referee testing ball for proper air pressure

[Back In The Saddle]

Back in the days when I did VB, I learned a rather painful lesson about having all the right gear. I was checking balls before my first ever state match and somehow (nerves combined with my incredible strength?) snapped off a needle in the valve of one of the balls. It required several extra minutes to find a janitor and borrow a pair of pliers to remove the remainder of the needle, then to pump the ball back up. After that I began carrying a small Leatherman as part of my tool kit.