park my cleats | hang my jersey

flag football was introduced to me 4 years ago when i had nothing else to do with my life but mope about my broken heart, go clubbing or partying and study every once in a while. the chargers became my first flag football family. we started out with 14 guys and 3 girls and on our first season, we only had 1 win. that was when we had red horse instead of water while we were playing...haha! a year after, i experienced my first semis with the chargers --- it was against the flamingos. that 8 on 8 season was the craziest season i had --- waking up at 4am to practice, fighting with the coach, the team captains and myself. that season was filled with tears, heartaches and triumphs.

and now, playing for the dark angels...welp, i can't describe the experience with them to the core. just this, the angels keep me motivated amidst my busy and routine day. saturday is angels + flag football day.

but last october 27, during our game against the bombshells, i endured an accident on my right knee. after 4 years of playing, i mistakenly placed all the force on my right knee when i stopped for my run to grab the flag. it hurt like hell and i couldn't walk for one whole day. my knee would hurt when i moved. so just imagine how i stank when i couldn't shower until sunday. haha! seriously, i had to contemplate and worry to death whether i could walk again. fortunately, i still could. i found out i had a tear on my meniscus. The menisci are two pads of cartilaginous tissue which serve to disperse friction in the knee joint between the lower leg (tibia) and the thigh (femur). with the tear, i can hardly straighten my leg nor bend it.

november 5th is the day i had to decide with a heavy heart to give up the sport i loved so much -- even in my sleep. it's ironic how i've always lived by "everything happens for a reason" yet i can't fathom the reason for my injury. i realized that this is the end of football for me yet it's really hard to let it go. football kept me alive. it kept me young. but sadly, i would have to park my cleats and hang my jersey. i would have to grow up.