So this story sounds ridiculous every time I tell it but it's true. It involves a damaged penis.
Where I went to school, if you earned a spot on a 7th grade athletics team (the year school sanctioned sports began) you were pulled from standard P.E. class to a conditioning class where we did weight training three days per week and cardio drills 2.
Anyways, the equipment was pretty standard, old school stuff. A squat rack, some benches, a section for DL's et cetera.
The plate trees were shaped like a pyramid, the small weights fit around the sides and the top was flat with a peg for 45s.
This design was a horrible idea for kids new to weight training, pulling from and returning the 45's to the top of the tree was a workout in and of itself.
One kid in particular struggled quite a bit but always muscled the plates around, most likely as a point of pride. He was skinny even for a seventh grader, underdeveloped, a late bloomer. We'll call him Jesse.
Anyways, we wore those old Champion style shorts, loose fitting, kinda short. On this particular day Jesse must've been wearing boxers because while he was on his tip toes, leaning/falling forward to drop the 45 down on the peg, it slammed hard but had kind of muted sound coupled with a sharp squeal.
Everyone turned at once and he was kind of slumped over but still standing, his penis pinned between a plate and the platform they rest on. People nearby rushed to lift it and he fell on the ground, out cold.
Coach grabbed a wheel chair from his office and wheeled Jesse to the nurse, rumor had it an ambulance picked him up. He showed up in school about two weeks later, no longer interested in sports and became a very withdrawn, shy kid.
His family moved a couple years later, no idea if he had any lasting damage.
Moral: Don't be too proud to ask for help.
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