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</div></div><br/><br/><br/>Every Tuesday night was<i>All BMX night </i>at<b> The Skate House</b>in Chatsworth, California. This theme night in particular brought out the<i> pros,</i>the<i> posers</i>, and plenty of<i>ogres.</i>On any other night, Daxson Ripley would have bailed the moment he spotted the throng of people, but he decided to stay put in the crowded venue instead of heading out to find a less densely packed space to ride. The only reason he didn't leave was because it was his best friend, Michael's 21st birthday party.<br/><br/>The 7PM slot for his birthday party had been booked six months in advance, and all of their friends and Michael's family were there, so Dax wasn't about to disappoint the friend he'd been tight with since second grade. The party had a carnival like atmosphere, and there was plenty of laughter, fun and themed games and giveaways going on. The games diverted some of posers away from the ramps, stair sets and rails that Dax wanted to grind his purple<i> Subrosa Barraco Novus </i>freestyle bike on, and soon the party got him pretty jovial about things in general, even though he had a shitty day.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffff99">"Dude. Check it out! That <i>bank</i> would be nice to do a<i> front tail whip</i> to an <i>inside footjam</i> on.  I'm in if you are," </span>Michael said to him as he pointed out the spot,  while he sipped from a 32 ounce Coke from the bar.<br/><br/>Dax and his friends were scanning the skate park for areas to perform tricks on, as they sat at the snack bar. Michael and Dax got their face painted, in zig zags of neon green on their cheeks while waiting for their turn on the half-pipe.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">"Are you suicidal? You’re really going to try and jump that ridiculous <i>alligator pit</i>?”  Dax, you might stick the landing, but you're gonna hit the<i> bars </i>and wrack your nads."</span>their friend, Ruben laughed.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">"You're completely <i>loco</i>, homes."</span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ffcc">"I dunno Rube. Its not that hard of a <i>trick</i>, and Dax has done it about a million times, yeah?"</span>their friend Lance added.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffff99">"It's gonna be <i>sick,</i> brohem. Trust me. Dax can do this with his eyes shut."</span>Michael winked at Ruben and Lance as he gave his bestie<i> props.</i><br/><br/><b>"It is doable brah. If I absorb the shock with my legs, my feet won't </b><i>blow off </i><b>my pedals. I don’t even care anymore, I’m just going to </b><i>huck it</i><b> and hope for the best. You comin' Mike?” </b>Dax replied as he slipped his helmet on, feeling pretty<i>stoked.</i><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffff99">"Yeah dude, just hold on. I need to drink this. I'll catch up<i> un momento."</i></span>Michael replied, turning to greet to his cousin Holly, and hug his Aunt Mary and Uncle Thomas who'd flown in from Hawaii for his birthday party.<br/><br/>After pausing for a moment to study the course, Dax moved purposefully as he settled onto the seat of his bike at the top of the<i>jump box.</i>He'd done harder technical shit than a simple<i> tailwhip </i>and<i> inside footjam </i>before. He stood up on the pedals of his bike at the top of the<i>ramp. </i>Taking a breath, he took a<i> bunny hop</i>off the<i>coping </i>on the<i> ledge</i>with his bike.  Pedaling fast to get enough momentum, he got big<i> carving air </i>and did a<i> reverse 360 </i>over th<i>e spine,</i>followed by a<i> backwards grind</i>down a<i>14 stair rail</i>. Sticking the landing, Dax got a good<i> mash </i>on his pedals as he zipped up one side of the<i> quarter pipe,</i>and back onto the other<i>wall,</i>kicking the back end of one’s bicycle in a complete revolution around the handlebars in a<i> tailwhip.</i><br/><br/>Michael had just finished his Coke, and in the commotion of greeting family members almost forgot that he was supposed to<i> ride </i>out with his bro, Dax. At the top of the<i> ramp</i>, he prepared to do a set of jumps, duplicating the ones Dax had done. He was at the top of the<i>jump box, </i>waiting for the area to clear in order to start his<i> set. </i>There were people hanging around the jump box but they moved off and Michael saw he was able to pop off the<i> lip </i>of the ramp. He picked up speed on the downward descent, and<i>feebled </i>on the other side of the quarter pipe, with a tail whip and<i> reverse 180</i>on the opposite ramp. He spotted Dax first, as his best friend<i> transitioned </i>his bike in a<i>bank to wall t</i>rick after performing a<i>can-can</i>near the other end of the course.<br/><br/>He was having a happy birthday, and a good time on the course, less the excess of people inside the indoor skate park. Until the moment he collided with Dax in the middle of a second<i> trick.</i>Dax was coming up out of the box, to take a breather when he spotted Michael's five year old cousin, Nicky, and his four year old brother Patrick<i>squatting</i>on the<i>deck </i>of the ramp where his bike needed to land. His momentum was faster than expected when he torqued his bars hard to the left to avoid smacking into one of the little kids hanging out in the wrong place. Just as Dax avoided one close call, he realized that he over-corrected himself and wound up in the direct path of Michael's<i>Haro Racelite</i>as it sped up for its run. Too late to prevent the collision, the two bikes smacked into each other hard, and Dax<i>flipped</i><i>OTB</i>sending both boys crashing down into the jump box with enough force to knock Dax unconscious.