The runway felt different this time. It ( 1 ) __________ him for a brief moment. Then it all (2) __________ him like a wet bale of hay. The ( 3 ) __________ was set at nine inches higher than his personal best. That's only one inch off the National record, he thought. The ( 4 ) __________ of the moment filled his mind with anxiety. He began shaking the tension. It wasn't working. He became more ( 5 ) __________ . Why was this happening to him now, he thought. He began to get ( 6 ) __________ . Afraid would be a more accurate ( 7 ) __________ . What was he going to do? He had never ( 8 ) __________ these feelings. Then out of nowhere, and from the deepest depths of his soul, he ( 9 ) __________ his mother. Why now? What was his mother doing in his ( 10 ) __________ at a time like this? It was simple. His mother always used to tell him when you felt tense, anxious or even scared, take deep ( 11 ) __________. So he did. Along with shaking the tension from his legs, he ( 12 ) __________ laid his pole at his feet. He began to ( 1 3) _________________ his arms and ( 1 4) __________. The ( 15 ) _________________ that was once there was now gone. He carefully picked up his pole. He felt his ( 16 ) ________________ . He was sure the crowd did, too. The silence was deafening. When he heard the singing of some distant birds ( 17 ) ________________ , he knew it was his time to fly.