Accident on Sugar Mountain

Accident on Sugar Mountain

By Ben Pelto, Class of 2013

Candler, North Carolina

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

            Skiing used to be one of my favorite sports, and I enjoyed doing it. I am sure that if I could still ski, I would love it. I cannot though. The reason for this goes back to the school winterfest day during my freshman year.

            There I was, riding on the ski lift on my way up to the Upper Flying Mile with two of my friends. It had been at least seven years since I had last gone skiing, so I was a little rusty. We had been skiing all morning on the easier runs, and my friends decided they wanted to go try something more challenging. Since it had been so long since I had last skied, I probably should have said no. But I am a teenage guy, and did not want to make it look like I was chickening out. So I went anyway.

            When we got up to the run, we decided one of my friends would go first, and then I would go, with our other friend behind me. So we went. It could not have been ten seconds from the time that we started, that my friend skied into a huge ice patch. He made it through it and tried to yell over his shoulder to warn me, but it was too late. I hit the ice at full speed. I felt my skis slip out from under me, and I started to roll. I felt my right ski come off, but not my left. I felt it stick into the ground, and twist my knee. I felt something in my knee pop.

            I finally rolled to a stopped and sat clutching my knee. I looked around and saw, not twenty feet away, a medic. He came over to me and asked if I was going to be able to ski down the mountain. I said no, so he called in a sled, and I got a nice ride down to the first aid facility.

            I found out that I had torn my Anterior Cruciate Ligament, ACL for short. I had to have surgery, and go through about four months of physical therapy. Since then, it tore again, and I have to have another surgery at some point in the future.

            I do not know why I have gone through this, but I know God has a reason. God always has a reason for everything He does or allows to happen. We do not always know what it is at the time, but we need to trust Him.  He slowed me down...and now I’m listening for His next instructions.