Artificial Athlete 

When deciding how to alter my body, I reflected on my recent struggles that I had been experiencing on the varsity track team at Carnegie Mellon my Freshman year. After being one of the top runners in my high school and coming to run in college I anticipated going back to the bottom but I did not think that I would be utterly embarrassed with my performance. Every day I kept finding myself commenting on how I wished I was just a little taller, or a little stronger and a lot faster. I thought about what it would be like to only be wishing but not actively doing anything to change your situation. It can be argued that great athletes can be born, but it's also known that great athletes can be built through hard work and dedication. Simply hoping that you’d get better will not last. 

These artificial enhancements I have created, fall apart, some almost immediately, deeming them useless. The “abs of steel” were in reality copper squares (one of the weakest metals) sewed onto the fabric with a very thin string. The arm bands, not falling apart were also useless as they were filled with plush material that is found in stuffed animals. Two blocks of wood and duct taped to my feet, temporarily increased my height.