How playing ping pong landed me in the back of an ambulance

So I've never been much of an active kid. I remember one time when I was probably around 7 years old where I was playing soccer and I told my mom after the match that I had ALMOST sweated (no idea if that's a word).

Clearly not me after that soccer match

I don't know if being such a lazy kid made it so that I have zero coordination but boy did I end up sucking at sports. I hated gym class because I would try my hardest and suck all the same. On top of that, I usually ended up hurting myself in the stupidest ways.

This is what I looked like playing ping pong.
Except I was taller and I was running after a ping pong ball.

My worst story happened when I was 15 years old. I was in gym class and the sport we were playing was ping pong. Like every other sport we played in gym class, I was absolutely horrible at it. Turns out the girl I was playing against was not much better than me so instead of playing actual ping pong, we spent most of our time running around after the ball.

So at some point, I find myself at the losing end of a ping pong rally and I have to go running after the ball. Again. Being the klutz that I am, I trip and fall as I'm picking up my ping pong ball. Only problem was that I couldn't get up. Why, you ask?  Because somehow I had dislocated my knee. That's right. I dislocated my knee by picking up a ping pong ball.

They even let me take a picture of them!
Ok, well, they weren't exactly that hot...

The worst part is that the hospital is located literally across the street from my high school but since I couldn't move, they had to call 911. And the paramedics weren't even the first ones to come!! While waiting for them, I lived out every 15 years old girls dream : I hung out with four firemen for about 30 minutes!!

By the time I got to the emergency room, I was starting to realize the absurdity of this whole thing. And then turns out the on-call doctor was my old family doctor who is a pretty funny guy. His reaction to seeing me : "Oh, what did you do now?" I told him. He laughed. Hard. I have to say, if he hadn't drugged me up, I would of been laughing too. Instead, I was trying not to pass out.

When all was put in the right spot again, some nurse put this huge brace on my leg that went from my ankle to my hip and she helped me in a wheel chair. As my parents were wheeling me out of the hospital, I crossed path with a few other nurses (most of which didn't even work in the ER) and none of them wasted a beat in asking me if I was the girl with the ping pong ball. I was amazed at how fast the news travelled and also, I figured nurses need all the entertainment they can get so I confirmed their story.

There was one good thing that came out of this story. I got to meet Walter. And boy, let me tell you, what a romance that was! I will however keep this story for another time. So if you're curious, keep tuning in!