What motivates a Drake Bulldog to climb Kilimanjaro?

What motivates a Drake Bulldog to climb Kilimanjaro?

It is a grueling test of endurance and will to climb a mountain. The landscape might be scenic and the gesture may be grand but the harsh reality of climbing such a distance is a scary thing. I can’t say that I have felt, or will feel anything like I am going to experience climbing Killi but I can imagine that I will need some extremely powerful motivators to get me through to the top. At first I imagine that I, being one for enjoying the artistic natural world in all its glory will try to take in as much of this jungle as I can. But when my boots get heavy, I will probably drift into thoughts of things here, in Des Moines. Working harder toward next year and my future, setting goals and trying to envision what the path before me might hold. When the mountain starts to get a little cold I will probably drift into my book idea, my life in Kansas, something to distract me from the world around me. I will try to excite myself with ideas and fantasies of what life would be like if a book I wrote was a success. When my feet get a little red and wet. I will probably begin to wonder if it is all worth it. If getting to the top is such a big deal. I will try to calculate how many more steps/miles/minutes I will be marching up this mountain. But when all is said and done, I am thinking that my main motivators are going to be the people who mean most to me. The thought of doing all of this is amazing, but it is really special for me to do it for my family. My mother who worked really hard to get me into better schools, a good college, on a football team, and onto this plane to Africa will be with me every dreary step of the way. I will breath in the sacrifices she has made for me and drip them, as sweat, onto the soil. She will be as much a part of this trip for me as anyone physically there. And when my mind and body have decided they want to quit I will be reminded of what is perhaps the greatest thing about being a bulldog. Companionship, when the bitter winds really do hit my face, and all the other places in the world seem better then here, I am sure that my teammates will push to get me through. They will drive me and motivate me because that’s just what we do. We strive to get the best out of one another and we as a team will not consider the trip a success if we do not get our teammates up that mountain. We are Drake Bulldogs and this is what we do.

-Eugene "EJ" Walter 97

When I think about the driving factor that will force me to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, it will be just the happiness of what has been given in my life. Despite the sacrifices we've made, we are all very fortunate to be apart of this trip. We do not take life for granted and I think once we are climbing this mountain, we will realize how great this experience is. It is a life-changing experience for us. I will also think of my friends and family back home as motivation. I want them to know that I did it! I will also realize without them in my life, I probably wouldn't be where I'm at now. The last motivation force for me will be the soldiers and veterans in our country. Recently, I've been doing community service at Des moines' VA (Veterans' Administration) Hospital. Just meeting the veterans and hearing their stories they went through makes this climb seem as if it is a tiny feat. I will think of all the troubles they went through, all of the  mountains and slopes they climbed and of course the sacrifices they made.  

This will motivate me to defeat this mountain!

Cam Good, #4

 I don't know what to expect from Mt.Kilimanjaro.  I'm excited to say that I will be climbing the prestigious mountain.  What a memory our football team will have when we come back for a reunion?  We climbed one of the tallest mountains in the world!!!! Gosh that's so exciting and awesome.  I will admit that I'm a little worried of how my body will react to the elevation.  I've heard some scary stories of people not reacting well, but I can't let that stop me from climbing that mountain.  The opportunity of climbing this mountain is what motivates me.  Some people will never have a chance like this, and this is why I can't let this slip away. This will be a check off my list of things to do.  The mountain journey will provide some comedy, life stories, and football talk. I imagine I will get to become better friends/teammates with the guys.  We will be hiking for 6/7 days, so it will be good to mingle with everyone.  This adventure will bring different motivation from each individual and I hope to hear about them. This will be a once and lifetime adventure, and I can't wait.

Pat Cashmore #30

Drake Fans! This week I want to talk about what will be driving me up Mount Kilimanjaro. As I said last week, I had a major shoulder surgery on the 8th of December. Getting to the top of this mountain will be an absolutely huge accomplishment for me after this surgery. Doctors kept saying how tough it would be to come back from a surgery like this but I pray about it every day and stay consistent with my physical therapy. Yes, surgery is a tough opponent but it is just one more thing that I will not be defeated by and it is standing between me and a PFL Championship ring. Also, I think about how close our team was last year to winning the PFL. Jacksonville and Dayton thought we had no business being close with them in a football game. They are good teams but it would be a huge mistake to underestimate us. I know how tough we were last year and we are going to be even more dangerous this year. They have a target on their backs and climbing this mountain will start a great series of victories for the Bulldog Nation. Thanks for reading again this week and as always, GO DAWGS!

Jim Nelson, #13