I was in the groove. Lots of little turns and good speed. He was faster. One of those straight down guys. He delivered a hip check and kept on going. A hit and run. Left me on the ground and never slowed down. Probably never even heard the name I screamed at him from the top of my lungs.

I was fuming. So mad my knees were shaking after I stood up. Or maybe that was from the shock of having someone knock my skis out from underneath me on the fly.

How could he not stop? How could he not bother to ask if I was OK? Who decks another skier and doesn’t even apologize and offer to help?

Obviously, the damage could not be undone. Stopping was not going to undo or excuse his appalling behavior. But stopping would have made a huge difference!

When you fail to apologize for a mistake, you double, if not triple, the damage. You add insult to injury. Had he stopped, I would have told him I was OK and accepted his apology. By not stopping, he created a whole new level of outrage and indignation. The incredible lack of concern and total disrespect became an even bigger (broken) bone of contention.

So the lesson here is to apologize. Always. Any time you slight someone. Checking in, showing concern, and saying you are sorry will prevent a bigger problem than the original mistake in most cases.

As I seethed on the hill waiting for my knees to stop rattling, numerous memories from those who have been wronged without acknowledgement bubbled up through my anger.

“Did he think we wouldn’t notice?”

“Doesn’t he realize how important this is to us?

“What kind of idiots does he think we are?”

You may be embarrassed by your mistake but acknowledging that mistake will cost you far less than slapping someone with the insult of silence where an apology should have been.