Utah Windriders Association

This thread is for all kitegimps that managed to hurt themselves this summer and for those who want to cheer us up. I am curious how each person was injured and how long you will be out (really, I am just bored out of my mind).

I hurt myself out KGB at the GSL on a mountain board. I was on a 19M SA2 (I think my mistake was flying too large of a kite - (I can't believe I just wrote that since my mantra is "rig big or go home")). Anyway, hit a soft spot, the board tumbled and rotated. A split second later I was on the ground wondering what happened. Of course, I was by myself so I limped to my truck. The x-ray showed a spiral fracture of the fibula requiring surgery. The doc is telling me 6 weeks on crutches and no driving since it was my right foot. I am almost to the 3 week point.

This injury has clued me in on how ignorant the general public is concerning kiteboarding. Most people think that kiteboarding is some form of windsurfing or paragliding. I feel like I am a missionary all over again. However, this time I am sharing the good news about kiteboarding, though I doubt it is very convincing speaking of the wonders of flight from a guy in a knee-high boot and crutches.

To all the other gimps, I wish you a speedy recovery. For all those who are well, please post your adventures so that the disabled my enjoy the pleasures of wind-powered sport by proxy.

Kenny

I went to Lincoln beach on June 10th. It was very windy, and I decided that, "it won't be a problem to rig my 12 meter [c-kite]. I could handle this wind in the snow". Should have looked over my shoulder to see that Billy was well-powered on a 7m waroo. Just before launch, I thought to myself "Tell my mother I loved her", in my best Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog voice. If ever you have the feeling that you should call your significant other just to make sure that you didn't die without saying goodbye first, then you should really rig smaller.

Launched side window (NOT a hot launch, Billy), and immediately got hauled downwind. By the time I regained enough composure to pop the release, I had ripped my left big toenail off and dragged the bare nail bed through the dirt. Later on, at the clinic, I had six shots of novocaine before I stopped feeling them scrubbing. At one point, the doc pointed something out to the nurse and said, "You see that?" She says: "Is that the bone?"

Was a month before I could put on shoes again.

-J

While on kite vacation with Jon and Jeff at Sherman Island.
I saw Jeff do this new thing.
The ACL tear.

When I got home, I thought, Hey I can do that.

And I did.

Jason tried really hard to do it,
with some success, but not completly.

Billy was my main inspiration that Friday afternoon.
He tried really hard to again accomplish this manuver,
but came us short (or lower, in his foot)

I think Mike May, accomplished this,
but refuses to admit to it.

Doug tried this spring at Strawberry,
but he was upside down, getting his neck instead.

It isn't just kiters, that get all the glory.
Jon accomplished this manuver years ago..
WINDSURFING
(say it isn't so)


I was playing in the reeds at ULLB.
The wind was light as I had commited to the jump in front of the patch of reeds.
Small jump, and was coming down in the reeds.
I stupidly extended my legs to try to get my board to the water, instead of reeds.

The Doc called yesterday with the MRI finding, just hours before Gorge departure.
I looked back at yesterdays horiscope, how crazy is this....

"There will be a fun little drama popping into your life today, and it could toss a monkey wrench into your carefully-laid plans. But so what? Plans are made to be rearranged, sometimes. And you could use a little lesson in flexibility. Be as adaptable as you possibly can to the situation, and keep smiling. This is not going to be a big deal unless you make it a big deal. Creating more emotional distance from the negative energy will free you from having to worry."


-Marty

Hey buddy, so if I read this right you'll be out for
a good 8 weeks with an ACL rebuild. I've had the pleasure,
but the good news is that they really do a nice job on the rebuild
(I've always been pleased with mine which was done about 30 years ago
after a skiing accident).

I'll be wishing you (and all the wounded) a speedy recovery.

-Craig

Marty wrote:While on kite vacation with Jon and Jeff at Sherman Island.
I saw Jeff do this new thing.
The ACL tear.

When I got home, I thought, Hey I can do that.

And I did.

The Doc called yesterday with the MRI finding, just hours before Gorge departure.
I looked back at yesterdays horiscope, how crazy is this....

"There will be a fun little drama popping into your life today, and it could toss a monkey wrench into your carefully-laid plans. But so what? Plans are made to be rearranged, sometimes. And you could use a little lesson in flexibility. Be as adaptable as you possibly can to the situation, and keep smiling. This is not going to be a big deal unless you make it a big deal. Creating more emotional distance from the negative energy will free you from having to worry."


