FORT PIERCE, Fla. — I knew walking into Fort Pierce Central High School’s JROTC Cobra Battalion that I was going to be in trouble.
They’d built this rope bridge as part of their Raider Team training — a single rope stretched from pole to pole — and before I could even ask how it worked, the cadets were making a harness out of rope for me. Not the comfy seatbelt kind — this thing went across my chest and tight around my lungs, like a DIY corset designed by the Army.
At 220 pounds, I hoisted myself up with the help of a cadet’s bent knee acting as a step stool, swung onto the rope… and immediately found myself hanging upside down like a sloth who’d made some bad life choices.
I tried to interview them while dangling there (because it’s me — of course I did), but let’s just say I wasn’t making much progress. Every time I thought I was getting somewhere, gravity reminded me who was boss.
That’s when the Cobra Battalion kicked into high gear. They worked together — pushing, pulling, coaching, cheering — until somehow I made it to the other side.
It took grit, balance, and more teamwork than I deserved in that moment. And the cadets? They made sure I crossed completely.
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