4. Tooth Knocked Out While Wrestling: In 1988 (yeah, the 80’s), I was 10 years old and wrestling in the Pennsylvania Junior Olympics State Tournament. I had won my first match by technical fall (18-1) and advanced to the Semi-Finals. The guy I wrestled in the semi-finals beat me, but not by much. I won my first consolation round match and got to wrestle for 3rd or 4th place. In the consolation final, I had a melt-down. I did not manage my temper well, and it got the better of me. My injury in the match was that my opponent knocked out one of my teeth. Now, I believe the tooth was already loose, but it was still kinda cool to get your tooth knocked out wrestling! I came home as the fourth place wrestler in the whole state of Pennsylvania. (Picture is from February 1988- and
yes, I was a dork.)

3. Basketball Practice Sprain: This might be the injury that hurt the most. It was a ninth grade basketball practice. I don’t remember what we were doing, but I came down either on someone’s ankle or the ball (don’t ask). My ankle sprain was really bad. I was black and blue from my ankle to my knee. I actually fractured my fibula (small leg bone?) and chipped my ankle bone in this injury. Neither me or my parents ever remember a doctor telling us I fractured my fibula, but it showed up on my x-ray this week.

2. Boxer’s Cut: At the 1996 Rocky Grove Basketball Invitational, we were playing in the championship game. Sometime in the 3rd quarter, some knucklehead elbowed me above my right eye…creating a boxer’s cut that bled profusely. The ref didn’t see it right away and so play went on. My face was covered in blood. I was wiping it off with my hand trying to stay in the game. Finally the ref realized that I was losing a pint and stopped the game. Our assistant coach grabbed the vasaline, gauze, and some tape and fixed me up. I went back in the game with a huge piece of medical tape over the top of my eye to the point it obstructed my view. How did it affect me? Let’s just say I hit two free throws to win the game and made the All-Tourney Team. (Picture is probably from 1995-96. Check out the ankle brace on the left ankle and the shaved head.)

1. Attack of the Bat- During my senior year, my dad was the High School Girls Softball coach. After my baseball practice, I went inside the gym and helped dad with his softball practice. I was working with one of my friends, Kristy, off the batting tee. I placed a ball on the tee and turned a little when Kristy swung hard! Her backswing connected right across my face, somehow missing my eye and orbital. While I wasn’t knocked out, I iced it right away and took some IB Profin. About two hours later the swelling set in and my left cheek nearly touched my right one. I couldn’t hard talk I was so swollen. I was black and blue from my eye down to the bottom of my neck. It looked like I had a tennis ball hidden inside my mouth. I actually pitched in a game a few days later and couldn’t feel a thing as I pitched because of the painkillers. (This picture (From April ’97) shows the injury shortly after it happened…and just before the swelling really set in.)

So there you have it, the Top 5 Sports Injuries in my life….what’s your story? (BTW, I’m considering bringing back the shaved head…just don’t tell Andrea!)