Growing up in Australia, most of us have a deeply ingrained habit of checking our shoes for spiders or shaking out a coat that has been sitting in the garage for too long. It’s an Aussie survival instinct, But does it apply to other parts of the world?. Well, one high school football player in the US has just set an entirely new standard for pre-game equipment checks after spending nearly an hour with a highly venomous passenger tucked safely on his head.
During a routine football practice at Maumelle High School last week, a student was going through his standard warmups. For nearly an hour, everything proceeded as normal, right up until the player began to feel an unusual, shifting sensation inside his headgear. Rather than ignoring the discomfort, he calmly removed the helmet and took it straight to an assistant coach for a closer inspection.
What they found nestled comfortably behind the interior padding was not a loose screw or a stray piece of turf. It was a live, two-foot-long cottonmouth snake.
A Stubborn and Lethal Visitor
For those unfamiliar with the local wildlife of the American South, the cottonmouth (also known as a water moccasin) is not a creature you want anywhere near your face. Ranked as the second-most venomous snake found in the state of Arkansas, the pit viper is known for its potent venom and defensive posturing.
Finding the snake was only the first hurdle; removing it proved to be an entirely different challenge. The cottonmouth had woven itself so securely into the protective padding of the helmet that it flatly refused to leave. When local animal control officers arrived at the field, they quickly realised that standard removal tactics were not going to work.
To safely extract the pit viper without damaging the helmet or agitating the snake further, technicians had to fully submerge the headgear in a tub of water. The strategic flooding forced the snake to abandon its dark, padded hiding spot, allowing the animal services team to safely secure it with tongs. Fortunately for the snake, the story ends peacefully for it, as it was carefully relocated and released into a nearby wooded area.
@colebierbaum548 ♬ original sound – Cole Bierbaum548
So, how did the teenager react to narrowly avoiding a venomous bite to the skull? He simply grabbed a spare helmet from the sidelines and went right back to practice. If it was me, I’d never put that helmet on again, in fact I’d throw it straight on the nearest fire.
Not Just in the US
As sports seasons get underway here in Aus, it’s a nice reminder for athletes everywhere. Whether you are leaving your gear in a locker room, a garage, or the boot of your car, it never hurts to give it a thorough inspection before putting it on. After all, sharing the field is part of the game, but sharing your helmet is where we should probably draw the line.
