12 Dec Tucker: Tucker does backflip, hilarity ensues
A word of caution to all ex gymnasts or would be acrobats doing bodybuilding shows – don’t do flips in bare feet on the stage!
Okay, so there I am in the pump up room watching the posing routines, and one of the guys in the class below me is really getting the audience worked up with some fun moves. He was almost doing some breakdancing stuff and did the splits at the end and the crowd loved it.
Not to be outdone, I noticed the stage was carpeted, and I thought to myself “That carpet will give me some grip and a cushy landing, I could throw a flip…”
**Keep in mind this wasn’t some stupid thing I’ve never tried before, I grew up doing gymnastics so I’ve been throwing these for fun since I was a kid and this was the first time I’ve ever hurt myself doing one.
So I went up, did my routine and then at the end as I was about to walk off stage I stopped, put my hand behind my ear as if I was listening for something and started tapping on the ground to see if it were solid enough (basically just building some suspense and getting the audience’s attention). I threw the flip, stuck it easy and it looked good. The saddest part of it all, nobody knew I was going to do it so Julie stopped filming after my song was over, so I have zero proof that this happened!
My left foot stung like a mofo after, kind of like the feeling you get if you catch a fastball in a baseball glove and your hand stings. I didn’t think much of it and gritted my teeth and went off stage and then came back for the trophies and some final flexing. I must have landed harder on my left side because the fleshy part of the heel and all the tendons underneath were starting to get more and more painful as time went on. By the time I got home it was so bad I literally just held my foot up in the air and hopped into the house lol.
I was thinking of going to urgent care the next day, but it felt a little better and the swelling wasn’t too bad, and by the time Monday afternoon came around it was definitely improved. When it first happened I couldn’t curl my toes or make a fist with my foot at all, but now I can do it a little bit and I can put some weight on it as I walk around with crutches. I think it’s just a strain or bad bruise to the bottom of the foot, because my ankle feels fine and I didn’t roll it.
It sounds pretty gnarly and I don’t take little injuries lightly, but in this case I think the doctor would just tell me to stay off it and do exactly what I’m already doing, so I didn’t really want to bother. If it’s not better in a few days I’ll go and see if I should get an X-Ray but I doubt it’ll be necessary.
To cap it all off, Brian wished Paul and I good luck on Saturday and told us to play smart and be cerebral…. Guess I didn’t follow those directions too well!
The ironic part of it all, is that somehow I managed to hurt myself in the least athletic part of the whole process. The show itself isn’t lifting any weights or doing anything dangerous, it’s just flexing. Leave it to me to complicate things haha. It’s something I always wanted to do though, so now I get to check it off and know not to do it again in the future. Hopefully I’ll hahe a positive check in about feeling fine at the end of the week. For now it’s crutches and rest.
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