Broke my right ankle wakeboarding

[WakeGirl]

DS,

Sorry to hear about the ankle. I'll tell you my story & you can take it FWIW.

At NW WOW in 2006, I was the first rider up on Stewart's 247. First of that day, first set of the weekend.....it was a beautiful day. I came in on my first wake crossing, more just as a warmup jump than anything else, got crossed up mid-air & came down very wrong. Never released from the bindings either. Getting the one foot out, well I knew it had to come out before it started to swell but boy that hurt. Anyway, I got up on the platform in A LOT of pain & could tell when I tried to put weight on it that it wasn't right (I could actually feel the bones separate in my foot where they had broken as I tried to put weight on it). I was the first in a string of accidents behind Stewart's boat that earned it its nickname of The Crippla'.

So as it turned out, I had broken my foot all the way across in what they called "avulsion or Lis Franc fractures". 5 large screws & 2 pins later, I was on crutches as you are for 3 months. That's the hardest part, & if you haven't lived that then it's impossible to explain. I lived for that 3 months to be over, literally counting the days & celebrating every little landmark. I don't take the ability to walk for granted now. I've posted pictures below of what it looked like, it was horrible. Frankenfoot, as Malibudude calls it, is still not right & it gives me more accurate weather forecasting than any weatherman I've ever seen, but I can walk & do most things comfortably. I just have to pay close attention to the type of shoes that I buy. And, I'm a permanent snowboarder now, Frankenfoot doesn't like ski boots.

Like you I questioned whether or not I would wakeboard again, & truthfully it took me a long time before I was really comfortable doing it. It's been 4 years (in fact it was 4 years on the 6th) & now I would be out as often as I could bum a ride. How you get from one point to the other mentally though, I think that's different for everyone. I can say that you more than likely won't feel the same in a year or 2. Don't dig in on a decision right now, give it time.

[martinarcher]

Dang Tracie! That is rough stuff. Now I know how Stewart's boat earned it's name!

You are one tough woman! Frankenfoot, now that's funny! Hey having your foot on the boat could be handy if it's a weather predictor.

[WakeGirl]

Ah yes, well I'm pretty easy going on a boat, but Frankenfoot is a Diva.

[Bill_AirJunky]

HEhe, nice..... congrats on you still being able to walk!

Now you don't really want us all posting our gory injury pics do you?

[skier_88]

Why not? Gory pictures are pretty cool....unless it is of you

[ds53652]

DS,

Sorry to hear about the ankle. I'll tell you my story & you can take it FWIW......

WG, thnx for sharing your story, insight and wisedom. I agree with you, in that until you're in this position or have been, you have no idea what it's really like being down a leg/foot and on crutches. This is my first break of any bone and I had NO idea. My Mother broke her ankle about 3 years ago. At the time, I thought "Oh, no big deal, it's just one of your legs?!?!" Boy, do I feel like selfish and inconsiderate a$$ now. Makes me sick at my stomach a little actually.

And I hear ya on all the other as well. I'm not gonna make a firm decision on it anytime soon. I'm just going to go with the flow and however I'm feeling. I am however going to look into the wakeskating stuff!!

I don't have frankenfoot pics yet (removing stitches tomorrow I think), but here's what she looked like prior to surgery. And it's only letting me attach one file at a time for some reason, or I'm doing something wrong....

Thnx again WG

Edited August 13, 2010 by ds53652

[ds53652]

the other pic....

[ds53652]

Why not? Gory pictures are pretty cool....unless it is of you

I agree, bring 'em!

[ds53652]

DS,

Sorry to hear about the ankle. I'll tell you my story & you can take it FWIW.

Oh.....and damn girl, you broke it good! OUCH!!!!!!!! Sorry you had to go through all of that.....damn.....

[Bill_AirJunky]

Why not? Gory pictures are pretty cool....unless it is of you

Me & a few others. Nasty gashes, bruises, broken bones, separated bicep, etc. It might scare some people into thinking this boating thing is dangerous.

[Ndawg12]

Me & a few others. Nasty gashes, bruises, broken bones, separated bicep, etc. It might scare some people into thinking this boating thing is dangerous.

Yeah, please spare me the grotesque pics, I've got a hard enough time advancing my skills as it is let alone worrying about getting a "frankenfoot" Tracy, FWIW, you still have 1 pretty foot

[WakeGirl]

Oh.....and damn girl, you broke it good! OUCH!!!!!!!! Sorry you had to go through all of that.....damn.....

Hey, when I do something I go all the way with it. Nobody can ever accuse me of doing something half-@ssed.

Mainly I just wanted you to know that I know what you're going through, & will continue to go through for the next 3 months (and beyond really, since therapy will probably have to continue after you start walking if you want to fully recuperate quickly). Celebrate every little victory....stitches coming out, the ability to not be on narcotics, non-weight bearing therapy (if they release you to that, it will more than likely be in a pool which is great), when people hold doors open for you (some people will actually allow doors to slam in your face if you can believe that, not often but it does happen). The day that you can actually walk out of the doctor's office will be one of the best days of your life, literally. And above all, follow the doctor's orders. Remember, we're here for you.

P.S. I'm willing to bet that you'll be back on the board. My first time up was the following spring after the surgery & it was on a skate, but it really only made me want to strap on the board.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Yeah, please spare me the grotesque pics, I've got a hard enough time advancing my skills as it is let alone worrying about getting a "frankenfoot" Tracy, FWIW, you still have 1 pretty foot

HEhe, OK, you asked for it......

Lets start easy.... arm caught in rope ending in partially separated bicep

Edited August 13, 2010 by Bill_AirJunky

[skyskier]

WOW!!!! That sucks!!! Please tell me you were not using a Cinch release.

