Monday night December 21, junior Tessa Haugh of the Harriton diving team climbed her way atop the diving board, prepared to practice the jump of a lifetime. Little did she know, this flop would flip her life around (or at least the next 6 weeks of her life.)

Plummeting towards the crystal blue water, locked into pencil form, this dive felt just like any other to Tessa. But the extra jump height had propelled her even faster towards the pool, and as her feet broke the surface of the water, they shot towards the pool’s floor, maintaining their velocity. Her toes, still pointed, crashed into the concrete ground, bending the metatarsals to their breaking point and causing her bones to snap along the arch of her right foot. The left foot suffered less of a blow, but still obtained a sprain dotted with plenty of scrapes and bruises. Tessa is awaiting more MRI results on the actual tissue of her injured feet.

She recalls thinking, “That didn’t go right”. Tessa simply didn’t see it coming, and was incredibly surprised to feel the slam of the floor beneath her body as she completed her dive. Despite the intensity of her injury, Tessa removed herself from the pool, rated her pain a 5, and assumed she would recover in a few minutes. The doctor had a different idea.

Tessa now walks the halls of Harriton with a boot on her right foot, leaning upon a pair of crutches. Her other foot is wrapped tightly in an ace bandage. In six weeks, however, she will be back on her feet, hopefully not afraid to hit the pool again (no pun intended). Her friends have been extremely supportive in her recovery, 6 of them bringing her cookies the day of the incident, which are sure to promote healing.

Despite Tessa’s injury, she maintains an excited smile and a positive attitude. Her motto: “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”. Her advice to others: Wear lots of deodorant if you have crutches.   Her hope for the future: More sleep, less busy work. If you see her wobbling around the school, be sure to wish her well.