Writings on the Web

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="21d005a0dvldtc.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC00" FACE="Arial" ><B>PT3 Readers are Leaders</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0099FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FF3300" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PT3 Readers are Leaders"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="home.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reading Room"><U>Reading Room</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web Sites about Books"><U>Web Sites about Books</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web Reading"><U>Web Reading</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Authors"><U>Authors</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings on the Web"><U>Writings on the Web</U></A>   |   <B> Writings on the Web</B>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Recommended Reading for students"><U>Recommended Reading for students</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id101.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Multicultural authors"><U>Multicultural authors</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Multicultural Booklist"><U>Multicultural Booklist</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id105.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Naomi Nye "><U> Naomi Nye </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id106.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Esmeralda Santiago"><U>Esmeralda Santiago</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id107.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Maya Angelou"><U>Maya Angelou</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Michael Dorris"><U>Michael Dorris</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id109.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rosa Guy"><U>Rosa Guy</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id110.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U>--Type Title Here--</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFCC00" TEXT="#080000"> <div>  Writings on the Web</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Before the Torch</div> <div> by Archie L. Smith</div> <div> Southwest Middle School</div> <bR> <div>      Growing up as a small child, I watched a lot of wrestling.  Some of the good guy wrestlers inspired me to become a professional wrestler.  Some names such as Diamond Dallas Page, Raven, The Big Show.  The list can go on and on.  </div> <div>      My brothers and I got injured a lot in backyard wrestling.  My worst injury was a sprained ankle.  My little brother had to get two staples in the back of his head.  My baby brother got hit in the face by a fence once and was seriously injured.  </div> <div>      All three of us grew up wanting to become professional wrestlers, and all three of us wrestled for Children's Championship Wrestling.  Wrestling for C.C.W. was rough and tough.  Every time you turned around you jumped or you were being jumped.  C.C.W. was 100 percent hardcore, which was just the way I liked it.  Before I started wrestling my life had a hole in it.  Wrestling seemed to make my life complete.  </div> <div>       C.C.W. was the closest thing kids could get to professional wrestling.  We lifted weights, ran track, and practiced every match until we knew it by heart.  I began wrestling for C.C. W. when I was 12 years old.  I was 26-0 before I got my first ever title shot.  I wrestled Cody the C.C.W. Hardcore Champion.  That match was the most extreme match was the bloodiest, most painful, and extreme match that I have ever been in.</div> <div>      It started in the wrestling ring, but before the bell even rang Cody knocked me down with a clothesline.  When I got back up he kicked me in my ribs.  He rolled me outside the wrestling ring, which was really just a couple of old mattresses.  He beat me all the way to the side of the house.  Then he started showboating and dancing.  As soon as he turned around a garbage can lid took the shape of the top of his head.</div> <div>      I finished the match with my patented maneuver, the vortex, and became the new C.C.W. Hardcore Champion.  The crowd roared as I raised the belt up in honor.</div> <div>      I carried the belt for about three weeks, but the gold got in my blood, and I got greedy.  I wanted more than the hardcore title.  I wanted to become the C.C.W. Champion!  In order to do this I had to lose my current title.  </div> <div>      I decided to let my brother beat me.  I told him that I would lie down once the bell rang so he could just pin me so I could wrestle the C.C.W. World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Adams.</div> <div>      Next Saturday I wrestled Adams for  his World Heavyweight title.  Adams seemed pretty easy to beat.  I don't know why he defeated so many before me.  It didn't turn out the way I thought it would, but at the end I became the C.C. W. World Heavyweight Champion.</div> <div>      I stayed the world champion until I fought Adams again.  I could tell that Adams had revenge on his mind.  The match was over before I knew it.  Adams tried to scoop slam me, and my foot hit the referee.  While the referee was down, Adams got a beer bottle from under the ring.</div> <div>      As the thin glass crashed on the top of my head, the crowd had many reactions.  Some laughed, some booed, and some didn't say anything.  After that I had no choice but to pretend to be knocked out and let Adams pin me.  At the count of three the crowd exploded with boos.  The angry crowd threw toilet paper and beer.  This made Adams explode.  Adams had few fans.</div> <div>      My fans knew it wasn't my fault; they knew Adams had cheated.  Adams hated being hated.  He hated all the insulting signs.  He hated the boos, and in a way I felt sorry for the guy.</div> <div>     After that match it seemed that everyone tried to defeat me by cheating.  My own brother even threw salt in my eyes.  But despite all the bottles over the head and all the salt in the eyes, the crowd still loved me.</div> <div>      To me it seems that my loss to Adams made the crowd love me even more.  My fans felt closer to me than my own family.  To me they were my family.  Wrestling was my way out of all sadness and grief.  Whenever I was mad, I wrestled.  When I was sad, I wrestled.  I loved wrestling over all sports.  My lifelong dream was to become a professional wrestler and become the world heavyweight champion. </div> </td> </tr></table></body>