The Woeful Tales of Non-Contact Sports Injuries
Now, we all hear plenty about the bumps and bruises that can sometimes occur in contact sports. “Oh, I jammed my finger,” “I sprained my toe,” “I broke my leg.” The list of complaints goes on and on. These drama queens don’t have a clue when it comes to real pain. Real pain is freezing your toes off golfing in April. Real pain is playing through an entire tennis match with a rock in your shoe. Consider this dedication to all those non-contacters who risked it all for the glory, and the injuries that they fearlessly face everyday.
Chase Rizo: Track and Field
Track is one of the most brutal and abusive sports in the world. In ancient Rome, more people died in agony on the track than all other competitions combined. “I’ve had my share of horrific track injuries, but by far the worst one I’ve ever experienced was tinnitus. The ringing and pain was so torturous that I practically went insane. My mom wanted to check me into a mental health facility for electroshock therapy.” Rizo said.
Sophie Elsenbast: Swimming
“I was preparing all day for a 50 meter freestyle. I knew it was the most important day of my life. I dove into the pool, and as I soared through the air, all I could think about was my first stroke. All of a sudden, I collided with the water, my goggles flew off my face, and I plummeted into the deep abyss of the pool. I don’t think my eyes will ever been the same again, and I can’t look at a body of water larger than a water bottle without screaming. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Elsenbast said.
Justin Barnett: Bowling
“There’s really no way to describe the amount of pain you feel when you release the ball, only have your fingers yanked violently with it. It’s like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris both grabbing on to you fingers and using them for tug-of-war. I was in the hospital for several weeks. Not for my fingers; I had pneumonia, but still, I don’t think I’ll ever regain 100 percent mobility in my ring finger, but I try to not let my injury define me. I’ve been thinking about switching to one of those bowling ramps that they bring out on senior night,” Barnett said.
Claudia Elsenbast: Cross Country
Stretching is a very important part to any run, but it can be extremely dangerous if you overstretch. “Before the last meet of the season, I was stretching my hamstrings, but I accidentally pulled too far. I was so loose during my race that I lost control of my legs and crashed into a tree. I was going so fast, I thought I broke nearly every bone in my body. It turns out I only got a skinned knee and a bloody nose. I was disappointed; I thought they were going to give me robot legs so that I could walk again. I really wanted to be able to squat 600 pounds,” Elsenbast said.
Jim Sanders • May 13, 2015 at 1:25 pm
You don’t often think of bowling and swimming when you think of sports related injuries, but any time you’re exerting yourself physically there’s a chance you could injure yourself. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever do anything physical, though! Take the proper precautions and listen to your body and you’ll rarely have a problem.