Well, that left a mark.

[JohnnyEgo]

My 7 year old has become really interested in the skating rink over the last couple of weeks. I was never much of a skater, and our local rink (Rollerland in Fort Collins) is exactly the same as the one my parents took us to in the 1980s, which is probably the last time it has been cleaned. But I love my son, so over the past several sessions, I have been learning how to roller blade. It has actually been more successful then I thought, and I have graduated from wobbly mass of middle-aged man on a collision course with the wall, and/or any small children in my path, to a reasonably confident skater. That worked well until today. I don't quite recall exactly what happened, but I was moving at a pretty good clip, and then I was in the air, and then I was on the ground pretty hard.

I apparently broke part of my fall with my right hand, and in doing so, my pinky and ring finger have swollen to the size of sausages. Then, my left knee hit the deck:


Followed by the side of my head. I got the purple vision and lost a few seconds of time, so I do not recall the immediate aftermath. Several concerned parents and the roller rink people who helped me off told me I was actually pretty impressive. Apparently, my watch came off with the force of impact, but I rolled somehow and came back up and caught it in the air. I couldn't immediately stand up, so I had to be helped off the floor. I came back to my faculties pretty quickly as well, or at least enough to appear sensible when I declined further medical treatment. How did my son take all this drama? As I was putting my boots back on, he asked if we could play a game of skeeball before we left. So I let him.

It's about three hours later, and I think I got pretty lucky with my hand and head. The swelling has gone down, and I am not showing other signs of a concussion, which I have unfortunately had before. The knee, however, still hurts quite a bit. You definitely bounce back less after 40.

[vossman]

Well done.

[Sawin]

As long as you don't suffer long or have further concusion symptoms, I'd say this will just be a good memory for dad and son to laugh about later in life.

[JohnTRourke]

You know the worst part about rollerblading?

having to tell your parents you are gay. :-)

heal well, getting older sucks.

[wctriumph]

You should have know better. Now, get back out there and try again.

[BushMasterBoy]

OK, apply some topical antibiotics and keep it clean. Best of luck next time.

[JohnnyEgo]

I will be going back next weekend, just because you have to get back on the horse. Although if I had been on a horse, this probably wouldn't have happened.
I don't really recall the wipe-out, but I am given to believe that it must have looked like the crash scene from 'Talledega Nights'.

[ray1970]

Rollerblades are the devil's playthings.

The wife and I tried it when our kids were younger.

When you're used to skating back in the 70's and 80's you get used to having the "brake" on the front end of the skate. We just couldn't figure out how to properly use the one on the back. We also discovered that one of the streets in our neighborhood that we always thought was pretty flat actually ran downhill pretty good. Made things interesting for sure.

Oh, and apparently my kids didn't even need brakes on their skates. I'm pretty sure they took them off and just skidded sideways to stop.

[Great-Kazoo]

A knee, you're complaining about a knee?

[JohnnyEgo]

A knee, you're complaining about a knee?

Yes, yes, I know when arguing with you over knee pain, I don't have a leg to stand on.

-
Feeling mostly better this morning. Swelling went down in the ring finger, though not the pinky, which I still can't bend on my own. Suppose I will be eating my meals with royal pretensions for the next few days. I can walk on my knee, and despite the giant bruise, it does not appear that I have displaced anything. So all told, I think I came out of this pretty well. Next week, I am going to wear motorcycle pants. But I am also going to try to jump.