<br/><br/>Dax's being unconscious wasn't as  bad as all of Michael's weight landing on him with his bike. His lower leg never cleared the bars on his bike and twisted, causing the bone to snap  loudly enough to make the onlookers and party goers gasp in shock.<br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ccff99"></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ccff99">"Oh my God. someone call 911,"</span>a guy at the top of the ramp shouted. Michael's mom, Dana, was already climbing down into the jump box to check on her son and his best friend,  Dax.  The twenty-one year old was almost like a son to her, she'd known him since he was little and Dax was constantly hanging out at their house.<br/><br/>Within 7 minutes, the wail of sirens could be heard as the ambulance arrived. 10 minutes later, Dax and Michael were rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Emergency Department, where they were triaged and sent to Trauma Bay 1. Dax's parents were called to inform them of his condition. His father's cell phone went directly to voice mail, a brief message was left to call back. After the unsuccessful attempt, his mother was contacted, and informed to come to the hospital emergency department immediately. Their son, Dax had been very seriously hurt during the collision, but his injuries were being assessed. Dax did  regain consciousness while en-route to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, screaming in pain when the nerve endings sent agony to the pain receptors.<br/><br/><b>"Ahaaaaa. Oooohhwwwww! It hurts. Ahhh shit, dudeeee...."</b>Dax groaned, followed by a long, drawn out howl as the emergency room staff and the paramedics shifted him in order to transfer him from the Stryker to a gurney.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ff9999">"Get ultasound and CT down here, stat!"</span>the doctor ordered.<br/><br/>Michael was seen shortly after him, since his injuries appeared more stable than critical. He was banged up pretty good, but he'd be discharged and be able to go home tonight. When Dax screamed in pain, his best friend asked the charge nurse,<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffff99"> "Shit, is he okay? My bike did a flip over him and I hope he's not gonna die. Please tell me that's not gonna happen?"</span><br/><br/>The charge nurse was reassuring, but knew never to promise a patient anything.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffcc99"> "The trauma team is assessing him now. We'll know more in a few hours. Until then, let's take care of you and suture you up so you can go home with your parents, okay?"</span><br/><br/>The team of trauma specialists swept in, quickly getting report from the paramedics on the accident, Dax's vital signs and his demographics as they cut off his clothing with bandage scissors. A penlight was shined into his eyes, and he was repeatedly asked the same series of questions in order to check his neurological status. A nasal cannula was hooked up to an oxygen mask and placed over his nose and mouth because one of the doctors detected decreased lung sounds on the side of his chest where he'd broken his ribs. EKG sensors were placed on his bare chest, and a pulse oximeter taped to his right index finger. His blood pressure was being monitored and the cuff on his upper left arm would inflated every few minutes.<br/><br/>A nurse swabbed one arm with an alcohol pad and punctured the vein with a catheter as she inserted an an IV line. It was necessary to provide fluids and pain medicine as ordered by the trauma physician. Dax felt like someone took roofing nails and were hammering them into his shin, and  every time he took a breath he could feel the pressure as though a two ton elephant was sitting upon his chest. One after the other, technicians entered the bay and performed a diagnostic procedure and it was a matter of time before they knew if Dax had suffered internal injuries or other medical issues that might complicate his recovery. The nurse, Zoey, did her best to distract Dax during some invasive procedures that would undoubtedly elicit more discomfort but were necessary to perform.<br/><br/>She was cute, and a little flirty. Too bad that he wasn't into women, and way too much in pain.<br/><br/><b>"Noooo...Mommm! Oh fuckkkk it hurts!"</b>he arched his back, in obvious pain.<br/><br/>Zoey held his hand and let him know how brave he was.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffcc99"> "Your Mom and Dad are outside in the waiting room, I'll let them know its okay to come in for a visit, okay?</span><br/><br/>After a few hours had passed, Dax and his family were still waiting anxiously for the diagnostic tests to be completed. Dr. Ian Callaghan was the doctor in charge of Dax's case, now that the shift change was over. He entered the treatment bay with a sheet of results to relay as well as orders for medications, which were soon going into his intravenous tubing. His Mom and Dad had waited for word from the doctor to find out whether Dax would need to go to surgery, especially if his CT scan showed an intracranial bleed. A few CC's of Dilaudid in his IV took away his pain, and allowed him to feel pretty mellow compared to a few moments ago. The doctor came into inform him of the results and his  plan of treatment, but Dax's parents made a run to the cafeteria for something to eat before it closed.