Surgery Update: Success

Double peace signs pre-sugery, post-drugs

First, and most importantly: congrats to all the ITA baller athletes who are qualifying for London. We get internal emails within the group about milestone accomplishments, and they are coming fast and furious at the moment. The newest Olympic entry goes to Lea Davison, WOOHOO!!!! It's pretty sweet and very motivating to read about the success ITA athletes are having. Keep it up!

Now, for the update.

I'm getting good at surgery. This being my fourth trip under the knife and second in three months, I had few questions heading into Wednesday's procedure. I got into DEN 12:30 the night before, and arrived at the Vail Valley Surgery Center at 8am on a little more than 4 hours of sleep. I was first up on doctor's surgery to-do list, and by 8:24am I was in a gown, my leg was shaved, and I had an IV in. My only issue was that I was insanely hungry. Flight delays and pre-surgery food restrictions after midnight meant that I hadn't eaten anything substantial since 2pm the day before, so I was happy to see the process moving along so quickly.

Things continued to go quickly, efficiently, and without much ceremony. Each doctor/nurse/hospital person I dealt with would begin with "I see that you've done this plenty of times before so you know what's going to happen. Any questions?" I even knew some of the people from last time! I'm still a huge chicken shit about needles, but even that wasn't too bad. The IV was almost worse than the enormous needle that went into my hip for the nerve block (I was already half under at that time, otherwise I would have fainted. Again.). By 11:30 the surgery was complete, I was back in reality, and spent the rest of the day eating, resting, and taking a ride on the Grade A IV-induced no pain train.

Post-op, things have been great. The team at Howard Head Physical Therapy has done an amazing job getting the swelling out of the knee in a short time, allowing me to regain control of my quad muscle and limit the amount of atrophy. I think the relaxed and positive attitude that I took toward this procedure has contributed to the progress as well. I didn't dwell on the fact that I was getting operated on in June, and instead just went in, got fixed, and am continuing to heal. My rehab schedule is still unbelievably slow (not much for the first 6 weeks), but I've never had such high range of motion without pain before. Things are definitely going in the right direction and it's great to be on the road to a full recovery.

I'm looking towards a productive and fun summer, even if I won't be in Zermatt, Chile, New Zealand, or anywhere else my summer schedule usually takes me. The prep nurse shaving my leg recommended shaving both legs for the whole summer "so I won't look so funny", but we'll see. Thanks for all the support from everyone, so far so good!

Bring on the Next One!

FIS forms and rehab schedules...all part of the road to recovery

I finally have a date set for my (hopefully) last surgery. Dr. Millett remarked in my meeting last week that the bone tunnels have filled in quicker than expected and that I am recovery ahead of schedule. I had hoped that my extensive experience in the post-surgery healing department might speed up the process, and he confirmed this by saying my diet and rest schedule probably had a lot to do with my recovery....well aren't I a model patient!

This next/last surgery, scheduled for June 13th, will give me an ACL. I have been without one the past 10 weeks and would very much like to have back in my life. Looking at my leg right now, the quad muscle has stayed relatively strong, I'm walking around and biking like a normal person, even the hairs on my legs have grown back from the first surgery leg shave. It's a little bit of a bummer that I'll be going under the knife so deep into shorts season, but I couldn't be happier to know the date of this procedure as it provides a much better view of my healing schedule going forward.

Hoping for a good surgery and a fast recovery!

Racer Chicks

As it has been hopefully well documented, competing at the highest level in ski racing without the support of the national governing body can be challenging. Athletes put in this position compete not only on the slopes but off, as they are forced to raise funds, budget, schedule effective training blocks, prepare physically, manage a race schedule and coordinate intents with the USST, and of course perform on the race hill, all on their own.

Last week newly crowned ex-US Teamers Hailey Duke, Megan McJames, and NCAA standout Katie Hartman joined forces to create an elite female training group with Aspen Valley Ski Club. Hailey and Megan competed on the World Cup circuit last season while Katie finished up her collegiate career with CU. I spoke with Katie a little bit between runs at US Nationals about her decision to dive in headfirst to the world of post-collegiate skiing, and while she didn’t have all of the details worked out at the time she was certainly sure about wanting to build off of her collegiate career and continue racing. Hailey also mentioned at the Mammoth Invitation that something like this might be in the works, and while she and Megan are coming from the other end of spectrum of being told ‘no’ by the Ski Team after so many years of ‘yes’, I was impressed that her passion to compete was still as high as ever.

From someone already camped out in the trenches, I hope their group kicks ass this year and wish them the best of luck. I am willing to bet that their view of ski racing will be a little different by the end of the season, for better or worse. I can promise logistical issues and hopefully not too many funding problems, but all these issues pale in comparison to the goal. As in the rest of life, the journey is just as important as the destination. Like when someone borrows your car, treats it like a rally mobile, blogs about it, and even when you think everything has been put back it turns out the car needs its second alignment in 5,000 miles (yes Warner, that just happened). So much to look forward to!

 You can “Like” their Facebook page here.

