Assignment 21- Noah Ford

When I was in the seventh grade, I was playing football in the middle school parking lot with a couple of my friends. We tried to keep injury to a minimum by playing one hand touch, but I either tripped or bounced off something and I fell backwards onto my wrist. I felt a faint sensation of wrong with it, it only hurt if it was pressed on one tiny spot and I couldn't turn it further than a 45 degree rotation either way. I went through the rest of that day and the next just being gently with it because I thought it was sprained. When my mom finally noticed what I was doing, she instantly demanded what was going on and when I told her everything, we went to the ER because she thought it was broken. She demanded an x-ray from a reluctant nurse and sure enough, it was a compound fracture. I was originally put into a plaster cast, but a month later into a full arm plaster cast. That's just the background to the two obstacles though.

The first obstacle was mostly mental. Do you know how it feels to be 30 pounds heavier, six inches taller, and hit the ball farther than any other teammate in a baseball league? And if you do, now imagine being benched for the whole season. Now compound that with watching your team lose every. single. game. I got to play two games at the end of the season. My batting was lacking (understandable after 6 weeks of no practice) but I was an excellent outfielder because of how long my legs were. The only two games we won were the games I played in and that was because I caught so many fly-balls. I felt awful watching that season.

The second obstacle is entirely physical. I used to be really good at baseball, but after my arm healed and I started playing again, I noticed something odd. Whenever I swung the bat at full speed, my wrist would hurt. After a round of the batting cage, I would feel really sore in my wrist. I don't know if it was because I didn't do any physical therapy or what, but I played (horribly if I might add) for the year after that and then made the decision that the pain and lack of skill I was experiencing just wasn't worth it. I was forced to give up a sport that I had played since pre-school. I mean, the wrist injury was just one of several factors, like coaches favoring their sons over actual ability, but the fact I was stopping crushed me.

My dad is sixty-five years old, and he loves golf. He had been trying to get me into it for a few years now, and he tried to get me out to a par 3 course every Sunday. I decided that maybe that would be my next sport, and he started to get me lessons out at Man O' War golf. After about six months of lessons, and constant pressure from my dad and coach, I decided that I would try out for the Henry Clay Golf Team my freshman year. I tried out, and I got on (primarily because of a shortage of players not any real personal skill). I was quite nervous about the first practice and showed up in gym clothes. The only one who came up and talked to me was a guy named Will Walters. I had a really good time that year, and have been on the team since. I am currently shooting a 95ish on 9 holes, which isn't the best, but I am not a very consistent player. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I found another sport I enjoy and that didn't hurt me to play.