The risky business of life and sport
Did you leave your house today? I did, too. Have you ever played any sport? Do you drive a car? Do you cross the street when walking? Do you own appliances? If so, you have engaged in behavior risky to your life. Will that stop you from from driving? No? It won't stop a rodeo performer, either.
Skiing is risky. Are you going to let that stop you? / Photo by Deborah Lynch December 2012
This weekend, a 19-year-old cowboy from Howard, PA, died when he was bucked off his horse and trampled at a rodeo in New Jersey. A week earlier, a 12-year-old Missouri barrel racer died when her horse had a heart attack, slammed into the fence, and rolled onto his rider, pinning her beneath him. These shocking tragedies bring negative attention to a competitive and dangerous sport. Should kids stop doing rodeo? Is this sport too dangerous?Not too many sports aren’t dangerous. Also over Memorial Day weekend, a record-setting college swimmer died during lifeguard tryouts. Last December, a Dartmouth swimmer drowned while trying to hold his breath (part of training to take minimal number of breaths for endurance to swim faster) of shallow water blackout. People generally realize the danger of water for non-swimmers, but rarely consider it risky for trained athletes.This March, a Belgian bicycle racer Antoine Demoitié crashed and died when he was run over by a race motorcycle in Lille, France. Another Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt died while looking over his shoulder for other riders during the 2011 Giro d’Italia. His foot and pedal hit a concrete barrier sending him flying across the rode into another barrier. He died on impact.Countless auto racers including most beloved Dale Earnhardt in 2001 have died doing the sport they love. Deadly avalanches kill skiers and hikers, and skiers both professional and casual have died from accidents on the slopes. Remember Sonny Bono? Natasha Richardson? Professional athletes in tragic accidents?
"All of this is to say that sports are dangerous, but so is living."
Recently, the media has focused on concussions and hits in football, with Hollywood joining the hype by releasing Concussion, the story of pathologist Bennet Omalu, last winter. Omalu discovered a protein buildup around the brain’s blood vessels, which is a rare disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in the brains of deceased former professional football players and deducted that it had been caused by repeated blows to the head. Unfortunately, a lab in Boston has not allowed any outside examination of its specimens or results. Media has covered its findings relentlessly, leading to backlash against the NFL, and finally concessions by an NFL executive that a link between football and CTE is real. Other experts, however, say that enough research has not yet been done, nor have variables been isolated, to conclusively say that concussions suffered in football cause the disease. Among other things that have not been tested as possible causes of CTE are mental illnesses, steroid use, age, and alcohol or drug use. Is this conclusive enough to stop playing football?All of this is to say that sports are dangerous, but so is living. Crossing the street can be dangerous. Certainly, driving is dangerous. Every time we get behind the wheel of our cars, we are taking a risk. In 2014, more than 32,000 Americans died in traffic accidents. Last weekend, children and adults suffered life-threatening injuries when lightning struck at their birthday party near the Champs-Élysées. Meanwhile, in Germany three adults and 29 children were sent to the hospital after lightning struck at a soccer match.We're often told that the safest place to be in a thunderstorm is in the car, which legend has it is grounded by the tires although it is actually safest because of the metal box. My husband’s cousin died years ago while driving on a bright sunny day when a huge tree branch broke free and was propelled through his windshield impaling him. It was a tragedy none of us will ever forget.My daughter is a barrel racer. A Rodeo Catastrophic Injury Registry found a fatality incidence rate of 7.29 per 100,000 in rodeo between 2007-2009. When my daughter first made the switch from English horseback riding to Western, I was worried every time she mounted her horse with her cowboy hat instead of a helmet. I’m convinced a helmet saved my life when I crashed on my bike, and I think a helmet also saved my son’s life when he was riding my daughter’s first horse, which took off at a full gallop for no explainable reason, eventually running straight into a tree. His helmet was cracked down the middle when he jumped off the horse and straddled the tree ahead of the hit. Christopher Reeves, however, was wearing a helmet but still suffered a paralyzing injury while horseback riding that later led to his early death. Horses are unpredictable animals, just as all of life is unpredictable.Although we knew the risk, my daughter continued barrel racing. She also drives a car. She snowboards. She hikes alone. She travels everywhere alone. She takes a risk every time she walks outside her apartment door.My husband, who rode a bull when he turned 50, has always said he hopes to have a “death by misadventure.” He said he wants to die doing something he loves. He frequently says that if he gets a debilitating disease, he would rather wrap himself into a squirrel suit and jump from a cliff.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FixlKZe988His philosophy seems crazy and worrisome to me, yet I also get it. After the unexplained bike crash that left me with a concussion in the hospital, I didn’t stop riding my bike. I got back on – again and again. No one can avoid risk. Not even the agoraphobe who never leaves the house is safe. He or she might ingest a dangerous mold. The house could burn down. A burglar could break into the wrong house.It’s good to be safe, to train properly for a sport, to learn to drive defensively, and to check weather alerts and go inside when lightning is near. Precautions are smart. Avoiding anything risky, however, is impossible – and it is not living. Get back in the saddle. It’s time to live life.
Works Consulted
"Belgian Cyclist Wouter Weylandt Killed in Giro d'Italia Crash." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. 9 May 2011. Web. 1 June 2016.
Butterwick, DJ, MR Lafave, BH Lau, and T. Freeman. "Rodeo catastrophic injuries and registry: Initial retrospective and prospective report." Clan J Sport Med. 21 May 2011: 21(3): 243-8. dos: 10.1097/JSM.obo13E318218acdd.
Carey, Benedict. "On C.T.E. and Athletes, Science Remains in Its Infancy." The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 27 March 2016. Web. 1 June 2016.
Engber, Daniel. "Concussion Lies: The Film About the NFL's Apparent CTE Epidemic Feeds the Pervasive National Myths About Head Trauma." Slate. Slate.com. 21 Dec. 2015. Web. 1 June 2016.
Jacobo, Julia. "Former College Swimmer, 22, Drowns During Lifeguard Tryouts in Massachusetts Lake." ABC News. ABCNews.com. 30 May 2016. Web. 1 June 2016.
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Mohney, Gillian and Michael Delmoro. "Elite Swimmer Tate Ramadan's Death Spotlights Dangers of 'Shallow Water Blackout.' " ABC News. ABCNews.com. 29 Dec. 2015. Web. 1 June 2016.
Rogers, Neal. "Tragedy Strikes Pro Peloton: Belgian Rider Antoine Demoitie killed by race moto at Gent-Wevelgem." CyclingTips. CyclingTips. 28 March 2016. Web. 1 June 2016.