Those who watched the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games probably got to see plenty of short track speed skating. Although the sport is manic and a bit insane (similar to moto racing for the tight turns, punishing speeds, and physics-defying angles), I never thought of it as too “dangerous”. It was the video and story of J.R. Celski’s Bloody Injury that made it real.

The sheer danger of having razor sharp blades thrown into the mix of what would otherwise be a frenetic sport adds an element of macabre to it somehow. It’s as if in addition to the brutal physicality of a Water Polo match, the rules were to state that while swimming and fighting for the ball, all players in the pool must carry a carving knife in their alternate hand!