Re: (996miami)
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Quote, originally posted by 996miami »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">As a rule, I never go in intermediate or beginner sessions, partly for that reason, among others.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I started out in level three. Like you, I believe it is safer to ride with the more experienced riders. Additionally, level three has fewer riders. But, I was black flagged turning mid 1:50's- too slow. So, I moved to level two. I was hit two sessions later.
A few observations about the accident:
As much as it is a pain in the ass to put on all of that safety equipment- it truly works. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been without all that stuff. A back protector was key in protecting the spine, according to the doctors.
In fact, they labored to extract me from all of the equipment- its that tough. Still not sure if the Alpinestar ski boot style would have been better than the more traditional Sidi that I was wearing. My ankle was torqued and fractured. Kushitani suit mostly scuffed. A few small holes. The hospital was not sure we would be able to remove the suit without destablizing my back. They felt worse about cutting it than I did- believe it or not.
You just don't realize how fast you are going. This is going to sound funny: I slid so long that I was actually aware and thinking about Code's chapter on falling, where he suggests relaxing and waiting til after the slide before attempting to get up. But, I simply did not know how quickly I was travelling and how long it takes to stop. I was fine until I reached out to get up. That is when my thumb caught the ground and I began to tumble.
Thanks for the support.
Modified by socal at 8:58 AM 6/13/2005
