game over

[tprkolbas]

well, my wakeboarding season ended about 5 or 6 weeks early last night when i blew out my knee.

i was having a pretty darn good set when we spotted a malibu with somebody taking pictures of me throwing some big air. my driver made another pass around near the malibu and i cut out wide to set up for a tantrum. just as we passed by the malibu, i cut in hard and threw a huge tantrum. everything felt fine as i spotted my landing way out into the flats. then the landing.....it started out solid until my front foot touched down, and then i felt my right knee POP. i tried to ride it out as i screamed in agony, but i went down. i guess the people in the malibu were cheering, but i struggled to keep my head above water (because i was wearing a comp vest) while clutching my knee. my driver quickly swung around as i frantically flagged him down. both he and the spotter fished me out of the drink and helped me out of my board.

a trip to the ER shortly afterward didn't reveal much - at least no broken bones, but unable to determine if anything is torn. a referral to a specialist next tuesday should give more insight. i'm quite sure an MRI is also to follow.

i guess being off work and off the water gives me more time to waste on here. please help keep me entertained. i guess if nothing else, i'm always good for a third (or extra ballast) and will never chew anyone's gas up for the rest of the season. i should have known that i'm a little too old to be shredding it like a 20 year old (i'll be 34 in a couple weeks).

oh well, it has been a great season, and i don't regret buying a new '08 lsv to help further my boarding skills, though it has led to the demise of this season. at least it is the end of august and not the beginning of june, and there is always next year - but i may have done my last invert.

[MrsZ]

I am sorry to hear about your knee. ..Remember that ice is your best friend. You probably dont realize that yet since you are a mere (almost) 34 though! :)

[csmsk]

Man, I'm really sorry to hear about that. Really. No REALLY....

Every time I hear stuff like that, it makes me second guess myself out there. That kind of thinking doesn't work well with my progression. I'm 34 also. I've been grabbing and tweaking everything I know lately, getting consistant on all my 360s and even some pretty sick looking surface tricks. I'm ready for inverts now, but I have some kind of mental hold-up going on. I don't know how to overcome it, and hearing these stories doesn't help.

I sure hope you're feeling better soon, and heal quickly. Will you get back on the horse and ride like before, or are you really done going up-side down?

[Reese350]

Bummer on the injury, that really sucks! Hopefully you have a full recovery over the winter.

On a different note, are you on White Lake or a different one? Do you know anything about Duck Lake over there? We're looking at a place on it.

[deafgoose]

That really sucks. I know how you feel.

I got a cracked rib from trying my 3rd wake 2 wake jump so I am also done for the season.

[04OUTBACK]

sorry to hear that~! Follow dr. orders, rehab properly and come out stronger!

Goose
sounds like you'll be surfin a lot!;)

[jmvotto]

That sucks, I know how you feel, 10 + years ago I was doing 360's in the moguls runs ( snow skiing) I would not let one bump get the best of me. It finally did and knee surgery followed 4 weeks later. It was my last 360 in the bumps. I do still ski bumps though but i am always looking forward.

now I am learning this wakeboard thing and barely have the W2W thing down so this keeps me trying to get better. at 41 and still trying. My kids think the face plants are funny and i should just get back in the boat and drive. that reminds me, the season is running short and i always try to foot at least once a season.:eek:

Hope everthing is fine and just a sprain or less.

[spyder]

I had a similar injury last summer on my left knee, my knee still hurts and I need to wear a knee brace while riding...

MRI showed no indications of a problem, but I need to go for a followup in September...


most of my pain has been on the outside of my left knee, my LCL i think... although the doctors show nothing wrong, over a year later I still can't sit cross legged on the floor without being in pain when I stand up..


I hope everything goes good for you.

[deafgoose]

Goose
sounds like you'll be surfin a lot!;)

Yep. I surfed twice since it happend on Friday. It's not as fun as wakeboarding or wakeskating though. :cry:

[501]

Man, I'm really sorry to hear about that. Really. No REALLY....

Every time I hear stuff like that, it makes me second guess myself out there. That kind of thinking doesn't work well with my progression. I'm 34 also. I've been grabbing and tweaking everything I know lately, getting consistant on all my 360s and even some pretty sick looking surface tricks. I'm ready for inverts now, but I have some kind of mental hold-up going on. I don't know how to overcome it, and hearing these stories doesn't help.

I sure hope you're feeling better soon, and heal quickly. Will you get back on the horse and ride like before, or are you really done going up-side down?

I am 31 and was landing tantrums last year behind my old I/O last year but have been struggling with them on my new xlv, I always leave early. But in only a few tries behind my XLV I learned back rolls and haven't had a bad crash yet, I highly reccomend you give it a try. If you commit, and I mean commit and keep the handle in and wait till AFTER you pop to look over your lead sholder and innitiate the flip, you will come around on the flip with plenty of time to spare. If you try once, you will be over your fear quickly. I hurt myself the worst this season doing a 180.

