It’s something to aspire to. To be a Florida Man. I was close once when I had to make a decision about an alligator in my biking path. But recently I learned that I apparently am a Florida Man, and wouldn’t you know that it involved an “attack by a 16-foot alligator.” I’ve got the video to prove it!

So obviously this video wasn’t taken by me, and please know that there are no alligators in the water where I was. Sure, there are further upriver, but I had just gone under the Cass Street Bridge and was coming into the Bob Buckhorn River Center. This video was from last summer sometime, but I just recently was made aware of it. The crazy thing is it has like 2.2 million views. Does that make me a viral sensation?

Here’s what actually happened: I was at the end of a long practice, having rowed down to the end of Davis Island and back in my single shell. As the practice was concluding, I was doing what is called a “feet out” drill, where my feet aren’t secured to the foot stretchers. It’s a drill we use to increase connection with the boat and make your core stronger. Anyhow, I forgot that my feet were out and went to make a sharp turn to avoid the signpost that you can see near me in the video. The second I held water with one of my blades, I flipped. It happens. Anyone who has rowed, paddleboarded, kayaked, or canoed knows that at some point you are going in the water. They are watersports, after all! On this particular day, I was tired after the workout and was having trouble getting back in (which is no easy feat, even when you aren’t tired – it requires plenty of balance). But I did eventually clamber onto my coach’s launch, got back in my shell, and rowed myself back to the dock with, I’m glad to say, no bite wounds.

And the good news is, just last week, I did a flip test, where we intentionally flip and then have to get back in our boat, and did it successfully in the same shell. I love that the person filming the video edited it to add the drama of an alligator. Usually all we see in the area are dolphins and manatees – nothing that will attack you. Fair proof that you shouldn’t believe a lot of what you see online! There is a lot of crazy stuff out there, and now, I’m sort of part of it!

What do the kids call this kind of social media stuff? Brain rot, I think. Kick it to the curb this Saturday. Put down your phone, get off of Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and join us for Yoga in the Garden. It will be hot yoga, courtesy of Mother Nature, so expect to feel really good after sweating out the toxins. And afterwards, grab an iced beverage at Quail Run Coffee’s mobile bar, then stroll the boardwalk at the Nursery and enjoy the beauty of summer in Florida. I promise there is no risk of alligators!