My boyfriend, Spencer was a great diver. He had been promising to teach me to do a one-and-a-half somersault off of the three-meter board. I loved doing regular dives and was excited about adding a new dive to my accomplishments.
I walked to the end of the diving board and turned around. I walked carefully pacing off my three-step approach. I took a deep breath and began. I had used this three-step approach hundreds of times in my regular dives and taught this technique to my students. I was very comfortable with this process. As I took my third step and lifted my right leg to gain height, my foot slipped. I heard a loud crack as the back of my head hit the edge of the diving board.
I fell into the water and when I surfaced, I put my hand on the back of my head. It came back covered in blood. I couldn’t help but think that we were lucky not to have sharks at the pool. The amount of blood resembled a feeding frenzy. I instinctively looked over at the lifeguard. He was sitting on the edge of his high chair with his mouth hanging open, not knowing what to do next.
Sandy and Art heard the crack and waited to see what had happened. With no response from the life guard, my boyfriend, Spencer jumped into the water and quickly took me to the side of the pool. By this time, the Life Guard had regained his composure. He and Spencer walked me over to the supply closet and carefully bandaged my head. We drove to the hospital in Beaver Dam after stopping briefly to tell my parents that we would be a bit late. We didn’t dare tell Dad why.
At the hospital, the emergency doctor unwrapped the bandage and let out a loud gasp. He said the gash was deep and he could see my skull through the opening. He commended the life guard for his great job of bandaging. He comment that with the amount of blood I had lost and the size of the wound, I could have bled out.
I gulped when I realized they were shaving the back of my head to make way for the stitches. I had shoulder length hair and realized I would be starting my senior with 27 stitches in the back of my head. My hairdo of choice became two low pony tails so I could cover my bare spot.. The result could have been much worse. I was grateful for the great job of saving me. Spencer and the life guard were responsible for my good outcome.
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