Skateboarder Omar Hassan, 35, is known as one of the best in the world and as one of the smoothest. You wouldn't think a skateboarder as smooth as Omar Hassan would take a bunch of spills, but as Omar describes some of his travails, you can't help but think of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner.

So, read forward here only if you have a high threshold for pain.

Omar Hassan says, "One of my first injuries came when I was doing a front-side air. I fell in a straight Pete Rose slider position with the board still in hand. I broke my thumb and ripped off the nail, which is insanely painful in itself."

Ow-ooo-ch! (By the way, younger folks, Pete Rose is an old-school baseball player known for sliding head first.)

When Omar Hassan was 17, he says he dislocated his ankle. Not broke, but dislocated. An ankle? That doesn't sound good, Omar. He says he broke BOTH the tibia and fibula bones in his leg, and the medical fix-up included six screws that will remain for life.

Now, consider this one: "In Japan, I fell and slapped my hand so hard on the ground that it blew out my palm. My palm literally burst open. I had to get surgery to close up the pad of my hand."

Does Omar Hassan love skateboarding or what? Consider his handsome mug.

"I was doing a Rocket air off a jump ramp and held on too long," Omar says. "I broke two teeth, and the force of the fall shoved my braces through my lip ... I've busted my chin open about seven times. There are too many different stories that I don't care to elaborate on. Landing chin-first in pools, on ramps, in the street. All the same outcome: a busted chin and a lot of blood."

Omar Hassan even uses his injuries to make impromptu product endorsements: "While jumping off the back of a Dumpster into a bank, my board bounced up and hit me on the back of my head. Because Black Label wood is so strong, my board gashed open the back of my dome, and I had to get 14 stitches."

So, if you ever happen to bump into Omar Hassan, try not to REALLY bump into him!

Sources:
http://skateboardermag.com/skateboarder-news-features/magazine/Skateanatomy/omar-hassan-anatomy/
http://www.grindtv.com/athlete/omar_hassan/1068/bio/
http://expn.go.com/skt/s/010416_omarhassan.html