Chiefs of Santaluces: Taylor Schmidt

Angelica Dameus, Staff Writer

“I was in the Ocoee River in Tennessee. When I went white water rafting, my dad and I sat in the front because we’re daredevils. Our instructor said that if the current is going one way, we have to paddle the other way so we don’t flip over. He also said that if you fall out of the raft, put your feet up so your foot doesn’t get caught in the rocks underwater. So, we were in the front, and we were about go over this really big current, with a bunch of rocks under us. The current washes over me, and I flip out of the raft. They [the rest of the rafters] kept going. My first thought was to put my feet up. All of the water was getting in my mouth, and I felt like I was going to drown. They reached their paddles out to me and pulled me into the raft by my life jacket. I really thought I was going to die.”