<br/><br/>After hearing Dr. Callaghan explain the extent of his injuries, Dax mumbled,<b> "I don't remember anything, I have a headache though. And my leg and chest hurt like hell doc." </b><br/><br/>Dax sounded a bit loopy from the medication.<b>"Aw shit. I  broke it? How did I break it? My Mom and Dad are gonna be pissed." </b>he frowned a little, nose wrinkling.<br/><br/><b>"Am I gonna be in a cast or what? Dude this sucks."</b>Dax's gaze shifted up, fixing his gaze on the ceiling, and  back in the direction of the handsome doctor.<b>"At least I have one handsome face to look at while I'm here."</b>he joked.<br/><br/>Obviously he wasn't referring to himself, because he looked like hell.<br/><br/>Dr. Callaghan though? Dax thought he was<i>smoking  hot.</i><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">_________________________________________________________​</div><br/><b>Glossary of Terms </b><br/><i><u>pros:</u> </i>professional BMX rider.<br/><i><u>posers:</u> riders in the sport that BMX  for the wrong reasons, most commonly fashion, fad, or image.<br/>
<u>ogres:</u>annoying, ignorant individual, most commonly with an image to uphold and an IQ lower than their shoe size.</i><br/><i><u>bank:</u> </i>a sloping hill, generally of grass or cement, that can be used to aid in the performance of tricks.<br/><i><u>front tail whip</u>: The rider throws the bike out to one side while still holding onto the handle bars so that the frame goes 360° around the steering tube; the rider then catches the frame again and stands back on the pedals.</i><br/><i><u>inside footjam</u></i>: popping out onto the deck and landing on your front wheel, parallel with the coping; then take your foot off  the pedal and  jam it into the front wheel.<br/><i><u>bars:</u></i>handlebars.<br/><i><u>alligator pit</u>: </i>a very difficult gap that could pose a serious threat to the rider if not done properly.<br/><i><u>sick:</u></i>impressive, amazing.<br/><i><u>air trick:</u> </i>a trick performed by contorting one’s body or bicycle while in the air.<br/><i><u>blow off</u></i><u>:</u>to lose one’s footing on the pedals after landing.<br/><u><i>props:</i></u>congratulations or praise.<br/><i><u>huck it: </u></i>to throw oneself haphazardly into a trick or maneuver.<br/><i><u>stoked:</u></i>excited.<br/><i><u>ramp:</u></i><i> an obstacle made of cement, wood, or dirt and used to perform BMX tricks.</i><br/><i><u>bunny hop:</u></i>riding along and lifting both wheels off the ground, the starting point for almost all BMX tricks.<br/><i><u>coping</u></i><u>:</u>metal piping inset on the top corner of ramps to increase their durability and make grinding easier.<br/><i><u>ledge:</u> a</i>short wall used to perform BMX tricks.<br/><i><u>reverse 360</u>: The rider and bike spin 360° in the opposite direction of the deck.</i><br/><i><u>backwards grind:</u> </i>a trick performed by placing a part or combination of parts of the bicycle, such as the pegs, chainwheel, or pedals, on an obstacle and sliding along it.. May be done backwards or forwards.<br/><i><u>stair rail: </u></i>refers to any hand-rail going down stairs or a slope, which are used for grinds.<br/><i><u>big carving air</u>: A trick where the rider takes one hand off and grabs the seat while extending their body before grabbing back on to the bars and landing.</i><br/><i><u>ride</u>: </i>the act of performing on a BMX bicycle.<br/><i><u>lip</u>: </i>the very top of the transition on a ramp, just before the coping.<br/><i><u>feebled:</u> </i>grind or stall consisting of balancing on the bicycle’s back peg and front wheel.<br/><i><u>mash</u>:</i>to pedal hard.<br/><i><u>transitioned:</u></i>– the part of a ramp where the angle starts to steepen, causing the surface to curve.<br/><i><u>bank to wall:</u> </i>a sloping hill leading into a vertical or near-vertical wall, possibly with a gap between the top of the slope and the bottom of the wall.<br/><i><u>quarter pipe</u>:  a ramp resembling a quarter cross-section of a complete cylinder, consisting of a transition, lip, deck, and coping.<br/>
<u>box jump:</u> a generic name for numerous types of ramps in the box; <br/>
<u>reverse 180</u>:  The rider and bike spin 180° in the air and land backwards, in what is called a <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFakie&amp;hash=b332e37713f38132c3eb67a1908b49b4" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fakie" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">fakie</a>. </i><br/><i><u>can-can</u></i><u>: </u>a trick consisting of taking one foot off its pedal, kicking that leg over the top tube, then replacing it on its pedal while in the air.<br/><i><u>squatting; </u>one who sits or stands in inappropriate places, such as on top of box jumps, on ledges, or too close to the coping of a ramp.</i><br/><i><u>deck: </u></i>the top of a ramp where there is room to stand.<br/><i><u>cased:</u> to land short on a jump, hitting the front of the landing with the bike’s back tire and jarring the rider.</i><br/><i><u>OTB:</u></i>over the bars;.<br/><i><u>flipped</u>: </i>being thrown off one’s bicycle, over the handlebars, and into the ground.