i *circle with a line through it* snowboarding

on friday night, scott, anne, bronwyn and i loaded up anne's car and headed to york, pa, to meet up with many langley ward members for the annual ski trip at ski roundtop. the evenings activities involved munchies and games (i won two rounds of 'apples-to-apples'), but eventually it was time to call it a night.

i knew i didn't want to be tired while attempting to snowboard the following day, so i was the first of my three roommates (anne, rachel, & holly) to head to bed.

when the wake up call came at 6:45am saturday morning, i was ready to go. i knew ben wanted to be out on the snow early, and i wanted to give my roommates ample time to get ready themselves. i enjoyed breakfast with scott, and some new friends, and eventually ben was ready to move out. scott and i headed over with him and mike, leaving anne, holly, and holly's two friends to meet up with us later.

calling the day a 'challenge' is a bit of an understatement. despite ben's teaching, i realized that it was going to take me a long time to learn to snowboard. and in fact, the first hill probably took me over an hour. i had no idea how much of a fear instinct i had. it wasn't that i was afraid of falling even--i think i was more afraid about being out of control. the lift scared me, and people scared me, and even successfully traveling a distance of any amount scared me, because i was completely unclear as to how it had happened.

after finally making it down the hill the first time, anne, holly, and friends joined up, and ben began the lesson he had tried to give me all over again. my second run was far more successful. i made it off the lift semi-successfully, and managed to stay on my feet for respectable periods of time.

at the bottom, scott and i met up. we were both exhausted. my tailbone was aching, and my wrists were sore. and i was just tired. he was ready to call it a day, but i felt like if i went home with only two runs under my belt, i'd lose all self-respect. so i talked scott into going up one more time.

my bad.

see, getting off the lift is always the worst part for me. i have totally psyched myself out, and it creates a near panic reaction. so when i got off the lift for the third time, i had successfully freaked myself out. this of course caused me to fall in grand style, with my knee and ankle twisting out behind me. searing pain immediately followed and tears sprang to my eyes, as i tried to make it clear to scott that i needed his help getting my board off. he quickly came to my aid, and i dragged myself out of the way of the lift.

now, i am not someone who is easily thrown off by pain. when i tore the acl, mcl, and meniscus in my left knee, i had managed to drive my manual car home, 'clutching' the entire way. i am more likely to cry at the pain of another than at my own. so i forced myself to stem back the flow as i tried to assess the situation. my knee and ankle were killing me. i knew (based on previous experience) that it was likely not a torn ligament, but i also knew it could be a variety of other things--a pull, a strain, or a sprain.

the lift operator asked if i need some help, and as i was declining, a ski patroler was getting off the lift, so he asked him to just take a look at me. after determining that i was not going to die, he outlined the options. i could chill out relax, then try and make it down on my own, or they could take me down.

i needed some time to consider. the last thing i wanted was to create a scene. i knew that if they 'took me down' it would be very dramatic, and that wasn't really what i was looking for. but after spending some time on a bench at the top of the slope for some time, the pain, and fear of making it worse won out.

thus began the drama. though the bunny slopes had not attracted very many of the langley group that day, suddenly they seemed to be the hotspot. one by one, people i knew were getting off the lift and seeing ski patrol wrap me up into a cocoon on some sort of sled contraption. i was most disheartened to see ben get off the lift, as i knew he would be shocked and disappointed at his pupil's pure inability. and in a brilliant appearance by karma, it so happened that a few of my comrades also had cameras with them, and they were intent on capturing the moment. not my finest, i might add.

at any rate, after securing me in the contraption, ski patrol somehow got me down the mountain. i'm not even really sure how, but it was a bumpy ride. they wheeled me right into the patrol headquarters, where as it turned out, they don't do much of anything. they basically determine whether or not you need an ambulance, and, since i didn't, they were happy to have me on my way as soon as possible.

through some traipsing back and forth by anne, scott, dan, mike, and matt, eventually, our locker was cleaned out, goodbyes were said, and i was being wheeled to the car in a cardboard splint. fortunately, anne and scott were both finished for the day as it was, or i would have felt extremely guilty.

after arriving back home, i elevated the leg, iced it down, and got some sleep, hoping that today i would find it in much better shape. unfortunately the opposite is true, and i am still determining whether or not i should have it examined. i am a bit stubborn when it comes to healthcare, so i think i'll decide tomorrow.

as far as future attempts at snowboarding, i still haven't made up my mind. the lift continues to be a problem in my head--even more so now. having grown up waterskiing, skiing makes more sense to me. i understand the principles and dynamics, even if i am still a beginner at that. i can at least make it off the lift in skis without incident. but snowboarding, when it works, is more enjoyable. dilemmas dilemmas. one thing is certain, i have another year to make the decision! in the meantime, i am focusing on recovery.

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