General: Coach helps Wisconsin woman overcome jaywalking addiction

Annie Watts, 17, of San Pedro Wisconsin, is resting comfortably at home tonight. For the teenage girl, however, the road to recovery has been a difficult one.

"Well, last year I got in with the wrong group of friends," said Watts. "They told me it would be fun if we went out and 'did things.' We started small, you know, putting gum on the backs of chairs. But then, things got more intense. They wanted me to go jaywalking with them. I told them 'No,' but they just kept pressuring me. After a while, we were doing it twice or three times a day. It really got out of hand."

A professed jaywalking addict, Watts knew it was time to seek help.

"I said to myself: 'Annie, you can't let Jaywalking consume who you are. You need to take a stand.' So I did."

Not sure who to trust, and afraid to go to the police, Watts confided in her neighbor and friend Larry Peters, the third-base coach for the San Pedro Splash baseball team.

"When I talked to Mr. Peters, I just knew things were going to be okay," said Watts. "He told me that we all go through difficult times, but that if we work together, it will be just fine."

Peters, once a jaywalker himself, was happy to help Watts deal with her problem.

"Let me tell you, I know about the difficulties of breaking a jaywalking habit," said Peters. "My duty as Annie's neighbor, not to mention a local celebrity, is to help those in need. When I found Annie, she was jaywalking almost six times per day. That's when I knew we needed to get her in the program."

According to recent records, there are some 1,250 jaywalking addicts in the state of Wisconsin. But only a small fraction of those individuals, about three percent, seek professional treatment. With Peters' help, however, Watts was admitted into Jaywalkers Anonymous of Wisconsin, a 15-step program which helps individuals overcome their addiction.

"It's really helpful," said Watts. "They teach you not only what jaywalking is, but ways that you can prevent it. My favorite step is step three. We all stand up in a circle, hold hands, and one by one, we chant: 'Green Means Go, Red and Yellow Mean No.' It's really inspiring."

After a rigorous three-month course, Watts graduated from the treatment center last night.

"It's just great. I'm so proud of myself!," said an enthusiastic Watts, clutching her 'I'm not a jaywalker' t-shirt. "And I owe it all to Mr. Peters, what a guy! I promise I will never jaywalk again."

Peters said he was just happy he could help a neighbor in need.

"When I see someone I know, especially a young kid like Annie, I'm just happy to help straighten things out," said Peters. "To be a part of bringing Annie back from the brink of disaster, that's a beautiful thing."

So all is well again in the town of San Pedro, and it doesn't appear that Annie will be jaywalking anytime soon.

"I'm a changed woman," said Watts. "I just look back on the whole thing and I know that I can be better than that. It just goes to show, be careful who your friends are."

When asked about her jaywalking friends, Watts calmly replied: "Those girls suck. The next time they go jaywalking, I hope that they trip on orange road cones. That would be really funny, don't you think? Then they wouldn't be able to move and they would all become bloated like Anna Nicole Smith before Trimspa. God, I'm just really happy I found Mr. Peters, he's such a lifesaver."

This is a work of fiction, to the best of my knowledge there is no San Pedro Splash.