Dedication Takes a Lifetime

As soon as I jumped, I knew I wasn’t going to land it.

I was with Shaun at his halfpipe that Red Bull had built for him, and Shaun was trying to teach me some of his signature tricks. I was trying to master the “McTwist” of his “double McTwist 1260” at the moment, but I hadn’t built up enough momentum. My timing was all off and I knew that the hard snow was waiting for me at the end of my fall.

I flailed my arms and tried to get into a good position so I wouldn’t break anything, but it was no use. I hit the ground with such force and at such an odd angle that my board went flying one way and my leg bent awkwardly – and painfully – beneath me.

There was a sickening crunch, and I screeched in pain. “Fuck!” I screamed at the sky, nearly blacking out.

I heard footsteps approaching quickly and I could tell, just by how they sounded, that it was Mason. He had been at the end of the halfpipe, closer than Shaun, who was still at the start. “Case, Case, what hurts?”

I pointed to my leg and groaned. “Fuck, Mase. I think I broke it.”

“Casey! Casey, oh God, oh God,” I heard. Shaun was here now, and I pushed my helmet off so I could see him easier. He was kneeling near the crown of my head, bent over me. “Oh God, Casey. What went wrong? You looked so strong last run.” He looked at Mason. “Are you calling 911, Mase?”

Mason pulled out his cell and flipped it open. “Yeah.”

“I didn’t have enough momentum,” I told Shaun. “And I landed really weirdly. Everything went wrong that last run.”

“At least you’re not concussed or anything.” He kissed my forehead. “And you’re not paralyzed or comatose. I think we can say that you’re relatively okay.”

I let out a weak giggle. “It’s sad that this is ‘relatively okay.’ Any other sport, this would be a bad injury.”

There was a moment of silence, and in it, something hit me.

“Fuck! The X Games!”

“You’re not gonna be able to compete, Case. You’re hurt, and broken legs don’t heal like magic.”

“But I can’t miss the X Games! I just can’t, Spaz! I’ve got medals to defend and people to beat and…”

Shaun kissed me to shut me up. “If you race in these games… Hell, you won’t be able to race in these games. There’s no chance that your leg is going to heal completely in two weeks. I’m sorry, Squirrel. It’s just how it is. I know you don’t wanna miss them, but it’s for the best.”

I sighed. “But…”

“No ‘but’s about it, Burgess. You can’t. And if the doctor gives you just a bit of hope, maybe gives you a thumbs-up too prematurely, I’m not gonna let you. This is the difference between missing one event and missing out on the rest of your career because you tried to win on an injured leg. I want you competing in the Olympics with me and in a lot more Winter X Games. Anything that could jeopardize that, I’m not gonna allow.” His tone was serious and he wore an expression of complete concern. “You know where I’m coming from, right?”

I nodded slowly. “I wouldn’t let you try to do this,” I said, motioning to the halfpipe as best I could, “on an injured anything.”

“Hey guys, they’ve got an ambulance coming. It’ll be here soon.” Mason looked down at me. “Man, Casey. Most girls I know would’ve blacked out by now or would be crying and screaming from the pain. You’re a trooper.”

I smiled at him. “I’m just not thinking about it. Doesn’t hurt that bad if you don’t.” At that moment, a intense sting traveled up my leg. “Well, you jinxed that, I see,” I said, hissing and biting my lip. “Fuck.” I drew out the word as long as I could. “Fuck.”

“Shh, Case. It’ll all be okay.”