"Jock Walk" mystery solved by Kaylee

Background info: Kaylee is very observant. She will notice a pattern in the way the birds move as they peck seeds off the back porch, or the way the cat's whiskers tilt when he has a certain attitude. She notices lines and shadows and other things that I just glaze over. I guess it is the artist in her.

The story: This year Kaylee has a weights class for PE. Surprisingly, she likes it. I don't know what the work-out plan is, but Kaylee has ended up doing 3 days in a row of leg work. She says they also have no time to stretch afterward. Then she sits at a desk for the next hour. This combination has made her legs really, really sore in the last few days. She walks around the house saying, "Ow!" with every step, and tries to cajole her siblings into bringing her the things she needs so she doesn't have to get up. I enjoy seeing her suffer. It reminds me of the good times I had while working out and being continually sore when we lived in Alaska.

Today she had an epiphany and came happily limping over to tell me about it. "Now I know why all those athletic kids walk so funny!" She declared. I had no idea what she was talking about. She began describing a peculiar gait pattern that she had noticed in all the football players. As she talked, I burrowed deep into my memory (like 25 years ago) and realized, that yes, subconsciously I had noticed that the athletic kids that I knew did walk like that. What a weird feeling, to recall images from that long ago, and realize I had perceived something without ever consciously acknowldging it. Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to Kaylee: She explained that she noticed that she had been walking wierd today and just now made a connection. "I'm walking this way because it doesn't hurt, but it makes me look like a sports dude. The "jock walk" must be because they are in pain -- not because they are trying to look cool. Wow."

So, next time you see a sports kid walking with that funny style -- I'm sure you'll recognize it if you think about it for a minute -- just know that the poor kid is probably in pain...