My heart was pounding so loud I was sure the fans in the stands heard it. A fire burned in my lungs and pain all through my throat. Exhaustion surrounded me as I strode back to the center of the mat trying ever so hard to look as the warrior, despite feeling at best, the squire. After four minutes and two rounds of voluntary hell, I was ready to head back out for a third and final bout with my opponent. If not to win, to at least preserve my own honor and save my team from giving up more points than necessary. The whistle screamed out and again in a blaze the battle was on!.
I was in the beginning of my 2nd year of wrestling and was facing an opponent who outmatched me easily. He worked his combinations faster and better than I and shortly I found myself in the awkward position of having his arms pinning mine to my back in what is affectionately known as a "Chicken-Wing". He started to pry my arms and my back of course over to expose my back to the mat. I, however, am probably the most stubborn person most people have ever met, and this was truer still on the mat. Instead of allowing him to torque my back to the mat I fought against it until my left arm and shoulder were stretched out above my head. A sharp referee would have recognized this as what is called a potentially dangerous and stopped it whistling us up, but he was not on his game that day, and in an instant, my fate change drastically!.
All at once things went into slow motion as I heard grotesque popping and cracking sounds. It was almost like when some cracks their back, but twice as loud, and with a sound that almost made you sick. Instantly a pain shot through my arm that was possibly the most incredible I had ever felt and as I started to yell out in pain I could tell my opponent had already heard the noise and stopped. Of course the referee blew his whistle, but the damage was done. As soon as I got to my knees my shoulder just as quickly slid back into socket with a sudden single pop and the incredible tension I felt was relieved, but much of the pain remained.
