Thankful

Monday March 14th was one of the scariest nights in my life. I was driving home from picking out a prom tux. On the way home I started nodding off, but I was so close that I figured I could make it and it wouldn't be worth pulling in a gas station to get a coffee or take a power nap.  Less than a half mile from home I caught myself heading towards the ditch. I turned the wheel the opposite way but overcorrected. Within a split second my car swerved back, started fish tailing and then shot into the ditch. As I was heading down the steep embankment all that when through my mind was "Don't flip!  Please, don't flip. I don't have the money for a new car!" I hit the ditch around 60mph and as my car started flipping I remember thinking "Crap how am I going to get around without my wheels?" As my car flipped over, my head was like a pinball in a pinball machine hitting everything possible it could reach. Thankfully the car stopped right side up. As the dust cleared I felt blood streaming down my face and the back of my head was throbbing. I took off my heavy jacket and climbed out the driver's side window. I immediately  called my dad to tell him what happened and started walking to the neighbors to get help. By the time I got to the road a car approached and I waved it down. The driver and his daughter were very nice.  He gave me  something to hold pressure on my cut and told me to sit down immediately. Soon after my dad arrived  he was about to take me to the ER until I told him my head was hurting; he called 911 right away. Miraculously,  two trauma ER nurses where driving by and stopped to help.  The only reason I can think of why they came instantly upon the scene of my accident is  that God sent them my way. They had me lie down.  While one stabilized my head, the other started asking me the usual awareness questions. Within several minutes the fire trucks and ambulance arrived. They put a head and neck brace on, placed me on a backboard, and put me in the ambulance. I was rushed to the trauma center and was given a CT scan. Every few minutes a nurse would walk in telling me the CT scans looked good and that I probably had a small concussion. About an hour later a nurse came in and told me I had fractured my C1 and C2 vertebrae. It is a miracle that I could still move all my limbs and was not dead. I realized God was definitely watching over me because I could have done permanent damage to my neck as I crawled out of my car and started walking down the road.  The neurologist  came in and explained that I either needed surgery or had to wear a halo apparatus.  The doctor said that I would be better off with the halo because with the surgery I potentially wouldn't have full neck movement and would have arthritis at a young age. I decided to go with the halo. To make a long story short, they put the halo on and I was kept in the hospital a few more days.  The pain was so intense I found myself pressing the morphine button every six minutes. I have been home since last Thursday and have been feeling better each day. I still spend my days and nights confined to the Lay-Z-Boy.  I am beginning to spend time on the computer and playing my X-box. I have to have the halo on for two to three months and after that I should be as good as new. I am thankful to be alive and still be able to pursue my dream of becoming a jockey if I get accepted into the program. 

Waiting on a Phone call

My future is currently waiting on a phone call and an interview. My living arrangements, money budget, and college placement tests are all waiting on one phone call. The day Chris McCarron gives me the call to schedule an interview for the jockey school will be one of the happiest days of my life. It will not only lead to the start of my jockey schooling and racing experience but will also involve leaving home, finding a new place to live and work in Kentucky. It is a weird feeling having all of your plans and expectations waiting on one phone call. There is always that question of what if I don't get in this yea? What is in store for the future and what will I do college wise if I'm not accepted.  However, I am confident my dream will come true. It is never good to have a pessimistic attitude, but there is always that lingering question WHAT IF?  I can't wait for the future and it's somewhat exciting yet scary not knowing what lies ahead. What ever happens, I know it was meant to be. I look forward to making Kentucky my home and the Academy my school for the next 2 years.

The Academy

Visiting the North American Racing Academy was an incredible experience. When I arrived and was directed to go to barn #30, home of the horses for the academy, I was about to see my possible school for the next two years. Barn #30 is a large old barn that has a fragrance of fresh hay and horse sweat. When I entered the barn  the jockeys where all saddling up their steeds, getting ready to head to the track. I had a brief introduction with Mr McCarron and then began talking to some of the students as he started checking the jockeys' horses to make sure everything was correct. I talked with several of the students about their typical day and how awesome it is to be taught by Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron. There aren't many schools, if any at all, that are taught by the top person in that field. Mr. McCarron has a personal relationship with each student and every student respects him. It is like they're one big family. I then walked down to the track and watched them warm up and then breeze the horses. Seeing the jockeys thundering past, riding like one with the horse, made me excited to become a student at the Academy. Since the Academy only allows 16 jockey students a year there is a long wait list and interviews that have to take place. I am anxiously waiting a call from Mr McCarron to schedule an interview and hopefully be granted one of the spots to send me off in my dream to win the Kentucky Derby.    