POC does OBX

POC has a great trip each spring to Outer Banks for a little sun, surf, and sail. The guest list is a wide group of those from the ski and action sports community, from POC athletes to regional and national reps of various companies to the director and instructors from the Aspen ski school. Some of the world's best kitesurfers were on hand as well, probably to make sure that none of the winter athletes in the group actually thought they were good at getting out on the surf. A couple of base jumpers were on hand well, rounding out the motley crew. I was lucky enough to get down there for a couple of days, and although the knee prevented me getting onto any kiteboards, I was able to do a bunch of swimming and some saltwater rehab. This is the last of my end-of-season trips, but maybe the best. Thanks to Willie Ford and Jarka Duba for making this happen, I now have another reason to rehab so I can get out on a kite!

Day at the beach

GoPro/POC skydiving event at REAL Watersports

A little live blues at REAL Watersports pre-skydivers

Pro Snowboarder and his one-year old Bali, rocking outfits at the "8 bucks or less from the souvenir store" costume party

Pic with Erin Sullivan, former POC rep and the woman behind this trip

Another sunset kite session

A Mammoth Rehab

Glen Plake!

It's been 4 weeks since my first knee surgery, and today I am beginning a two-week process to phase off of crutches. It's going to take a considerable amount of self control not to ditch the "sticks" all together and attempt to walk unassisted today, but I've been told numerous times by my doctor and by my physical therapists what a bad idea that would be and to keep the healing aspect of the rehab schedule in the forefront of my thoughts.

I have still been able to participate in some fun and meaningful end-of-season activities, crutches or not. I spent last weekend at the Mammoth Invitational, a fundraiser that supports underserved students and athletes in the local area (Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation) and top alpine skiers nationwide with disability protection (World Cup Dreams Foundation). The event is 3 days long, with professional skiers leading small groups of supporters, many of whom have kids ski areas or just wanted to have a great time. Activities ranged from a biathlon to a paneled slalom alpine race to Bavarian night to Monte Carlo night. I clearly wasn't skiing during this time so once again I found myself in the timing booth as the announcer, and brought each racer in to the finish line.

The atmosphere at the event was fun and laid back, but the list of (other) coaches the Invitational assembled was nothing short of impressive: Daron Rahlves, Kristian Ghedina, Christian Deville, Mike Janyk, Will Brandenburg, Scott Macartney, Glen Plake, Sherry McConkey, the list of great skiers went on and on. Some of the teams assembled costumes for each event, both on the hill and at night, adding to the festive atmosphere. On the last day, the Invitational assembled a "Heroes and Kids" autograph signing session for the kids, complete with pizza, ice cream, and jelly bean soda. It wasn't the most nutritional meal I've ever seen, but there was no doubt to how much fun the kids had.

The event was a huge success, the Invitational raised a bunch of money for the community and for World Cup Dreams Foundation. I felt lucky to help out the ski community and also see some of my best friends in the ski world at the same time. It was great to reconnect with so many people after ending this ski season on such a sour note. The support was encouraging, and it made me want to get right back out on the slopes. To make that final step takes a lot off little ones, so for now, I'll focus on phasing off the crutches.

My next doc apt is in 4 more weeks, at which point I will find out how quickly I can get the next surgery to put in an ACL. Fingers crossed it's soon!

Autograph signing at "Heroes and Kids"

Will Brandenburg signing autographs by day...

Will Brandenburg (left) rocking a one-piece sequin suit by night. Some of us had more fashion forward teams than others.  Also pictured, myself and other Dream Team member Adam Cole on Monte Carlo night.

Life on the Mend

Mending broken things is totally in right now. Since walking through the doors of Vail Valley Clinic a little over a week ago, I either rehabbed next to, talked with, or slapped hands with probably half of the my friends from the race world. The Steadman Clinic is the collision repair shop of elite skiers, and right now things are booked solid. Resi Steigler, Chelsea Marshall, Colby Grandstrom, Andrew Weibrecht, Tommy Biesemeyer, Nolan Kasper, Robby Kelley, Keith Moffat were all on hand to either have something repaired or to discus something in the near future. Even the therapists at Howard Head were surprised, I don't think any of them will have their kids ski race.

My surgery went as well as it could. In post-op Dr. Millett told me that he wanted to fit everything into one surgery, but it just wasn't possible. The tunnels made by the anchor points of the old ACL were too wide (a new ACL graph is smaller than a healthy one) and the re-(re-)tear rate would be too high to put one in now or drill new tunnels. He was however able to repair the MCL, perform a micro-fracture on the tibia plateau, remove two loose pieces of tibia found above the knee cap, flap back down a big piece of meniscus and sew it up, remove the torn ACL, take out the old screws and bone graph the tunnels (re: fill them up with bone dust and seal off), so it's not like he wasn't busy.

The timetable for the next surgery is somewhere between 2 and a couple more months, I can't even say the number. The good news is however that it'll just be an ACL. Doctors refer to that like changing a tire, and it should be a much more involved recovery since right now I'm severely limited to range of motion (0-90 degrees) and on crutches (4-6 weeks). The ACL likes active rehab, so that will be lots of fun (can't wait!). For now, I was able to move into the guest bedroom of Team Leever HQ where my parents also just crashed at for the weekend to watch Kieffer at US Nationals and help me out.

