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| 11th Grade |
of successes and hope for a better future, well it didn't turn out to be that
good. Now don't get me wrong, things improved at home a lot, but there was a
certain amount of tension building up at home. The tension was mainly between my uncle and me, sometimes it was thick and at times we just ignored each other completely. In those moments when by chance we would both be in the kitchen and I sensed him getting into a mood, I would calmly walk towards the knives and just lightly tap my finger on the handle of the butcher's knife. I wouldn't look directly at him at that time, but I would see him out of the corner of my eye. He would stand there for a moment and then just pick a direction to leave the kitchen. I would then do what I needed to do in the kitchen and then go about my day. This continued each week for several months. Over time we managed to be in the kitchen at different times to avoid the situation.
Once school started in September, I started to go riding on my bike more often after school to get my legs ready for the soccer season. I was really looking forward to soccer season because I was bigger and stronger than I was in previous years. Since I needed practice with controlling the soccer ball, I
would play in the backyard with my German Sheppard, Buster. He of course would always try to get the ball away from me, and sometimes he would also cheat and just knock me down to get the ball. But I figured that is something I would have to deal with as well.
While out riding my bike I would usually head over to Bardsley Avenue and head east to Mooney Blvd. I would get to Mooney and then head north until I got over to Prosperity Avenue on the North side of Tulare. I would turn down Prosperity and head west until I got close to Tulare Western High School area. Since they were the cross town rival high school I would ride by and flip off the entire campus as I rode by. I would continue from there and start heading south again to get back over to the west end of Bardsley Avenue. Once I got to Bardsley, I would ride all the way east back home.
The entire trip would take about 2-3 hours depending on the amount of traffic that I would have to deal with on the roads. Those rides were always very relaxing because I was able to clear my mind and just enjoy the ride. I would say enjoy the view, but Tulare is a small city and the path that I took
around the city wasn't that nice of a view. Day after day, week after week, I would ride and ride until I knew that I was ready and in shape.
Ah, the season is here and we are already a few games into the season and I am feeling really good physically. I have the speed and endurance to catch and keep up with nearly everyone that approaches our defensive line. The coach made me center fullback so I was also playing the rover role and assisting the halfbacks as needed. During one of our home games against the best team in the league, Porterville, my world was rocked.
We were losing at the time and we were getting frustrated with the way things were going for us. One of the Porterville forwards was on his way to score another goal when I caught up with him outside the goalie box. I was able to get the ball away from him and tried to clear the ball out of the area. I
kicked the ball and one of the Porterville forwards headed the ball back towards me and their teammate. Since the ball is rather high and I know that I got the leg strength to jump higher I jump to head the ball. As I was going up, the Porterville player was also going up for the ball, but he seemed to be off balance. As we are both going up, I feel a pain in my jaw because he elbows me on the right side of my face near my jaw. I end up heading the ball back down the field, but just moments later, Porterville gets a lucky shot into the goal.
As I walk about to the goal to grab the ball so that we can do the kickoff, I start to feel dizzy and get tunnel vision. I am near our goalie and quickly tell him to call the coach because something is wrong. Next thing I know, I am waking up on the sideline with a paramedic in my face. I figured that I got my
bell rung pretty good and I did because I was unconscious for about 10 minutes. I was rushed to the hospital and the doctors stated that I had a concussion, and that meant that I would be out for at least 2 weeks of playing.
During the 2 week period that I was out, I was still having a lot of pain in my jaw, so my aunt decided to take me to the dentist to see if I may have broke a tooth of something else. The dentist took x-rays and then turned my world upside down...I have a hair-thin fracture in my jaw and I would have to get my mouth wired shut for 8 weeks! There went my season, there went my great physical shape and there went my great lunches/dinners.
Let's just put it this way, after about 2 weeks of not eating solid foods, I had enough and put a hot dog with ketchup in a blender. Then attempted to suck that mess through a straw...let's just say...that did not go over very well at all. But one day I was freaking out because I had not had any meat in weeks, and then I remembered that I had a tooth that grew in a little further back than it should. Maybe, just maybe...there is enough room to shove a tiny piece of meat through that small gap. YES! IT WORKED! It wasn't pretty to sit and watch me eat back then.
Eating wasn't the hardest part of this ordeal...learning to speak through my wired shut teeth was a serious challenge. I couldn't stay out of school for the 8 weeks, so I had to figure out how to make it so that people could understand me. At first I would right things down, but that got old really fast, because I couldn't keep up with conversations. I got to the point where my close friends could understand me and if they were in a class with me, they would say what I was saying so that the teacher knew what I was saying.
The day finally came for me to get the wires off and I was happy as could be. With the snip of a few wires, I was back...well not really because I lost 30 pounds and could just barely move my mouth. I wanted to rip into a Big Mac, but I couldn't even open my mouth wide enough to bite it as I should. I had to work my jaw muscles back to the point they were before. It took several weeks for me to be able to eat like I wanted to again.
As I was working on my jaw muscles, track season was fast approaching and I knew that I needed to start preparing soon. I tried with all my might to get ready for the season but I just couldn't get back to the point I was prior to the injury. Losing that 30 pounds and not being able to work out like I wanted
to, the season was very hard. I would still win many of my events, but I would be physically exhausted at the end of each meet and would get ill for a few days afterward.
Towards the end of the track season we were having another home track meet in the stadium and I was running the 110 high hurdles. I was catching up to one of the best hurdlers in the valley when disaster struck again. We were both neck and neck with about 3 hurdles left before the finish line. As I was making my approach to the hurdle, the other runner hit his hurdle which pushed it forward and a little to the right. At the same time I was at the same hurdle and my right foot hit the top of my hurdle. As my hurdle was moving forward and his was moving backwards from being hit, his stopped the forward motion of mine. This freak event then caused my hurdle to snap back and cause me to stumble. Being off balance at the moment and not being able to get my balance back, I went head first into the track.
Now according to teammates that were watching, I hit the ground, rolled and then attempted to get up, but then just collapsed to the track and didn't move at all. Needless to say I was rushed to the hospital again and had yet another concussion. While I was in the emergency room waiting to be released, I noticed a familiar voice on the other side of the curtain. To my surprise it was my best friend Frank who was also running long distance at the track meet. While Frank was running, his legs got tangled up with another runner and Frank fell and broke his arm on the ground.
Wow, two concussions in one school year and neither had anything to do with our football team. I don't know if I got any sense knocked out of me, but it might explain a lot to a few people that have issues with me.
Some people would say what happened to me that year was karma because of the event that took place between my uncle and me. If that is the case then I guess I deserve what I got. But at the same time, if I had to do it all over again, I would. I did what I thought I had to do at that time to get him off my back.
Overall, my junior year was good but nowhere even close to what I accomplished in my 10th grade year. Maybe my senior year will be the year for me...if I can stay healthy and out of the damn hospital emergency room!
