This week, monster trucks taught me that things don’t have to be familiar to be fun.
Giant mounds of dirt covered the floor where the Utah Jazz compete. The Vivint Smart Home arena was buzzing with sounds of an excited audience and revving engines.
The arena, which has hosted superstars like Coldplay and Carrie Underwood, was lined with gigantic trucks, and the kids who sat below me cheered with immense enthusiasm as the monster trucks grumbled.
I appreciated monster trucks about as much as I did WWE Raw and Sunday afternoon football. But while looking for concert tickets to give as a Christmas present, I came across tickets for an upcoming monster truck rally and figured there was nothing to lose, despite being completely obtuse to the world of monster trucks.
I was apprehensive about attending the event because I was unsure what to expect. Stereotypes surrounding monster trucks left me uninterested and ignorant regarding the sport.
The trucks featured elaborate decorations that masked the intense mechanics. In comparison to the stadium, they looked slightly larger than average, until the mechanics walked past the towering truck wheels.
An enthusiastic audience put in their ear plugs and the show began. The gargantuan machines roared and began charging the dirt piles. They soared in the air and came crashing down. Trucks flipped and rolled, fans cheered, and flashy lights shone across the stadium.
The stadium echoed with shouts and hollers as trucks dressed as Scooby-doo and Grave Digger crushed the smaller cars beneath their wheels.
I was captivated with the event as soon as it began. All aspects of the rally surprised and excited me. The fans were wild and passionate, and the drivers were skilled and dedicated athletes.
Isn’t it incredible how fearful we are to approach what we do not know? I was anxious about attending because I was unsure what to expect.
As the vehicles tumbled and thrashed, I found myself up out of my seat cheering with my section. I bit my lip as Scooby-doo — the truck I was rooting for — approached the final challenge.
My phone buzzed, and I ignored the messages. Calls came in and I could not take them. I was too focused on the battle of skill and machine in front of me.
As I left the arena, I was amazed at how involved I became in the show. It dawned on my how narrow-minded I could be. I had been afraid to try something new because it was different from my status-quo.
I’m not sure I’ll ever be a dedicated monster truck fan, however, my evening with the monster trucks made me realize that there is almost always something to be appreciated.
