“Hit it switch!” I can hear TJ yelling at me as I’mdropping in. Having been in Are for the last 4 days practicing for thecompetition tonight, I’m taking it easy.
“No way!” I yell back to him as I speed down the dropin. Preparing for a Cork 9 over the 90 foot step down, I crouch down and windup. When the top of the jump is near, I pop up and throw myself backwards. WhenI’m in the air everything is silent, I see the flash of cameras in mid spin andthe faint sounds of fans and friends shouting to me. As the landing approachescloser under my skis I focus hard, bring myself around and stomp. As I ridedown to the snowmobile to be towed back up to the top I am tackled by myscreaming buddy Tom.
“YEEAAHH Sammy that was nasty!”
“Thanks Tom, I think my style is getting as nice asyours!” I brag back to him. As I grab onto the rope I begin the trip back tothe top of the massive kicker.
Waiting at the top, I get a call from my principal.Hesitant to pick it up I let it ring for a bit, hoping he would hang up. Hedidn’t.
“Hello?” I say quietly.
“WHERE ARE YOU SAMMY?” He yelled back.
“I’m in Are, filming,”
“Well if you want a future young girl, you mightwant to get back here pronto; you’re failing half your courses!” He said in anangry tone. With rage I closed my phone without replying. Getting phone callsfrom parents and school is so unnecessary I thought to myself, I’m going to skifor the rest of my life; I don’t need an education or parents.
Furious I plugged my headphones in and waited forthe right song. Watching people drop in a pull crazy tricks, I felt like theunderdog. Being the only girl on the team I felt as I was needed to step it up.It was my turn to drop in and the song was just right. I could hear all my buddiesyelling from the side “You got this Sammy, hit it switch!” Deciding I needed tostep it up, I listened.
Dropping in forward I crouched down and went as fastas I could. As I came up to the roller of the run in, I pop’ed over it and spina 180. Heading in to the jump backwards now I began to feel reallyuncomfortable. I knew I had to stick with it as it was too late to change.Going a lot faster then normal and backwards, I came to the lip and threw themotion of a cork 9. In the air once again, the muffled sound of fans andfriends, and the flashing lights of the cameras flooded my brain. Moving myhand to the tip of my ski, and holding on until I could see the landing. That’swhen I knew something was wrong. When I was done my full 900 degree rotation mylanding should be under me, but that was the problem, it wasn’t. Panicking, Ilet go of my ski and started to wave my arms, all the sound came rushing backto my ears. Still spinning I could see where I was supposed to land, but had noclue where I was going to land. Unexpectedly I hit the hard packed snow, myhead braced my fall. Blacking out in less than a second, it was all over.
“Sammy?”
“Are you there?”
Dazing back to life I could hear voices. As I lookaround still half unconscious I see many people. In excruciating pain I slowlydrifted in and out of consciousness.
“SAMMY! You’re alive!” I think Tom yelled. Toodrugged to reply I tried to give him a nod. Then I realized I couldn’t move myhead.
“Sammy, you overshot the jump huge. You’ve been unconsciousfor 5 days, you have a broken neck and are being sent back home soon to rest.”Too drugged to show my frustration I bit my lips and tears started to roll downmy eyes. Dozing in and out still I fell back asleep.
Consciousthrough the night they decided to take me off all drugs so I could get home. Gettinghome was a long painful ride. Every bump hurt my neck not to mention I was inmass amounts of pain without any drugs. Arriving at home my mom was happy tosee me. The only thing I was able to do was to sit at home on the couch.
“Sammy, your grades have dropped below 50% and you’refailing all of your classes” my mom screeched at me. “You should be going backto school; all that you do here is sit in front of the T.V and watch ski moviesall day.” Realizing I had zone out the last month I thought to myself that Ishould pass my grade 11 year. I decided to go with her plan. With only 2 monthsleft in school I could tough it through.
Struggling through the days at school I knew I hadto do it. The internal conflicts that I was facing between my body and my mindmade my decision a lot harder. Should I stay at school? Or is it a waste oftime? Deciding to tough the last months, I always had getting back on the hillin my mind.
In the lastweek of school, I had brought my grades up high enough to pass my grade 11year. My neck getting a lot better I felt as if I wanted to go back home, ontothe hill. I knew I couldn’t, but my heart wanted it so bad.
Throughout the summer my life went into a down fall.Battling my body and mind had gotten my really depressed. The doctor addressingme that my injury would have me not able to ski again, He explained how if Itook another fall on my neck I run a high risk of being paralyzed from the neckdown. When I heard that I immediately started to cry. Grabbing my cell phone Icalled my best friend Tom to tell him the news.
“Sammy, trust me. If skiing is what you want to do,then don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” Valuing his words greatly I got acall from on the other line. The call was the film company that I was shootingfor last year, they wanted me to be apart of there team again. Now faced withthe decision, do I Ski, risk being paralyzed for the rest of my life, and nevergraduate? Or do I make my mom happy, Graduate, and never ski for the rest of mylife. The decision so vast it took me a while to think through. Taking a wholemonth working out the pros and cons of each one I think I had came to decision.
“Hit it switch!” I could hear TJ yelling yet again.
“Yeah right!” I yelled back. Coming to the lip afloated a simple 360 with a safety grab. As I rode away from the landing happyto have made it down safe. My decision to take skiing easy for the rest of mylife truly felt like the right one. Do what you want and have fun doing itreally wrapped up my choice. Deciding to finish my grade 12 year online I hadmade my mom happy, and still deciding to ski had made me happy. As I high fivedTom and grabbed the rope, the tow to the top has started once again.
Sorry for the wall of Text, if you actully read it all thanks, anythign i can improve? keep in mind its for grade 9 english, and i am a guy, yes haha a guy named kelsey, but it has to be from a girls point fo view.
