I said . . . . HANG ON!!!!

I feel that my friends and I are solely responsible for my brother's toughness.   We believed in the carrot and stick method of motivation . . . . minus the carrot!  This was never more apparent than when we taught him how to water ski.  Chuck Overstreet and I would ski at a small lake near our town almost daily during the summer.  We were reckless daredevils that would try anything on water.  We would jump ramps on knee boards, barefoot, trick ski . . . . you name it and we would try it.  One day during that summer (Brian was probably about 13) Chuck and I took Brian with us to the lake with the intentions of teaching him to ski.  After we put the boat in I gave Brian his instructions.  I said, "Brian, lean back, keep the ski tips straight up, and hold on.  The boat will pull you up."  We tightened up the rope and asked was he ready to which he nodded in the affirmative.  We took off!!  Brian was starting to come up out of the water and then he just . . . . let go.  Cursing heavily we circled back around and I told Brian again "You have to HOLD ON!  The boat will pull you up!"  We tighten up and try again.  Brian is almost up when he lets go again.  This time when we pull up to him I tell him that not only does he have to hold on but that if he lets go again then we were going to jump in and beat his butt!  We tighten back up and take off again.  Again he is almost up and he just lets go . . .  As we drive back up, Chuck cuts the engine and we dive in and proceed to beat Brian's tail!  After we had ducked him and popped him a few times we got back in the boat and I told him, "You had better HANG ON!  If you don't we are going to come back around and do that again."  This time as we took off Brian pops right up and ski's like a pro.  He makes it almost all the way around the Lake when (and it happens to everybody) he just fell.  Well instead of letting go he just hung on and torpedoed for about 25 yards!!!  Brian became a great skier.  He would pop right up but if he ever fell you knew to hurry and stop the boat or he might drown!  He tends to be tenacious.  How could he be anything else??