— Chapter 10 —
They had been at it for weeks. Running, lunges, burpees, and sit-ups in all combinations came together in this thing called CrossFit. A new summer program at the Ranch meant new challenges for the boys and girls, but with great reward.
“Come on, you can do it,” said Cory, a drop of sweat falling from the tip of his nose, “Just one more.”
“I can’t,” groaned Marcus, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath, “It’s too hard.”
Cory walked over to Marcus and squatted down in front of him, making eye contact. “You are capable of doing so much more than you think you can. You just have to keep trying.”
Marcus understood, and taking one final deep breath, he jumped into his final burpee. Cory gave Marcus a high-five and walked with him over to the water fountain.
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In the summer of 2016, Cory returned to Eagle Ranch to serve in yet another capacity, this time teaching the boys and girls something he was deeply passionate about—CrossFit.
Through the sport of CrossFit, boys and girls at Eagle Ranch learn mental toughness, grit, resiliency, and how to push through when things get hard. Despite the struggles they are facing in their own lives and with their families, the summer CrossFit program provides our boys and girls with challenges they can choose to overcome—thereby reaping the rewards of accomplishment, self-confidence, and so much more.
Stay tuned for the final release of “A Chance at Childhood” later this week.
Cory’s story is one of many children’s stories from Eagle Ranch. Your support goes toward providing a home, counseling, education and spiritual guidance to children in crisis. Consider making a gift at EagleRanch.org/GIVE