I was a cheerleader in high school. Since I was the smallest one I always ended up on the top of whatever acrobatics we did. I was the one way up in the air that was supposed to do all sorts of flips and jumps and land gracefully on the ground. Coincidentally, I was also a gymnast for much the same reason. I had a squaty body that’s well suited for that sort of thing. I still have the squaty body, but I’m not so well suited for that sort of thing anymore!
The first time I injured myself was in the eight or ninth grade. I was on top of a pyramid of other girls, much like the photo to the left. We were practicing in the gym at my school. Our movements were synchronized so that we climbed up into that position while shouting out a cheer. It all culminated in the pyramid and then a dramatic flip - by me - that was supposed to end up with me going into a split immediately after I landed on the gym floor. We did it over and over again to get every thing lined up just right. At that age I had no fear and no understanding of ones body was just not made to do some things. I was as invincible as any other girl that age!
There was a very definite last time that I performed that particular feat. I remember it well even though its been a few years. Every thing went just fine right up to the point I landed on the gym floor and went into the split with my arms triumphantly in the air. Perfect poise, perfect flair, perfect smile. One problem, I did the split with the wrong leg in front and slightly out of kilter. Something tore and something hurt. BAD. It didn’t hit me till I tried to jump up and I couldn’t. Then the pain radiated through me like an electric shock. I started crying, the other girls gathered around me concerned, the coach ran over to see about me. It was all quite dramatic, as only a group of girls that age can make something.
Long story short, I had pulled a ligament in my leg. I got to hobble around on crutches for a while which is great fun for a ninth grader. I was told to not do anymore splits with that leg out front and it all was hunky dory. I healed up and went on and didn’t think that much of it again until I started getting, shall we say, a tad older. At some point, I don’t know exactly when, that leg started aching again. It took me a long time to associate that particular ache with the injury I’d had so many years before. I did finally realize that the ache was from that injury and it ached a lot more when there was moisture in the air. On top of that I developed arthritis. I was told I had arthritis when I was THIRTY!! Nobody has arthritis at thirty! Yes, my joints hurt. Yes, they hurt worse when it rained. Yes, I ached all over at times. I NEVER thought it was arthritis. I just thought it was life. It really upset me when the doctor told me I had that. At that point in my life I associated arthritis with old age and I was NOT old!
Well, I didn’t make the long story short after all, did I? The thing is that Freeze It Gel relieves those kinds of aches and pains. You know, the kinds that we suffer from when we are older because we did stupid things when we were younger. Actually, it helps with all kinds of aches and pains. For instance, it helps relieve sore muscles and muscle sprains, back, shoulder and neck pain, arthritis and pains in the ankle, knee, hip and elbow joints.
They are having a contest from which I hope to win a supply of Freeze It to use on that old cheerleading injury and my aching joints. That would be wonderful!