Time for a new, semi-periodical segment of SportsOlogy:
Ridiculous Feats of Strength and Daring, which will highlight sports stories
of, well, ridiculous feats of strength and daring. I was tempted to make this
segment a diary of my daily activities, but I decided that would embarrass
professional athletes and shock the world too much for it to be effective. So
we’ll start with some external examples of Ridiculous Feats of Strength and Daring.
Outside of my grandfather and father, no one follows college
wrestling if he does not have a blood connection to one of the athletes.
Unless, of course, a national champion with only one leg takes the nation by
storm. Arizona State’s Anthony Robles was born missing a leg, but he didn’t
let that stop him from working his way to a national title at the 125-pound
weight class. If I had only one leg, I would use it as an excuse to play video
games all day, but that’s probably why I never even sniffed a national title—or
any title—in collegiate sports. Robles dominated his way through the
championships in spite of his lack of a leg; that is the definition of a Ridiculous Feat
of Strength and Daring.
This weekend saw another Ridiculous Feat of Strength and Daring in DC
United forward Charlie Davies. Seventeen months ago Davies was involved in an
appallingly ugly crash outside of Washington, DC which killed a passenger and
caused severe injuries to Davies, including a broken femur and a lacerated
bladder. I never knew that it was possible to lacerate one’s bladder; if you
suffer an injury you never knew existed, it serves to underscore its severity.
To survive would have been enough; to play soccer at a professional level is an
absurdity that could only occur in actual life. This absurdity also lights the
fire of my jealousy. I swear I could have been a professional athlete if I had
better coaching and more time! After a 17-month recovery, Davies returned to
the pitch with DC United in their match against the Columbus Crew. He entered
as a substitute in the second half and made his presence felt by scoring two
goals and helping United achieve a 3-1 victory. He also displayed an especially
ebullient version of his famed “stanky leg” celebration creating a sublime viewing experience for any sports fan.
Congratulations to Anthony Robles and Charlie Davies for
making SportsOlogy’s inaugural Ridiculous Feats of Strength and Daring column.
Check out their videos below.
Anthony Robles wins a national championship:
Charlie Davies scores twice in his DC United debut:
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