45 degrees

This is decidedly *not* the view you wish to have when you sign up for a soccer tournament 2+ hours away from home that is in a beautiful part of the state with gorgeous weather, for which you are in some of the best physical shape since college and that you have anticipated with great excitement for weeks.


I've told countless people since that it's something you do 10-20 times each game and nothing happens. It just so happened my opponent hit my foot at the right (i.e. "wrong") angle with the right amount of force to knock my foot out of my ankle socket. But it was my fault for sticking it in his way. I knew something was wrong when I looked down at my foot and it hadn't returned to its normal position, despite some coaxing by my left foot. I told one of the first guys nearby that I had broken it. I lay on the field for a couple of minutes before trainers from the tournament arrived to help stabilize my leg. Colin gave me four ibuprofen, and I sat there for another 10 minutes or so until the ambulance arrived. They drove the darn thing out *onto the field*, loaded me on a stretcher, and whisked me away. They gave me some morphine at the ER (I can see why people get addicted to that stuff - it's quite the full body experience initially). The doc told me to relax and pulled on my foot until I started sliding down the bed. I gripped the rails, the nurse braced me, and the pulling resumed. I have *never* been in that much pain, and this was through the morphine. After a few hours (seconds) my foot had been "massaged" back into place. Miraculously, X-rays showed no major breaks and they discharged me with instructions to see an orthopedic doctor this week. I have since come to the conclusion that a physical setback is a prime opportunity for mental and emotional advancement, of which I have significant room for improvement.


Drew, bless his bleeding heart, ran almost the length of the field from the goal to offer his sympathy. Seriously, though, Drew was my Sherpa the rest of the weekend, picking me up at the hospital, getting me ice, carrying my bags, waiting in the Walgreens drive-thru, tolerating my severely-delayed ability to find the Original Pancake House, etc. He was indispensable. (Photo taken by Colin)


One of the bright spots of the weekend was the "Saved by the Bell High-Five" our team did prior to the start of every game. It underscored the personalities of the players on the team and the fun that we had. This pic was taken before the final, which we lost 2-0.