On the weekend we raced at the Unive Skate Off in Heerde, Holland. The racing on Friday at the track started off great with Kelly winning the 10km elimination and myself coming in second. The next night we raced in the points race which was changed from a 5km to a 10km due to the weather. We were confident and could have taken the first three places but with three laps to go that all changed. I was well ahead on points and was about to come around to win some more when a skater tried to pass Kelly on the inside of the corner causing her to slide out and fall. I fell over Kelly and went index finger first into the barrier and somehow my left foot must have twisted or gone in a different direction. I got up as there were only three laps to go and tried to skate but I couldn't but any pressure on my left foot. I hobbled around and finished the race because no officials were pulling me off. Then only to loose all my points because I was lapped by the lead skaters on their last lap.
I left the track after the race and went to a hospital in the nearest city. I had x-rays taken of my ankle and finger. The results back were that my index finger on my right hand was broken and that there was no fracture in my ankle. The doctors didn't really know what was wrong with my ankle but just sent me home with a compression bandage around it. The doctor said it could be a little ligament damage but nothing too major and in a week or two I should start coming right. I arrived back at the track and everyone had gone, there was just my team waiting for me and a few organizers left. We drove back to Switzerland over night and arrived back to our base in Weinfelden at 6am.
After getting a few hours sleep in I woke up this morning and tried to put some pressure on my foot but the pain was unbearable. I took off the bandage and my foot was swollen and tender to touch. My finger also looked like a purple sausage. I went to the nearest hospital because I wanted to get some crutches to help me move around and get my ankle looked at again because it was getting worse.
The doctor had a good prod at my foot and finger while I was nearly jumping out of the wheel chair each time she touched a sore spot. She wasn't exactly gentle and my brother Wayne thought it was rather funny to watch. She decided to get some more x-rays of both my ankle and finger. The x-ray results were the same as the ones taken in Holland, broken finger but no fracture in my ankle.
The head doctor then came and took a look and done all sorts of things to my foot and ankle. The verdict is I have a torn ligament in my left foot along with some other strained ligaments. I have a brace on my leg to stabilize my foot at the moment and can't walk or put pressure on it. The healing time can vary and the doctor said anything from 4 to 6 weeks. In a week I should be able to move my foot up and down but not sideways or on edges so that rules out skating. I also have to be careful when I do get back on my skates that the ligaments are strong enough otherwise they could damage very easily again and I could have ongoing problems. Tomorrow I will go to the physio to see what he can do to help speed up the healing process. I may be able to start cycling on the stationary bike and swimming in a few weeks but I won't be able to skate for a while.
The doctor also decided to make a cast/brace for my finger because there is a fracture and also some ligament damage. I only have to wear it at night which was a sigh of relief because it's very awkward and I cant hold the crutches when it's on.
I didn't take a lot of skin off just a little off my knee and shoulder. I always seem to crash and hurt things that are complicated and don't heel quickly unlike grazed skin. It's frustrating because I felt so strong this year and had a really good base from my off season training in New Zealand. Then to start loosing that strength so easily after all that hard work is quiet disheartening. Last year I also had a nightmare at the start of the season when I broke my jaw. I lost a lot of strength and missed out on a lot of hard training but still managed to do well at the World Championships. I was looking forward to this year because I felt stronger than ever and was hoping to have a good season and a build up to the World Championships with no hiccups unlike last year. It's like I took two steps forward after last year but have now taken one back. But it's not over until the fat lady sings, and no one is singing yet.
On another note Kelly Martinez who also crashed is ok and has only lost a little bit of skin in various places. She managed to get up and keep skating without getting lapped and loosing her points so she also won the overall distance title. Alexandra Vivas our last member standing ended up coming through for our team and winning the points race. We were unable to compete in the Skate Off though which was a shame.
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