Zachary Foster

Professor R. Arnold

Writing 1101

14 September 2015

Becoming literate in a certain area takes time and focus. There are different levels of lit-

eracy and the level of literacy is dependent on the amount of interest in a topic someone has and

the amount of willingness one has to obtain more knowledge in that specific area. For me, how-

ever, I am at a higher level of literacy in the sport of auto racing. Racing has been a part my life

since I was born and I became interested in racing as soon as I was able to comprehend what rac-

ing was. I have increased my literacy in racing over the years by being introduced to different as-

pects of racing and people involved in the sport. Being as literate as I am today was a process,

which included me being observational, experimental, and attentive. My sponsor(s) of literary

and my personal experiences have significantly increased my interest in racing and my racing

knowledge. Experimenting in the go-kart myself as well as receiving advice from my sponsors

and peers were important to understanding the racing challenges and skills needed to be success-

ful. The process to becoming more literate was similar to stepping stones. Every piece of infor-

mation has the potential to be important at some point and the information connects to other

pieces of information. Whether the information was learned through my personal observations or

given to me by a peer or mentor, it increased my level of literacy and improved my skills on the

track.

My personal experiences of racing include being present at the variety of professional

race tracks and racing go-karts in a formal and informal manner. As I increased my literacy, I be-

came more motivated to improve my skills, physically and mentally. However, the more moti-

vated I became, the more frustration that came along with it. The physical skills that I aspired to

improve on would frustrate me, of course, since I could not get them on point. I seemed to have a

natural talent for racing and was a quick learner, normally achieving objectives in my first at-

tempt, but the goals I could not achieve, even with multiple attempts, would bring frustration and

a little bit of discouragement. For example, in go-kart racing, the tracks are similar to a road

course, which requires certain skills to maintain and/or increase speed. The angle and speed in

which one must enter and exit the turn is crucial to the amount of speed one has after exiting the

corner, which affects overall time and, more importantly, the distance between opponents. My

frustration would come from not being able to enter a turn at the correct angle at maximum

speed. Not being able to execute this combination in, not just in one single turn, but in multiple

turns equals a loss. Accuracy is vital in every race, similar to other sports. Accuracy is ultimately

the main goal and is what I have always been improving on, but failure is always present. I have

always enjoyed the challenge and knowledge that could be learned from attempting and achiev-

ing new objectives, but continuous failure becomes repetitive and frustrating after a while. Along

with the physical skill, the mental skills are also needed to expand literacy. One mental skill I

have improved on is thinking. Having the ability to think ahead and anticipate every action that

will be made, while under pressure, has improved my skills. Even though I was content with exe-

cution, my racing was not complete without “thinking”. I became more literate after learning

about the mental skills required to be successful in racing. I learned these skills through experi-

menting in the driver’s seat, observing others on the track, and by acquiring advice from peers.

I have obtained more knowledge in racing from observing the professionals as well as

racing with them. One example that sticks out in my mind would be when I raced with a profes-

sional by the name of Joey Logano. I was at the intermediate stage of my literacy when I had the

opportunity to race with Joey. While racing against him, I would watch his hands, feet, and his

kart and took mental notes simultaneously. I experimented with the new information I received

and attempted to adjust his driving style to mine. Afterwards, I spoke with him and took any ad-

vice he had and, later, I utilized those tips to hopefully improve my skills. This was one experi-

ence I had that increased my literacy in racing. During that time, I knew there was more to learn,

but did not realize what there was to improve on until observing someone else. Also during the

time in my literacy stage, I had the opportunity to work with a short term mentor, who was a mi-

nor sponsor of my literacy. Once we chose a track, we walked the entire track pinpointing each

individual “invisible mark” before the turn and in the middle of the turn. The marks were where

the kart needed to be in that specific turn. Afterwards, we drove the track side by side, which was

a significant learning curve for me. This taught me the importance of where to be on the track ac-

cording to my opponent and also the dangers of being in a certain spot/position on the track. This

also taught me to think ahead and “know” what is about to occur next. Anticipating an action and

capitalizing on it before it even occurs is crucial and was a skill I acquired and improved on ev-

ery race. Both of these experiences were significant to my literacy. Knowing how to maneuverer

the kart as well as mentally being active were two aspects of racing I learned from these two ex-

periences.

My major sponsor of literacy in racing is my dad. Since he has been professionally in-

volved in the sport of racing as a mechanic, the sport was passed down to me. Racing came al-

most natural to me. I have attended the tracks with him as well as received advice from him. He

has provided me with opportunities to race and support. Since we race together on occasions, we

have been able to learn from each other. Since he is professionally involved, I have also learned

about the mechanics outside of the car. The building and preparation of the car as well as other

subtle details have been introduced to me. I have become well-rounded in racing by learning

about the details inside of the driver’s seat and the details outside of the car. My dad is my major

sponsor since he initially introduced me to racing and has assisted me in my personal racing. My

minor sponsor of literacy was previously mentioned. I learned, from my minor sponsor, more

about racing with others at different distances and what to do in those situations. My sponsors of

literacy have introduced me to different aspects of racing and assisted me with improving my

skills.

My racing hobby is a sport I have become literate in. Each year has been stepping stones

and has lead to where I am today. Personally experimenting in the kart and observing others

were ways of learning I could do myself. Most of the driving knowledge is self taught through

personal experiences. However, listening to others for advice was important because I was given

a different perspective on how to achieve the same goal, either more efficiently or with the same

amount effort. Knowing multiple ways to achieve the same goal may be needed if a new situa-

tion arises. Without any sponsors, my literacy would not be as strong as it is today. My dad intro-

ducing me to racing and getting me started sparked my interest and motivated me to become

more skillful and knowledgable. He has also provided me opportunities to allow myself to be-

come more literate in racing. My other sponsor introduced me to subtleties on the track and

taught me how to apply them to different situations, whether it be on the track or in the outside

world. My literacy continues to expand and there is always more room for improvement and

more knowledge.