Issue 111: A Mile-High Stunt Gone Wrong

I’m currently writing this email from Denver, where I’ve been enjoying a little pre-birthday celebration.

I’ve eaten far too much good food. I’ve played bocce ball in a bar. I’ve been to two Colorado Rockies games — and even saw a walk-off home run! And I have most likely walked more than I have during the rest of the entire summer combined.

What I have not done is try and enter a building from the roof. Why? Because I’ve been scarred thanks to a Denver Nuggets game from eight years ago.

(Also because of several other reasons, but this is the only basketball-related one.)

Back in 2013, Rocky, the Denver Nuggets mascot, was making a grand entrance for the team’s home opener. He was harnessed and rappelling down from the rafters — the plan was for him to land, unharness, and then wow the crowd with crazy hijinks. You know, like a typical mascot.

Only things went awry VERY quickly.

Rocky passed out almost immediately as soon as the harness started lowering him down. All we see is his very limp body slowly dropping toward the earth.

This event is a real thing called suspension trauma, and should you or someone you know ever encounter it, get out of the harness immediately.

While it was a scary situation at the time, Rocky was, in fact, okay. A quick recovery in the hospital and he was soon back to doing all the wacky things we know and love.

That fact also makes it okay to laugh at the moment when Rocky finally reaches the ground and the PA announcer gives us a hearty “Yeahhhhhhh!”

Really capturing the gravity of the situation there.

This is far from Rocky’s only spectacularly outrageous situation. He’s also participated in things like decking a small child during a football game and has an ongoing feud with NBA-er Russell Westbrook.

And if this email made you sad, watching it happen in reverse is much more inspiring.

That’s all ’til next time. Thanks for reading!

Joey

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