Kentucky!

On Saturday, I drove down to the beautiful state of Kentucky.  There are no words that I can use to describe how amazing and beautiful Kentucky is. The rolling hills and numerous horse farms where a nice scenic break from the wide open spaces of Illinois filled with corn fields. This is truly the horse capitol of America. Everywhere you look there are horse farms. Since I enjoy these animals so much, seeing them all around is outstanding. I cant wait to be able to call Kentucky my home for the next 2 years. Tomorrow I'm meeting with Chris McCarron and touring the North American Racing Academy. I look forward to meeting him and talking about my future plans. My dream of becoming a jockey is almost a reality.  Coming to Kentucky has made it more of a reality.  I'm looking forward to the future.

Accepted!

I recently received my acceptance letter to Blue Grass Community and Technical College. I was thrilled when I received the letter, but then I was hit with the reality of what it will cost me.  After receiving my acceptance letter I immediately applied to the North American Racing Academy. I am anxiously waiting for their response.  I am looking forward to visiting the academy on March 7th. My dream is getting closer every day.

Dieting

At 5'4 122lbs I thought I was small enough to be a jockey. I was dead wrong. The North American Racing academy prefers there students to be under 112 lbs. Before, I could eat what ever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I had a high enough metabolism that no matter what or how much I ate I would stay right around 122lbs. Needless to say I needed to start cutting back on my calories to weigh less than 112 lbs. Over the past few weeks I have limited myself to 1200 calories a day. At first I was hungry all the time.  But after the  weeks of dieting, I found myself not starving but not totally full ether. I am currently at 110lbs and plan on raising the calories to maintain my weight.

Dieting is very important in the jockeys' life style. Before every race the jockey has to weigh in. If he or she is too heavy they are scratched from the race. Because jockeys eat so few calories,  it is impotent to get enough calcium, veggies, proteins, and other nutrients. Every food item a jockey eats has to be carefully chosen so that they are getting the most amount of nutrition for the calories. Chocolates, cookies and other tasty snakes don't have to be eliminated but should be taken in very small amounts. 

 At first the dieting is a chore and it takes time figuring out how many calories are in each food item but over time it becomes easier and easier to know how many calories one has consumed.  I have learned to appreciate food more and have slowed down eating so I can savor every bite. I never dreamed of going on a diet.  But since I have chosen my career as a jockey,  counting calories has become a life style and I have been keeping on track.

My Race

My race to the Kentucky Derby started when I was a toddler. Ever since I was young I loved animals, especially horses. I always dreamed of owning my own horse. When I was 10, we moved from town into the country. Now, we had the space for a horse. I just didn't have the money. I used to constantly spend my birthday and Christmas money on toys that only lasted a year or two. One day my dad told me that if I saved enough money to buy a horse he would build the fence and barn. I wanted a horse so bad that I saved and saved. I would not spend my money on anything. Finally the day came. I had saved $1000 towards getting my first horse. My horse search began. After a few months of searching I found a small but very spunky half- quarter half-Arabian horse named Ellie. When I saw her for the first time I knew she was the one. Although she had  major attitude problems, I was convinced that I could break her bad habits. The long days of training lay ahead but after a year she was perfect. Becoming the owner of Ellie started the race.

Ellie

After I had Ellie for a few years, I knew I wanted to work with horses for my career.  I first considered becoming a rancher, competing in rodeos or even becoming a horse trainer. When I was 15 I really started getting interested in becoming a jockey. Every time I saw a horse race there was this sense of awe that came over me. I wanted to be out there racing the horses around the track. I knew this was my calling.

 As my junior year ended and my senior year of  high school began, it was time to choose a college. I knew I wanted to be a jockey, but couldn't find a college that had a jockey program. One day as I was browsing the web about how to get connections with owners and trainers to start out my jockey career, I came across the North American Racing Academy. My heart skipped a beat. Could this be true? Is there really a college that has a jockey program? After reading more about the program I sent in an application. I have made an appointment to meet with Mr. Chris McCarron, owner of The North American Racing Academy, on March 7th.

Little did I realize that my love for animals at a young age was the beginning of my quest to win the Kentucky Derby, which is now becoming a possibility. I can't wait to meet with Chris and check out his school. This is my race to the Kentucky Derby.