Afraid of Firsts: The Middle School Athletic Association Edition
Can you all enter a new experience, a new place, or a new job with a cool head?
I am very bad at "firsts."
And I find them incredibly scary.
I am always nervous (in my heart).
This time, I'm talking about the first aid I provided at a Middle School Athletic Association tournament after I transferred to a junior high school.
In my district's athletic association, school nurses are assigned to tournaments as "first aid staff."
Right in front of me are middle school students competing with all their might.
Dealing with injuries that happen in that environment—
The student who wants to return to the game immediately, the people around them who want them to return,
and the atmosphere of
"this might be the last game."
It wasn't just about treatment; I also had to sort out feelings and situations, and every time, my little heart was filled to the brim.
1. Soccer: Stoppage Time (You are scary)
My first athletic association first aid duty after transferring.
I was assigned to soccer. The epitome of bursting energy.
Under the blazing sun, middle school students swarmed the ball.
I constantly prayed in my heart.
"Please, chug your sports drink!"
→ Heatstroke is scary
"Don't crowd the ball so much!"
→ Contact is scary
"Don't kick so hard!"
→ Bruises are scary
The bottom of those cleats is scary too.
Concussions are scary too.
Just while my heart was pounding,
30 minutes of the second half ended... or so I thought, but the whistle didn't blow.
Huh? Stoppage time? It's still going?
Exposed to pressure and tension for 60 minutes, the moment the game ended, I felt a sense of relief with my whole body.
...The "fun" of the game? I can't feel it...
—
2. Ice Hockey: Debuting on the Ice (Why?)
Next, I was assigned to provide first aid for ice hockey, where my own school was competing.
I went to the first aid seat, excited to cheer them on—
...It's faster and scarier than soccer...
A shot? Did they score?
It's too fast, I have no idea.
1st period, 20 minutes. Okay.
2nd period is over. Good, it's over...
...Wait, there's one more!?
In that 3rd period, someone fell! It looked like they hurt their leg.
Please, stand up. Move. ...They aren't moving.
"First aid!!"
Eek, I was called.
A senior madam school nurse walks boldly and smoothly on the rink.
Wait, I don't want to go.
I've never walked on ice.
Can I stay rink-side?
But the madam went...
I followed my senior.
To me, walking so timidly,
from the spectator seats,
my own students shouted, "It's Ochoko-sensei! Good luck!!" for some reason.
No, they are definitely teasing me, right?
But I will do my best!!
Because there is an injured person there!
Just as I picked up speed, I slipped and landed on my bottom with a thud.
The spectator seats went wild.
I became the one needing first aid.
How embarrassing...
I learned later that first aid staff weren't supposed to go onto the rink (ugh, I wish I knew that sooner).
—
3. Basketball: Updating my knowledge
Another fast sport. Basketball. The movement is too intense.
My basketball knowledge stopped at "pivot," which was on a middle school test.
Students with calf cramps one after another.
I desperately stretch their muscles to suppress the spasms.
Even when I think, "It's impossible now,"
Player: "I'm going back in!"
Coach: "Put them back in!"
They went back in. They couldn't run.
But this is their last game.
That kid cried, and I cried too (huh?)
I don't know them at all.
In the next game, coaches were arguing on the bench right in front of me.
Meanwhile, the kids on the bench were indifferent. They were focused.
An argument between a funny bearded man and a hot-headed young guy.
...Being serious is amazing.
No, you guys are amazing for being able to get this far!! But still (lol).
And, while watching the game, I understood!
The 24-second rule!
"The attacking side must shoot within 24 seconds!!"
Hehe, did you know that?
(...I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I really only learned that after I turned 50...)
—
4. Table Tennis: A mix of silence and heat
The sound of hitting the ball back and forth, quietly, clack, clack...
Other than the occasional nosebleed,
the flow of time is completely different from other sports.
But... there are passionate students there too.
The look in the middle school students' eyes as they put everything into this one ball was too cool.
And even if they aren't strong, there are players I'm somehow curious about.
Maybe their form is cute, or their voice is small, or they have a unique habit when returning the ball.
I end up following them with my eyes, and sometimes I even get a "favorite" player.
I will continue to go with my nervous self
For all sports, with the same feelings as 10 years ago,
still feeling nervous,
feeling truly depressed before going,
I head to headquarters saying, "I'm here for first aid!"
But looking at it this way, I'm doing surprisingly well.
(Because I'm a first aid professional)
Next is a 34-degree forecast.
The district kendo tournament.
While accepting this nervous self, I will make the best preparations to protect lives and head out!
—
Do you ever have your "nervous self" show up when you are in a "new place" or doing a "new job"?
Perhaps our "tension and anxiety" are being used for our own and someone else's "peace of mind."
(From AI)
Today's musing
"I'm afraid of firsts. I'm bad at firsts. But I'll aim to be a 'professional at doing it and finding out it went surprisingly well'."