Another example of why you should wear protective gear

Triathlon Forum
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Today I played in the end-of-year coaches’ soccer game. It was a game between the U6 and U8 coaches (“the young guys”) and the U10 and U12 coaches (“the old guys”). For fun and for a change the kids were all coaching us (we weren’t listening, though!) and we were playing. I showed up with my shin-guards on and two of the guys gave me crap for wearing them (probably only 7 of the 20 coaches/players wore them) saying the game was “just for fun”. My position was that if we require the kids to wear them, we should set an example and wear them ourselves… AND I have such terrible shin-splints that if the ball or a foot even gets NEAR my shins they hurt!

As the first half was about to close, with the score 0-0, the ball was shot to the middle of the field and from opposite ends of the field a 6’4" ish 250 pound “young guy” and a 6’ ish 200 pound “old guy” rushed towards the ball with a full head of steam. The “old guy” got to the ball a fraction of a second before the “young guy” and as his foot struck the ball the “young guy” made a try for the ball but just skimmed it and instead struck the “old guy” in the middle of his shin (he wasn’t wearing shin-guards) and with the sound of breaking bamboo his leg did a “Joe Theisman” (going from nice and straight to breaking both his tibia and fibula and bending unnaturally to the left 90 degrees!)!!! I’ve seen Theisman’s leg break on TV several times and it’s still painful to watch… but to see and hear it in real life… oh my God… I can’t even describe how horrible it is!

As the ambulance came on the field and took care of the injured coach, almost 10 coaches had their wives go home to get their shin-guards or borrowed their kids’ shin-guards to continue the second half.

The coach had to go into surgery and have pins (I believe) inserted. It was done successfully and he will have a full, although long and painful recovery.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Even if you’re doing something “just for fun”… wear the protective gear!!!

(Oh… and we ended up beating the “young guys” in the second half and won… 3-0!)

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I just saw that happen to a kickboxer (K1, I believe). Kicked at a guys legs, the other guy raised his foot off the ground and their shins collided. The guy’s lower leg broke and his foot just flopped around. Horrific.

What you’ve described ranks right up there with being a witness to baseball pitchers taking a line drive of the head/face. Happened to my roomate. Took a liner off the cheek. We all ran out there. He looked as if he couldn’t decide whether to cry or not so I said “Hey you got seam marks on your face … like Frankenstien” and he laughed. Even dumb jokes are funny in the right situation, I guess.

When playing basketball, I worry about what you’re talking about. There’s always an over-zealous, over-achiever diving all over the place for every ball like he’s got money on the game. Dude, it’s a pick-up game.

Old guys beat the young guys. The older I get, the more I enjoy those stories.

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Yikes…you just gave me the flashback willies.

August 1999: Karate class–I kicked someone and my leg kinda hurt, but then when you spar you are always hurting. Next day, ran a 5K race. Leg hurt, but not excruciating. Next day, called the doctor. Ended up with a cracked tibia and a cast for 6 weeks. Good came out of it…I signed up for Ironman California 2000 and met a lot of really great people who are still some of my best friends. Also learned to spin on the bike since I had to ride one-legged for 6 weeks.

Fourth grade: As the only girl in my neighborhood, it was either ride my horse or play with the boys. We were playing baseball, I pitched to a 6th grade boy, he hit a line drive straight back and I didn’t get the glove up in time and caught it with my face. My brother went running into the house yelling, “Cathy’s eyeball is bleeding”. Freaked mother out. Actually, it was just my nose gushing blood and I had a lovely black eye and broken nose.