Huge light fixture falls directly on high school wrestler in middle of special prep tournament
To win the annual Madison Square Garden tournament, a South Dakota prep wrestling staple held at Madison (S.D.) High, Madison senior Michael McCormish knew he would have to overcome a number of obstacles, a tough opponent and an extra dose of hype among them. What he never imagined was that his school's own signature light fixture would be the unforeseen challenge to take him out.
As first noted by Bob's Blitz, McCormish was the victim of a terrifying action during a bout against a wrestler for Chamberlain (S.D.) High on Friday when the giant, iridescent-style light fixture that provides a solitary spotlight on the wrestlers in the Madison Square Garden tournament came crashing down as McCormish set up to start on bottom of a re-start. The crash was horrifying, with the fixture itself appearing to almost gobble the senior wrestler up.
Quick medical attention ensured that McCormish was safe, even if the crash startled and shook up all the wrestlers and those in attendance.
Remarkably, McCormish later tweeted that he was fine, and that the injuries he suffered from the crash only caused minor cosmetic damage, consisting mostly of a handful of stitches on the senior's forehead.
You can see the damage in a photo that McCormish tweeted out along with his update about his injury. While he may have some gnarly scars in the short term, it looks like he'll probably be just fine in the long run.
The unnamed Chamberlain wrestler facing McCormish was not injured in the accident, though the bout between the two was understandably called off. Still, by the time the light fell Madison had already competed in plenty of wrestling bouts on Friday alone; the Bulldogs hosted traditional rival Harrisburg (S.D.) High before the Chamberlain matchup in the Madison Square Garden event.
Whether or not the light catastrophe (all puns intended) changes the format of future Madison Square Garden events remains to be seen. It certainly should change the school's electrical rigging formats at the Madison (S.D.) Middle School Gym, where the event is held each January.
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