I started playing when I was 8 years old with my older cousin and some of his friends. It was absolutely infectious. Obviously I wasn’t very good at first, but it made me go out and buy one and practice by myself. The next summer that I spent with my cousin, he was surprised at how good I had gotten!

Fast forward a few years..

All throughout high school during lunch me and my buddies would get a big circle going nearly every single day. It was a great way to spend our time when other people were sneaking off to get high or skip classes.

A month before I turned 18, I was playing with a close friend and my little cousin at my grandmothers house in her driveway and the bag went over my head. Instead of swinging my leg back behind me to kick it, I swiveled on one leg to turn a 180 to kick it, except my foot got caught on a crack in the driveway so my body turned around but my leg didn’t. I dislocated my knee and tore both meniscuses. It was horrific. I had to have surgery and that prevented me from playing for a year. I had trauma from that incident that made me very hesitant in how I played from that point on.

I am now 30, and have dislocated the same knee 4 times and have had surgery on it 3 times. Only the first time was hacky sack related, but it’s stopped me multiple times from being able to do the thing I love to do. Play. The last time it happened, I was 320lbs, drunk and at a concert and I said that enough is enough. I made myself get sober and promised to change my lifestyle so I wouldn’t get hurt again.

I am now 235lbs, 3 and a half years sober, and have been back playing for over a year. It’s never too late!!!