Kristi Yamaoka

Yeah, so I saw this thing on the Today show yesterday and I'm only now getting around to writing about it. They had on this cheerleader from Southern Illinois University, Kristi Yamaoka, who hurt herself during a cheer.

She fell off the top of a human pyramid and landed on her head, suffering a concussion, a spinal fracture and a bruised lung. She was strapped onto a spine board and carried off the court by paramedics. Her injury is certainly horrible, but the only reason this is getting national media attention is that she continued her cheer while being carried off the court.

When the pep band fired up the school's fight song "Go Southern Go," Yamaoka gave a two-handed thumbs up from the gurney, then moved her arms — the only things not strapped down — in time to the music and cheered.

Today had video of this that is frankly a little disturbing.

You know the Today show's pattern? They try to keep people from changing the channel by sticking the next guest on camera for a few seconds just before a commercial break. When Yamaoka got her five seconds of pre-commercial camera time she started doing her damn cheer again, "I almost killed myself" neck brace and all.

This girl freaks me out.