-Marty

well put marty. you aren't a gemini by chance are you?

what is up with knee injuries this year? i would be curious to see if rick iossi has been tracking non fatal injuries at all. i would suspect that knee's are at the top of the list. now that i really think about it- any sport where you attach riding platforms to your feet will produce more knee injuries- skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding is the king of knee injuries.

anyway, mine was at rush in the knee deep depth life cycle of the "lake." i had just had a great session at lindon, finally dialing in front rolls, back rolls, experimenting with raileys and getting some pictures of me riding that really pumped me up. well, i hit the water that day at rush with an athletic fury that i really hadn't experienced with kiteboardign yet. i used to all the time skiing and especially skating- it feels to go to the skate park or pool and have the muscle memory to ride up a less that perfect transition, and just absolutely crush a slash at teh coping. it feels like every muscle in your body is flexing and you are embedding emotion into the concrete wall. well, now that i think about it that slash looks even better surfing and probably has the same emotional effect without the hard concrete to land on if you crash.

however, i digress- that is a topic for another day. i hit the water with an athletic fury to really progress and nail some new moves. i'd watched billy progress way ahead of me for too long and today was the day. well, i couldnt' land a thing because i was just pushing it too much. i went up for a quick back roll, i'm not sure if my kite looped or not, but i landed with teh board perpinducilar to my direction of travel and my knee gave out laterally. i had a fair amount of power in my kite and i think i actually hit the bottom of the lake in the knee deep water. i headed in, but as time wore on it felt stable and i kept riding, just less aggressively and no jumping. saw the doc later that week and he took x-rays and yanked on it and said no torn anything probably just a really badly pulled MCL. well, now that marty has had his diagnosis i realized that it has been a good 7 weeks since my injury and i'm still very sore at times. i think i'll talk the doc into a MRI soon....


so, what conclusions can all of us knee guys pass onto the non-injured? i would say don't land on teh water with your board perpendicular to the direction of travel. unfortunately this is my safety land from skiing- back seat and legs straight. you would usually just back check and pop back up on your skis. this dosen't work well in kiting....

any other knee tips? i feel like i want to "tuck" my rear knee in when i ride freeride style and try and ride swell. this usually results in a stretched out mcl and sore knees.

any other style/injury avoidance tips?

oh, and here's to wishing a speedy recovery to those that are currently recovering! my sympathies and healing powers of thought are with you.

Well, I wish I could say I was dialing in back rolls or jumping reeds when I tore the meniscus in my knee but I wasn't. I was riding the glass inside the jetty at Lincoln, adjusted my stance slightly in my straps, and felt something wierd in my knee. I assume I did the insult on a previous date and the lateral motion caused the fragment to displace and lodge in spot called the coronary recess. I wasted no time in getting it taken care of. This happened on July 8. The next day I got an MRI. The morning after I saw the orthopedic surgeon, and had my arthroscopic procedure done on monday July 14. I am spinning on a statioinary bike, working, walking, and on the road to recovery. I bet I have another 3 weeks of rehab and I will be back under a kite again. I have a follow up appt. on monday to assess my post procedure progress. Hope we all heal well and fast!!

I did a trick and landed wrong, I went one way the board the other. If i would have just let go of the bar the kite would have depowered and I would have been fine, I however fought for the landing and twisted my ankle to hell.

Doc says I split a tendon lengthwise and I ripped up some ligaments. Of course while everyone else is at the Gorge i am home reading kiteforums. May be weeks intill I have lateral, and meadal stability, I had just sighned up for the bridge of the gods contest that morning, and was out pulling tricks that eve. Now I ride the couch, I have been practicing some sweet new back roll tricks on the couch, I hope I can pull them on the water.

I think I'm now a candidate for the group, all be it thru the back door. Tore right rotator cuff years ago, (windsurfing) and have had slight pain and grinding ever since. Lately have had more and more pain in bicep area. On monday, after 2 Fabulous 9M sessions at Rufus had more pain and woke up Tues am with brusing, swelling and a 'POPEYE' muscle buldge of right bicep. Classic symptoms of a complete rupture of the long head of the bicep muscle. Laid off yesterday and missed a 7M day. Feels OK today and since it's a bi cep, I still have one cep to work with, I'll give it a go. It's all ready blowing 25-30 giddy up. I just found this discription on line, FYI. The proximal biceps tendons near the shoulder tear more easily. Tears can be either partial or complete. Often, these tendons are already frayed, particularly if you are over 40 years of age, have a history of shoulder pain, and participate in activities that involve overhead motions. Among the elderly, biceps tendon ruptures near the shoulder are often associated with rotator cuff tears. Other than that crap about the elderly, sounds like me
JonMzee

One-armed Jon,

Have fun at the gorge you dog! Wish I could figure out how to ride with one-leg.

Doing a lot of hopping and keeping the couch warm...

Kenny

Billy,

Sorry to hear about the split tendon. How long are you out?

I have 3 more weeks on crutches. Can't wait to shed the crutches.

Good thing you invested in the big TV!

Kenny