The Unexpected Hurdle

The commands are said and the blast of the gun sends a shock wave of energy through every inch of your body as you bolt forward towards the first hurdle standing in your way of crossing the finish line. Your form is perfect as your leap and bound. Nothing will stop you now, that is, until the person to your left doesn’t make it over the hurdle. As the person trips, the hurdle is catapulted right in front of you. With not enough time to react, you land on the extra hurdle tossed in your way and find yourself staring up towards the sky flat on your back.

The snowboarding accident three years ago was a lot like the image you’re picturing now. I took a trip up to Killington Resort in Vermont with the ski and snowboard club from campus. I was an experienced boarder and had taught as a snowboard instructor for some time.

It was college weekend so the mountain was crawling with individuals’ at all different levels. Some had never been on skis or a snowboard before, while others were doing back flips off the half pipe. I wasn’t at the half pipe level yet, but I carved with ease.

The first day out was hectic with hundreds of skiers and snowboarders racing across the mountain. I reached the top of the mountain, strapped in and was playing Pac-Man with the others in no time. I was confident in my skills so at that point I was worry free. Even the icy conditions didn’t faze me.

I should have been paying more attention, especially knowing what I knew as an instructor. There were too many people on the mountain that had no clue what they were doing. The next thing I knew a woman completely out of control was barreling towards me on skies. She side swiped me from the left and down I went on the hard icy surface.

Next thing I knew, I was staring up at the sky, and flat on my back with excruciating pain coming from my tail bone. The pain took my breath away and left me stunned for about 30 seconds until my friends raced over to see if I was still alive.

The girl that had hit me was already up and gone without an apology. I rolled over to my side, hoping to relieve some of the pain, but it was unbearable. The ski patrol thought I fractured my tailbone, but lucky I did not. The bone was just severely bruised and took several months to heal.

Since that accident, my biggest hurdle has been overcoming my fear of falling while boarding. It’s been three years and I have finally started boarding again. At first, I was extremely timid, but it’s slowly getting more comfortable. I have to keep telling myself to relax or I tense up and that’s when I fall. Last weekend, I visited Bristol Mountain and hit my first jump since the accident. I landed it with ease. It’s still nerve racking to snowboard when it’s icy, but I am gaining my confidence back while going heal edge (back edge).

Tonight I’ll be testing my skills at Song Mountain, I let you know if I do any back flips or 360’s.