The World Class Athlete
Alexander the Really Great, as his trainer called him, was a world class athlete. Or at least that was how he thought of himself. So far he had only competed on a county level, but soon Rebecca and he would be going to their first national competition. He had every intention of winning it. Sure, technically it was only a junior competition, as his trainer was only twelve years old (in human years), but Alexander the Really Great knew that this was where the real prestige could be gained. Children training their pet squirrels to run through obstacle courses was sweet and adorable. Adults doing it was just, well, kinda sad.
Rebecca had been training Alexander the Really Great for about four years now. She had started by putting out nuts or other treats for him in trees, on a swing, a seesaw or her garden climbing frame, to name just a few places. Wherever she put his food, he would get it. There was seemingly no mountain too high, no valley too low; there was nowhere he could not reach if he put his mind to it.
After a while Rebecca’s father started to build obstacles for Alexander the Really Great to traverse. Alexander the Really Great found them really easy to beat. But to the humans’ credit, they kept making the route to his food longer and longer, then eventually they even added a speed element. They would place his treat at the end of the course, but if he took too long to get to it they would take it away, then lead him back to the start to try again. Alexander the Really Great should have found this annoyingly unfair, but he actually enjoyed the challenge. When the humans were sleeping some of his friends would come by to try the course. Only two could complete it, but neither one of them could do it as fast, as smoothly, or with as much confidence as he could. Alexander the Really Great just knew he had an extraordinary talent for this.
The big box with the spinning legs took him and Rebecca to where the national competition was being held. He did not like being inside the big box at all, it felt… wrong, somehow. There were a lot of other squirrels at the competition – a few red, but most grey like himself – more than he had ever seen in one place. He really wished he had time to play with them, yet understood that he could not see them that way. They were his enemies this day, he must outperform them all!
Rebecca’s name was called. Alexander the Really Great now stood before the biggest obstacle course he had ever seen in his life. A lesser squirrel would be daunted, but he could not wait to begin.
Can you describe the course he is about to attempt?
Will it all go smoothly, or will he struggle at any point?
After the competition, what is next for Alexander the Really Great?