Btw, I'm waiting for the broken T bar photo. I'm pretty sure you are that guy.

[Bill_AirJunky]

WOW!!!! That sucks!!! Please tell me you were not using a Cinch release.

Btw, I'm waiting for the broken T bar photo. I'm pretty sure you are that guy.

HEhe, don't spoil it already! Yea, I'm that guy.

The arm shot isn't me..... And no, he wasn't using a release. But that kind of accident is exactly why I use a Cinch release on every ride!!

[martinarcher]

HEhe, don't spoil it already! Yea, I'm that guy.

The arm shot isn't me..... And no, he wasn't using a release. But that kind of accident is exactly why I use a Cinch release on every ride!!

Say whaaa! That sounds like it could be nasty!!

[Bill_AirJunky]

Say whaaa! That sounds like it could be nasty!!

HEhe, you could say that. I keep them to warn people that what we are doing is dangerous. So be careful & smart about it!

Stupid HURTS!

Heres a good one. We are riding tuned AirChairs at the time, plastic seat, no Traxx pad yet, HO kneeboard belts, etc. Jake & I had this friend in Seattle. The kind of guy who has ALL the connections. But he was such a used car salesman that we could only handle him in small doses. So he hooks up with the folks at the local TV station evening news program..... Evening Magazine at KING5. They have this 42' SeaRay out on Lake WA. We originally went out, knowing they were out there, thinkin that we'd just ride by a few times & get some TV exposure. At some point Jake decides that we (meaning HE) should ride behind the SeaRay. It will do like 25+ mph with the twin big blocks, has a HUGE kickin wake, so WTH!

In hind sight, we weren't really used to huge wakes yet. No one was weighting their boats back then (probably 1996 or 97 ?) so a BIG wake was the stock wake 21' Maristar would put out. So Jake gets out there & warms up a bit, throws a few rolls, gets into his groove, then unloads on one HUGE wake back roll. He over rotates it, lays it out to try & slow it down, and nose dives straight in! The force of the crash pushes his body thru the seat belt so his butt is in front of the seat. And the front edge of the stock plastic AC seat is like a cheese grater on his back, thru his dry suit, polar fleece & his skin. The white you see in there, I assume, is his vertebrae. I snapped that pic as we took him to the dock across from University Hospital. In the end, he was fine. But he nursed that back for a long time.

That was the birth of Traxx seat pads. And the reason it succeeded for over 10 yrs for AirJunky, AirChair & SkySki!!

[areamike]

So now I'm looking at 3 months on crutches with a mix of cast and boot and some physical therapy. And now I'm seriously considering never wakeboarding again. It just doesn't seem worth it, ya know?

Yeah. I wakeboarded a few times a few years back, took a few good spills and I'll never wakeboard again. Footing is much safer.

[Gone Boatin']

Try barefooting. Seriously. I'm 41 and started that last year. The falls are at higher speed, but the most painful falls I've had are always wakeboarding. At higher speeds you can tuck and roll, but at wakeboarding speeds you just splat.

Man, dunno if I've got the guts to barefoot, 'specially at my age (50). Had a friend who went down doing it, his knee smashed his face during the tumble and he had to have the bones in the left side of his face surgically reconstructed and for a while they thought he'd lose his eye. (Ok, sorry for the horror story).

As for wakeboarding, I'm an intermediate, a few wake to wake 180's, slides etc, trying a few inverts and I think I've had way harder crashes doing other stuff, slalom skiing for one.

I guess my point is that out of all the watersports I've done, surfing, windsurfing, skiing, kneeboarding, etc. etc., I still think wakeboarding has a pretty good fun to danger ratio, so dont give up, injuries happen in anything.

Get well soon.

Oh, and by the way, my friend who broke his face - he still foots.

[ds53652]

Here's the shot with the stitches, which should come out today.....

[Bill_AirJunky]

Yeah. I wakeboarded a few times a few years back, took a few good spills and I'll never wakeboard again. Footing is much safer.

If people wakeboard (or hydrofoil for that matter) by just going a few minutes at a time, straight lines, barely cross the wake, never leaving the water's surface, etc..... then it would be just as safe as "footin". But as soon as people start trying to jump, go big, spin, get inverted, etc. But most people I know, even the barefooters, get to trying tricks, jumps, etc. and thats when things can get a little hairy.

[areamike]

If people wakeboard (or hydrofoil for that matter) by just going a few minutes at a time, straight lines, barely cross the wake, never leaving the water's surface, etc..... then it would be just as safe as "footin". But as soon as people start trying to jump, go big, spin, get inverted, etc. But most people I know, even the barefooters, get to trying tricks, jumps, etc. and thats when things can get a little hairy.

The falls I took were on simple 180 surface turns. Caught the edge of the board all 3 times and WHAM! Face plant. Thought I broke my back The problem with falls on wakeboards is you stop abruptly.

[Bill_AirJunky]

The falls I took were on simple 180 surface turns. Caught the edge of the board all 3 times and WHAM! Face plant. Thought I broke my back The problem with falls on wakeboards is you stop abruptly.

So what happens when you push on your toes when your footin?

[Shine]

So what happens when you push on your toes when your footin?

you skip, skip, skip, and tumble at the end... need mouth piece for those! Or just dont crash... but like they say, if you aren't crashing you aren't trying hard enough!

[Bill_AirJunky]

you skip, skip, skip, and tumble at the end... need mouth piece for those!

HEhe, it's that easy.

Or just dont crash... but like they say, if you aren't crashing you aren't trying hard enough!

I hear that. Although, I have found a way to not crash & still get hurt anyway.