On Sunday I got asked to announce with Peter Graves for the US Nationals men's gs. It was a blast. We really found our rhythm in the second run and had a great time calling Robby Kelley into the finish for his first national championship. For those keeping score, Robby Kelley was listed above as well. The day after he won he went under the knife, talk about good timing! After the race I got a text from someone that read: Christianson/Nickerson 2014 Olympic commentators, haha. Only if we're doing it while racing, move over Doug Lewis and Steve Porino!

The man, the myth, Peter Graves and I before the second run

The day was truly awesome when Peggy Smith and Peter Nelson, parents of the late Spencer Nelson, honored me with the Spencer Nelson Memorial Award, given to an athlete who has persevered through adversity. They presented me with my long lost belt buckle from my victory at Eldora in January! I was honored to be recognized, and even more psyched that the gold medal belt buckle had returned to it's rightful owner.

Finally, I wanted to say thank you to all the support that I have gotten since this accident. People have been amazing and it's been really helpful to hear from so many. Looking forward to some good news ahead, time to get some Vitamin D!

Spencer Nelson Memorial Award, with Peggy Smith and Peter Nelson

This is what it looks like from inside the booth during second run when 10th place is on course...

And this is what it looks like during the second run when the leader is on course: "Ladies and gentlemen if you love America then you need to cheer for Robby Kelley! He can here you!!!"

Found the Kranjska Gora photo of me from the SR interview. One of the best this season, and good to see a healthy version of myself!

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Well, That Wasn't Supposed to Happen

My season took an unexpected turn yesterday at NASTAR Nationals when I hurt my knee on the final run of the weekend. Starting dead last after being the top qualifier, I hit a cross rut on a left foot fallaway entering the turn that sent me a little back and directly into a large hole at the bottom of the next gate. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when I ran and the warm weather played a big role in the deteriorating conditions; the course had changed quite a bit from inspection at 9 that morning. While airborn I saw the big hole and tried to avoid it. My inside ski landed first, but directly in the hole. It twisted, I felt things shift, and immediately pulled off course. I didn't even crash, but I knew that something was wrong. Knee injuries usually happen to the outside leg, and are frequently accompanied with dramatic explosion-like crashes. This had neither. Throw in the fact that I was at NASTAR Nationals and you have the perfect combination of a very unlikely and horrible experience.

I slid down the side of the hill, possibly swore at the ski patrol who asked me to sit on her toboggan as a way of getting down, got help from my old college competitor and Swix rep Andrew Wagner packing my car and getting out of my room, and headed straight for the Vail Valley Clinic. As this isn't my first encounter with injury, I already had Dr. Millett's email and cell phone number on hand. He directed me to a fellow who saw me last night and helped set up an MRI for this morning. I met with Dr. Millett this morning and he informed me that I have a ruptured ACL, meniscal damage, and a fracture to my tibia. This was much worse than I had anticipated, and pretty much took my breath away. On top of that, because I have had that ACL repaired before I am going to need two surgeries: one to remove the old screws and ligament and do a bone graph, and another in a couple of months for the ACL replacement. There is some hope that he can insert screws for the new ACL in other places and combine the process into one surgery, but it is unlikely (I'm pressing hard for this). I told him that I was obviously very bummed about the news but wanted to get surgery/start the healing process right away. He told me that I could go under the knife today at 2pm...well then, here we go.

An ending like this to my most successful season to date has been pretty upsetting and totally not what I pictured. In total irony, I got an email while in the waiting room that SkiRacing had published a Q&A I did a week ago with one of their writers, during which I attribute much of this season's success to staying injury free....too soon? On the plus side I had never seen the photo they used in the article before, and it made me feel a little better seeing myself back on skis (my knee looks so stable!). I haven't really been able to wrap my head around what the hell happened yesterday, I feel like it was a real one-in-a-million type situation, but the only thing I can do is look forward and hope to heal up as fast as possible.

Finally, I need a way to get the bad taste of this what happened yesterday out of my mouth, because other than my knee injury the weekend was a total blast. I am very impressed by the enthusiasm of ski racing on the NASTAR level, and even though it basically kicked my ass (as opposed to the World Cups, ECups, NorAms, or whatever else I raced this season) it was an opportunity that I am glad I went after. Below are some shots from the weekend, hopefully they will illustrate what I mean when I say that the passion for ski racing was in full force. Hoping for a fast surgery and a good report from the doc on the other end!

Early morning at the bottom of the race hill, bring on the crowds!

Any time I can get a picture of Hulk Hogan at a ski race with his kids I take it! Super nice family.

Race day morning smoothie made by super hunk Steve Nyman: 4 raw eggs, almonds, spinach, feta Greek yogurt, nano green, apple juice, mixed berries, Nature Valley Granola bars (not pictured)

Awards at NASTAR Nationals...slight bigger than a FIS race

The winner of the male 90-94 years old category. Apparently they have to keep making new age categories for him!

Podium for qualifiers, with Robby Zehner (left) and Mark Dunsworth (right)

Meeting a fan and fellow racer!