Being Injured at
Nationals
South Gubernator Ryan Burns, Summit Country Day
Having an injury at National
Convention does not sound like a fun
experience, especially when the injury
happens while at the convention.
However, there are both ways to work
around the injury and subtle upsides to
having an injury, particularly a leg
injury that hinders movement, at
Nationals. So, if you are ever on your
way to the emergency room with a
sponsor, have hope. You can still have
fun at convention.
The ways to work around an injury
are more fun than you may think. First,
crutches can be fun to hop around on
once you get the hang of it. If the doctor
lets you have a wheelchair, you can
basically move at the same pace as
everyone else (but you’ll be a little
shorter than them.) One of the toughest
places to work around any injury is in
the dining hall. However, it is not so
difficult if you just find someone to
8
eat with, and they will have to get
your food for you. Plus, that person
probably feels bad that you are
injured, so they will get your food
first, which is good because food is
good. Another way to truly work
around an injury is to keep your
explanation of the injury short and
sweet. Most of you probably know
that when you have crutches or a
cast, people are always asking what
happened. So, keep your
explanation short so that you do not
have to recite an essay every time
someone says hi to you.
Next, the subtle upsides to
having an injury may seem few and
far between, but they exist. An
upside to the transportation aspect
of having an injury is that you don’t
always have to walk everywhere.
When I was injured I was given the
phone number of a sponsor named