PizDoff
5/06/2005 10:14am,
05/01/2005
Sumo Wrestling Dangers
A week ago, she went to the prom. Today, her classmates went to her funeral.
A northwest Iowa teen died this week after getting hurt at her after-prom party.
It happened while she was using an inflatable sumo wrestling suit.
The deadly accident happened in Aurelia, Iowa, that's southeast of Cherokee, in the school gym at an after-prom party.
17-year-old KayAnn Kruckenberg and another student put on inflatable sumo wrestling suits before the party started. Then Kruckenberg was knocked off a mat and hit her head on the gym floor.
The story is a scary reminder for one KELOLAND teenager.
It's an interactive, inflatable activity popular at after proms, graduations and other parties. Put on the oversized vinyl suit and you're transformed into a sumo wrestler.
High school junior Lindsey Weber says, "They lay it on the ground and you climb into it and put on the helmet which is one size fits all, kind of a Chinese hairdo and they're really big for your head and you just hit each other, push each other around a little bit."
17-year-old Lindsey Weber went to the Flandreau prom a couple weeks ago. At the post-prom party, she tried inflatable sumo wrestling.
Weber says, "My partner and I lined up on opposite sides and we hit and I flew off the mat onto the turf and hit my head. The helmet came up and hit the back of my head."
Weber says she didn't think she'd done much damage.
Weber says, "At first it didn't hurt too much, had a headache for about an hour but not too serious at first. The whiplash kind of hit the next day."
And she wound up missing a day of school.
She says, "The doctor said it sounded like I'd broken a blood vessel and it hemorrhaged and my entire eye turned red."
Should she ever get the chance to strap on the suit again, Weber says she'll pass. She just feels lucky she didn't get hurt any worse.
Weber says, "I kind of took away that post prom should be keeping kids safe, keep them from not going to parties and stuff but it's not that safe. Not worth it at all."
Even though she says it didn't fit well, Weber did wear a helmet. The teen who died in Iowa did not.
In response to injuries, some companies that make the sumo games have designed mats with inflatable rings around them, which makes it harder to fall onto the ground.
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail4514.cfm?ID=22,39400
If only they knew Judo?
Sumo Wrestling Dangers
A week ago, she went to the prom. Today, her classmates went to her funeral.
A northwest Iowa teen died this week after getting hurt at her after-prom party.
It happened while she was using an inflatable sumo wrestling suit.
The deadly accident happened in Aurelia, Iowa, that's southeast of Cherokee, in the school gym at an after-prom party.
17-year-old KayAnn Kruckenberg and another student put on inflatable sumo wrestling suits before the party started. Then Kruckenberg was knocked off a mat and hit her head on the gym floor.
The story is a scary reminder for one KELOLAND teenager.
It's an interactive, inflatable activity popular at after proms, graduations and other parties. Put on the oversized vinyl suit and you're transformed into a sumo wrestler.
High school junior Lindsey Weber says, "They lay it on the ground and you climb into it and put on the helmet which is one size fits all, kind of a Chinese hairdo and they're really big for your head and you just hit each other, push each other around a little bit."
17-year-old Lindsey Weber went to the Flandreau prom a couple weeks ago. At the post-prom party, she tried inflatable sumo wrestling.
Weber says, "My partner and I lined up on opposite sides and we hit and I flew off the mat onto the turf and hit my head. The helmet came up and hit the back of my head."
Weber says she didn't think she'd done much damage.
Weber says, "At first it didn't hurt too much, had a headache for about an hour but not too serious at first. The whiplash kind of hit the next day."
And she wound up missing a day of school.
She says, "The doctor said it sounded like I'd broken a blood vessel and it hemorrhaged and my entire eye turned red."
Should she ever get the chance to strap on the suit again, Weber says she'll pass. She just feels lucky she didn't get hurt any worse.
Weber says, "I kind of took away that post prom should be keeping kids safe, keep them from not going to parties and stuff but it's not that safe. Not worth it at all."
Even though she says it didn't fit well, Weber did wear a helmet. The teen who died in Iowa did not.
In response to injuries, some companies that make the sumo games have designed mats with inflatable rings around them, which makes it harder to fall onto the ground.
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail4514.cfm?ID=22,39400
If only they knew Judo?