Friends of mine who were trying to get me to like winter challenged me to change my stubborn attitude and get with the program. “Try outdoor activities!” they said. So, I quickly scanned the full spectrum of winter sports in my head...hockey, skiing, skating, curling ...and then back to skiing. I had seen skiers of all ages gliding gracefully down the mountains with joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces, so I informed my friends that I would try skiing.“It's easy!” they told me...and I believed them.
When I finally joined the throng of happy skiers on a ski hill not far from Ottawa I was delighted. They had been right after all. It certainly looked like a lot of fun and I was looking forward to my first attempt. “Lean to the left to turn left” my friends told me. Lean to the right to turn right! Slow down by doing the snow-plough and come to a dead-stop by parallel jumping and digging your skies into the snow. I was not too impressed with the brevity of my training and of their apparent lack of concern for my health and well-being. But, ….if you fall, you fall. After all, it was just packed-down snow...right? How could I possibly do any serious damage to myself?
I surveyed the terrain just like any serious-minded professional would do. About half-way down there were two large spruce trees about fifty feet apart. “There's plenty of space there” I said to myself. You could drive two tanks between them side-by-side without hitting either one. So, I crouched into the starting position with my knees bent slightly, and I took-off.
I was doing very well. My balance was good and I was not about to fall. I was surprised how easy it was so I increased my speed a little by pushing myself forward. Then, I saw that my trajectory was not exactly as I had planned. I was not about to go mid-way between the two trees because I was veering too much to the left. So, I leaned to the right a little to execute a course correction - but nothing happened. By this time, I was heading directly towards the tree on the left so I leaned even further to the right, but, again, there was no change in my direction. I heard screams from my friends saying “You're going to hit the tree John”. Bang! ... I hit the tree dead-centre. It knocked me silly. My face had come into contact with the tree first, breaking my nose and shifting it sideways. I fell to the ground and I was astonished to see my bright red blood steaming on fresh white snow for the first time in my life. The first-aid response was excellent but they transported me to hospital for medical attention.
After breaking-up my body many times in my life, I know that I'm a great healer. I was also born and raised under strict British rules of conduct which say that if you suffer a set-back; you dust yourself off; straighten your shirt and tie; put on a stiff upper lip; and try again! That 's exactly what I did a few weeks later.
I went to the same ski hill because I wanted to create the same conditions. I began to stray a little off my planned course. The two spruce trees appeared before me and I was not able to prevent another collision with the same tree as before. I busted my nose again and the snow turned steaming red with my blood. Talk about Deja Vu! This second accident closed the book on skiing for me. Now, I have two activities on my list of “Things never to do again”. The first is horse riding and the second is skiing.
When I finally joined the throng of happy skiers on a ski hill not far from Ottawa I was delighted. They had been right after all. It certainly looked like a lot of fun and I was looking forward to my first attempt. “Lean to the left to turn left” my friends told me. Lean to the right to turn right! Slow down by doing the snow-plough and come to a dead-stop by parallel jumping and digging your skies into the snow. I was not too impressed with the brevity of my training and of their apparent lack of concern for my health and well-being. But, ….if you fall, you fall. After all, it was just packed-down snow...right? How could I possibly do any serious damage to myself?
I surveyed the terrain just like any serious-minded professional would do. About half-way down there were two large spruce trees about fifty feet apart. “There's plenty of space there” I said to myself. You could drive two tanks between them side-by-side without hitting either one. So, I crouched into the starting position with my knees bent slightly, and I took-off.
I was doing very well. My balance was good and I was not about to fall. I was surprised how easy it was so I increased my speed a little by pushing myself forward. Then, I saw that my trajectory was not exactly as I had planned. I was not about to go mid-way between the two trees because I was veering too much to the left. So, I leaned to the right a little to execute a course correction - but nothing happened. By this time, I was heading directly towards the tree on the left so I leaned even further to the right, but, again, there was no change in my direction. I heard screams from my friends saying “You're going to hit the tree John”. Bang! ... I hit the tree dead-centre. It knocked me silly. My face had come into contact with the tree first, breaking my nose and shifting it sideways. I fell to the ground and I was astonished to see my bright red blood steaming on fresh white snow for the first time in my life. The first-aid response was excellent but they transported me to hospital for medical attention.
After breaking-up my body many times in my life, I know that I'm a great healer. I was also born and raised under strict British rules of conduct which say that if you suffer a set-back; you dust yourself off; straighten your shirt and tie; put on a stiff upper lip; and try again! That 's exactly what I did a few weeks later.
I went to the same ski hill because I wanted to create the same conditions. I began to stray a little off my planned course. The two spruce trees appeared before me and I was not able to prevent another collision with the same tree as before. I busted my nose again and the snow turned steaming red with my blood. Talk about Deja Vu! This second accident closed the book on skiing for me. Now, I have two activities on my list of “Things never to do again”. The first is horse riding and the second is skiing.
3 comments:
How 'bout Sky Diving?
Or even paragliding? That sounds pretty safe!
not your nose again,don't blame me.
Post a Comment