Injury Week: Missing Thursday Post

Ok, So I was sick on Thursday last week and ended up losing one of the better injury story days I was planning. So I guess I'll just keep it going.

In high school we had 1 lunch period and about 400-500 students overall. If you walked to lunch you got in the end of a huge line and had to wait 15-30 minutes for your food and this was more then half of your lunch period. So, those of us unconstrained by feelings of fitting in, would run to lunch. Every year was a new experience depending on how far away from the cafeteria we were located. Scheelk and I were 2 of the most ambitious lunch runners and also 2 of the best Cross Country runners. I don't know if that's a coincidence or a prerequisite. Either way, here is a video of a lunch run just so you get what this is all about.

So, we did that every day, and every day I would try to find some ways to shave some seconds off my time, beat Scheelk, etc. One day I had the bright idea to pass him through the left door before going down the first staircase. I went for it and as he broke through the right door his left foot planted in front of the left door. I had no clue but as I pushed open the left door it hit his heel and stopped dead. My body's momentum then proceeded to run full force into the door with my forehead. It all happened in a split second and I was propelled through the door after it slapped me in the face. I was kind of surprised and dizzy and trying to figure out what happened as students ran past me and laughed at my folly. One girl happened to look back and her face went from amusement to fear. I remember her saying "you should probably see the nurse, you might want to go to the hospital." "Huh?" I wondered to myself. I instinctively put my hand where the door had slapped me and I feel some swelling and something wet. I bring my hand back down in front of my face to see it drenched in blood. I ended up geting a trip away from school to the family doctor who stiched up my eyebrow. I was excited for some sweet facial scarring, but now 5 years later it's near invisible. I guess it's for the best.

This injury happened with a chain reaction of other injuries. Within the 3 months of senior year I injured myself 3 times. This was the first, second was very similar. I was running to lunch again (I know, I know) and where the youtube video ends is the bottom of the main staircase. You're not allowed to bring your backpack into the lunch line so everyone just throws there backpacks down. So not only do you have to hurtle backpacks, you have to avoid the ones being thrown from the staircase at record speed. I was not so lucky and in full sprint I was tripped up by a flying backpack. I spun a couple times on the tile and eventually thwacked my head against one of the columns that line the cafeteria. My head split open and required 4 staples. Another month later again I was clowning around during lunch body slamming something and being a general ass-hat. My head hit the tile and ended up splitting my head again a couple inches away from the other stapled spot. So yeah, they knew me by my first name at the family doctor that year.