Post
by Jeff Jeff Revolution » Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:29 pm
I can really relate to this, and not just because I play DDR.
My father is close to seven feet tall, six-ten if you want to get the specifics. Due to his abnormal height, he was the star player on his basketball team in high school, and was an All-Stater for Scecina. In fact, his jersey is hanging there today, and he even was recruited by Bobby Knight and ended up playing there on the 1981 IU Championship Team. He wasn't much at IU; a benchwarmer, but he saw intense practices each day and was glad to be there.
Now, he's close to 46 years old, and he's had some pretty bad knee problems. A few years ago, they had to replace some cartilage in his right knee. Occasionally, his right knee would pop out of socket for no reason at all. All the height had taken advantage of his legs, and now he suffers a degree from RLS (restless legs syndrome), as do a lot of tall people.
As for I, his son, have aquired some of these things from him. Right now I'm six-two as a Sophomore (not extreme, but one of the tallest in school), and I have already developed some knee problems. A few years ago, if I sat indian-style, my knees would "pop" right out of socket. If you haven't experienced it, it is one of the most painful things I have had happen to me, often because you can't see it coming. You're just sitting there and "pop," excruciating pain.
I also suffer a little bit from RLS, but not too heavily. I get this tingling feeling sometimes, but nothing enough to cause insomnia. The doctors are fairly sure I will grow to a solid 6'5", which is tall enough to cause similar joint and cartilage damage that my father also experienced. It is for this reason, that even though I wanted to play football, I couldn't. If I was tackled abruptly or awkardly, it might mean a severe dislocation. Instead I chose things like the play, newspaper, and DDR.
I've thought about what playing DDR will do for my legs. I figured playing it casually will get me some good exercise when I was young (I lost 30 pounds, that has to be good). Someday, I'll have to give it up. I don't know when that day will be, whether I be 21 because jobs and school come first, 25, because I have a family, or 30-35 because of health. I just know that I will play as long as I can, but once I have to "stop," I will continue with other rhythm games (such as GH), and still hang around the IndyDDR scene, shall it be fortunate enough to last 15 more years. 0_0
I've decided that you only live once, and I should be taking full advantage of it. If I can't play now, I don't know if I can play later. I was in a really bad end-over-end car crash in 2004 that doctors said should have killed me. Miraculously, I walked away unharmed. So Jim, I can see myself in your shoes. Someday, I'll need to hang up the laces (or in Tim's (WhiteDragon's) case, the socks) and just stand on the sidelines. Maybe I could open an arcade then, who knows.
Long story short Jim, it takes a bold statement to finally admit this. There are grown adults such as football coaches that don't want to let go of their playing days, because they fear "getting old." Some parents pressure their children (not saying you do) to be like them, because they don't want to see the "young" them die.
I applaud you, and good luck with that knee. ^_^
ShammerS wrote:Nice cookies, Jeff.
BigBadOrc wrote:boop
Fun fact: only 3 posts at IndyDDR.com contain the word "boop."
