At the University of Cape Town, we had the RAG (Remember and Give) Olympics. I believe one of the events, the step races, has subsequently been dropped. Our version was not even as bad as in the early days, when they used to toboggan headfirst down the steps in front of the main hall with accidents regularly resulting in broken jaws. By the time we got our turn to be the stupid ones, we just used to run and dive. Strapped with a few bits of cardboard as “protection”. John, the guy who taught us what to do kept it simple, “just look over the horizon towards the mountains, and run straight.” Unlike other residences, we even had trials. I decided I really wanted to make the team, and even though I wasn’t fast, I could be stupid. In theory, if you land correctly with your feet, momentum will take you forward and you won’t get hurt. In the trials, I set off steaming a full 13 steps in a row. Sprinting as if I was on solid earth without even looking where my feet were going. It started well, and I steamed ahead, but after the disruption of the dive on the second landing... something went wrong. I tumbled down the remaining steps tearing the ligaments in my ankle. In the actual final, one of our (“successful” in trials) team members broke his leg in several places. Stupid can work. Temporarily.
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