In ninth grade, I got in trouble in gym class for talking (oh, the horror). As a punishment, I had to write a two-page essay on the epitome of all Olympic sports; the high jump. Being one to never pass up an opportunity, I decided to share my essay with all of my dear cyber-readers. Oh, and I got an A+ on the essay, in case you were wondering.

The High Jump perhaps represents man’s ascent into greatness. One second you are soaring through the air with the grace of an eagle, the next you are falling, a frenzy of arms and legs, and finally, you hit the ground like a sack of beans.

It was Neil Armstrong who best summed up the symbolism of the high jump when he said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Of course, as most anybody with half a brain knows, he said that when he became the first man to walk on the moon. Which leads me to wonder… What would the high jump be like if it were held on the moon? Better yet, Pluto?
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