Sun Valley 48Straight
A few things have changed since I wrote my last blog. I had great help from our physio the first four days after I injured my shoulder. He taped it well right away and by the time I returned to the States I started to feel like I could finish out the season in Sun Valley. I went to the Steadman Hawkins clinic and saw Dr. Millet. After looking at the x-rays and the MRI he confirmed I had a grade 3 AC joint separation and he also confirmed that I had torn my labrum from the dislocation I had in February. Millet wanted to do surgery right away but I told him I wanted to finish out the year. He said if I could handle the pain he could clear me. So he gave me a cortisone shot and sent me on my way.
Sun Valley was great fun. A lot of people asked me “why are you doing this” because it was apparent I was in pain. My answer was a) I didn’t want to give the overall to Kraus without a fight. I know a lot of things can happen in Ski Cross and if something happened to him I wanted to be there to take the win (I followed him down in the quarter- final and watched him almost run into the fence too). b) I wanted to show everyone what I could do with a bum shoulder…and next year I will come back twice as strong. As far as my shoulder pain, it was very difficult to get out of the start. The initial pull didn’t hurt but the last push killed. My start was so much worse for this race.
The round of 32 was no problem. I followed Eric Iljans down the course and passed him at the finish line. The rest of the course I was trying to figure out places to pass. In the quarter-final I had Eric again and Kraus. Kraus was impossible to beat out of the start and also difficult to catch. I passed Eric half way down the course which gave me a ticket to the semis. In the semi-final I had Kraus and Hayer. I had a flashback to one year earlier when I was in the final with Kraus, Hayer, and Gavaggio. Kraus took me out, I blew my knee, and I got a concussion. Fast forward to the semi-final; because of my shoulder I had no chance out of the start. I did have one chance to pass Stanley but I messed up due to the flat light and lack of visibility. I didn’t make the final. Kraus took the overall, and I went onto the small final. By the time I was in the small final I was done. I had no more fight in me and I finished last which put me in 8th place for the race. Considering my ailments, I think 8th was pretty good. The year was over, my shoulder hurt, and my 48 Straight was about to begin.