On a posititve note in the last 2 outings I learned T/s W2W big and clean FINALLY after years, TS grabs, TS180's, Grabed HS 180's, Methods/mutes, switch ollie 180's, and have landed 3 TS Backrolls but dropped the rope. It's been the best progression in 4 years al in a couple days and I know more tricks are going to come. Good thing I have a dry suit. Next up are 360's.

[aintskeered]

tprkolbas, Sorry to hear about the injury! I blew out my knee spring 07. I tryed and tryed to do just a little boarding all summer Just the easy stuff. (Bad Idea) Get it fixed if you need to, Then get it strong do the excercises and the rehab. You have all winter to get it right. Then hit the excercise in the spring again. And be ready for the summer 09! Mine is still not where it was before the injury but getting better with time and excercise!

[csmsk]

501,

I think the biggest problem I have is than no one I know is at or above my skill level. I've got no one to watch or guide me in the direction I want to go. If you're out there with people who can show you, teach you, and inspire you, the progression would happen a lot easier.

Watching Detention or the The Book isn't the same. I really think I need to get some more advanced riders out with me to get me to break the ice on the inverts. No offense to my usual crew. We always have a blast. I've been at it longer than any of them, but they're getting better also.

I'll keep you updated on my progress with some photos/videos.

[tprkolbas]

thanks everyone for all the support. i've been icing my knee a few times a day and taking my fair share of aleve. i'm also able to start limping around without a crutch, but not very far. i plan on a big comeback next may (if my wife lets me).

csmsk - if you are pulling 3's, you shouldn't have fears to start the inverts. in my experience (with this past exception), the crashes for spins have been far worse than invert crashes.

[tprkolbas]

Bummer on the injury, that really sucks! Hopefully you have a full recovery over the winter.

On a different note, are you on White Lake or a different one? Do you know anything about Duck Lake over there? We're looking at a place on it.

i've never been on duck lake, but i have a co-worker who lives on that lake. she seems to love it. overall, the lakes around white lake twp. have been pretty good. lots of good tie up spots and lots of friendly people.

[501]

CSMSK,
I hear you and totally understand. Up until this year there was no one I went riding with who could even go wake to wake, so I had to learn everything from DVD's by myself like you. Riding with better riders is definitley the best way to improve. This year I have some new friends I ride with who are starting to attempt inverts and spins which definitley helps. But there is still no one to help coach me so it seems like my progression is slow other then the last 2 outings. What helped on these two outing are #1, saying to myslef not to by a Pus?#y on my toeside and just charge it (which woks and it better then hittign it half assed) and #2, I threw speakers on the tower so now there is music to get you pumped up.

Anyways, next time you are out try a backroll, I think it will surprise you how less scary it is if you commit then you have in your mind. The crashes really aren't that bad. If you have a trap try it on there first.

cheers


tprkolbas, super sorry to hear about you knee. That just totally sucks. Have you ever had knee problems before this?

[Chefwong]

Tantrums are the Devil in invert form...

[kaneboats]

Tprkolbas, very sorry to hear you're laid up. We'll pray for a solid comeback. Lots of good years left.

[tprkolbas]

Tantrums are the Devil in invert form...

yeah, but they look so cool

[tazz3069]

TP--
Feel better soon. Get that knee fixed and do it right. Do not rush it. I know you probably want (need) to hit the water. Remember, good things come to them who gets the knee fixed. Or something like that. Get well soon.

Tazz

[Chefwong]

yeah, but they look so cool

Ha they look cool until you blow your knee out, or in my case take a knee to the face and blow your sinus's out and spit up blood for a month.

That happened over 2 years ago and I still have spite for them.

In my book its not a trick, just a basis for moby dicks, whirlys, and T2Blind haha.

[Eric Z]

I went out monday morning and landed funny heard a pop and then came the pain. My year is done and the DR. won't see me for another week. I guess I will stick to driving. Just bought a new setup also.....Ahhhhhh.

[501]

Eric Z, is it your knee?

[tprkolbas]

the diagnosis is in:

saw the doc today and i've got a torn lateral meniscus. the good thing is that i'm already scheduled to have it scoped out on monday. that doesn't change the fact that my season is over, but the road to recovery isn't going to be very delayed.

i went out for a boat ride today with a friend. the water was calm and it was in the high 80's. it was killin' me that i couldn't get a quick set in.

[Eric Z]

Yes it was a knee....I had it scoped before, like 10yrs ago. Looks like it is time to have it cleaned out again...