“Somebody help!” a voice cries out from the frigid air. I quickly jump up from my seat and run toward the direction of the commotion.
I’ve always enjoyed my job at the Nagawaukee Ice Arena. Sure, I deal with crabby customers and clean the toilets, but it’s easy work and with no previous work experience and high school obligations I can’t be too picky.
The day starts like any other—hockey practice in the morning followed by open skate. I’m sitting behind the concession stand when I hear it.
“Help!”
I run into the freezing air of the rink. A group of people are standing in a circle staring at something. What’s going on?
I carefully make my way out onto the glassy surface of the ice. That’s when I see it.
My first reaction is to avert my eyes. I feel sick. Legs aren’t supposed to bend that way.
“Everyone off the ice!” my voice echoes through the rink.
On the first day of orientation, every new employee was told to only call an ambulance as a last resort. Calling 911 would mean fees and a lot of paperwork. Luckily the girl who was injured was skating with a group of friends. One of them was on the phone with her parents when I got out on the ice. They would be there in 15 minutes.
As the minutes tick by, it’s obvious that she can’t stay laying on the ice. Even with her winter jacket and mittens, she’s starting to shiver. I want to get her off the ice and into the warmth of the lobby, but I can’t move her with her leg the way it was.
That’s when an idea hits me. I frantically search the office until I find what I’m looking for. Perfect. I take the two halves of a broken hockey stick along with a roll of hockey tape and fashion a makeshift splint. With her leg supported, I enlist the help of one of her friends and we move her to safety.
The answers in life aren’t always clear. Sometimes it takes creativity and a little hard work to make the best of a situation. Whenever I’m having a hard time and there seems to be no possible solution, I think back to that day and ask myself, What will I come up with this time?