The toll ski racing takes on your body

[Tricia]

It seems that some ski racers go through their career with little or no really serious injuries.
Lindsey Vonn is not one of those ski racers. She seemed to go through more than her fair share of injuries and now she's posting on social media about her surgeries (yes multiple) that she's undergoing to repair some of the damage done.


Another retired racer that ended up with hip replacement is Julia Mancuso.

How many racers retire with their body in tact?

 

[fatbob]

Not really a surprise. It's a unnatural thing they do at the level of intensity and reps they do. Mancuso was a mess long before she retired. It's one of the things I hope for for MS, that she gets out before it really takes its toll, regardless of what fans and ambitions re records might say. No good being crippled at age 30.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

It is a huge price that these racers pay with their bodies. Not sure that it is worth it.

 

[cantunamunch]

It is a huge price that these racers pay with their bodies. Not sure that it is worth it.

...ski racers, bodybuilders, powerlifters, sumo wrestlers, US football linemen...

 

[bbbradley]

Any sport at the highest level is about pushing your body to and beyond the limit. Day after day until you break or retire...and then break down slowly.

 

[James]

There’s an epidemic of acl’s it seems now in women’s soccer.

 

[robertc3]

There’s an epidemic of acl’s it seems now in women’s soccer.

The sad thing there is that we know women are more susceptible to ACL tears because of their anatomy, and we know how to strengthen to reduce the likelihood of an ACL tear, but the pace and forces of the women's game is increasing faster than they can build the strength to keep their ACLs intact.

 

[Lauren]

Any sport at the highest level is about pushing your body to and beyond the limit. Day after day until you break or retire...and then break down slowly.

I have often wondered what the breaking point is in some sports...or is there one? Will humans just keep evolving to push themselves to new levels? Will this type of constant progression impact athletes' career longevity?

With something like ski racing, everyone is always trying to beat records, go faster and faster. There has to be a limit on how fast a human can ride a pair of skis down a hill...right?

Or in the halfpipe...will the pipe wall just keep getting bigger and bigger so people can go higher and flip around more times, subjecting the athlete to worse impact? I remember when 1080s were insane on a snowboard...this year, someone landed a 2160...is a 2520 next? Then what?

 

[cantunamunch]

^The counterpoint to that is that a lot of womens' ski racing disciplines fell by the wayside or got downgraded ...with safety being the stated reasoning.

Myth Hahnenkamm

Myth Hahnenkamm

hahnenkamm.com

Taking Lindsey Vonn specifically, she trained hard enough to want to push into running the mens course and running mens events.

One doesn't need to be a genius to flip the logic - having women run the mens course and run mens events could create pressure on women to train into self-injury. Which rather leaves LV's own stated agenda in pushing for womens participation in those events as ...questionable?

 

[4ster]

How many racers retire with their body in tact?

AFAIK, the great Ingemar Stenmark never suffered serious injury & is still pretty mobile into his 60’s but I think that is the exception, not the rule.


Mikaela Shiffrin has had recurring back issues & one minor knee injury but other than that nothing major so far

 

[Tony S]

You think World Cup racing is hard on the body? That ain't nuthin'! You should try BEER league! Now THAT is dangerous! Ask your doctor!

 

[tomahawkins]

Any sport at the highest level is about pushing your body to and beyond the limit. Day after day until you break or retire...and then break down slowly.

https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-1240w,f_auto,q_auto:eco,dpr_2.0/streams/2014/January/140122/2D11399947-today-dodgeball-140121.jpg

 

[fatbob]

One doesn't need to be a genius to flip the logic - having women run the mens course and run mens events could create pressure on women to train into self-injury. Which rather leaves LV's own stated agenda in pushing for womens participation in those events as ...questionable?

I thought it was generally accepted that it was just a bit of crude attention seeking / self promotion for Ms Vonn with possibly a side of headgames/ snub towards her competitors.

 

[cantunamunch]

I thought it was generally accepted that it was just a bit of crude attention seeking / self promotion for Ms Vonn with possibly a side of headgames/ snub towards her competitors.

Not sure that was a broadly adopted view. The value of the coin is still debatable I suppose.

I merely state that the injury list is the flip side of the gender boundaries coin, whatever face value we decide it has.

Any sport at the highest level is about pushing your body to and beyond the limit. Day after day until you break or retire...and then break down slowly.

At least some sports have an off season to heal in.

Imagine if ski racing was like sumo:
Required to participate in every event. Injured or not.
Miss two events and get relegated. NO off season.

 

[James]

Bode told Lindsey if she ran the Hahnenkamm she’d end up in the nets. He apprently discussed it more than once. That’s on the Lance Armstrong podcast iirc.

I don’t know if she’s actually done it top to bottom. That redbull run was in sections.
Stenmark’s run down the Hahnenkamm back in the day was pretty poor.

 

[4ster]

Stenmark’s run down the Hahnenkamm back in the day was pretty poor.

I was there. He barely went into a tuck & was smiling the whole way! I think he ended up 36th, doing it for combined points. Phil Mahre on the other hand had a very respectable top 10 IIRC!

 

[Tony S]

Bode told Lindsey if she ran the Hahnenkamm she’d end up in the nets. He apprently discussed it more than once. That’s on the Lance Armstrong podcast iirc.

I don’t know if she’s actually done it top to bottom. That redbull run was in sections.
Stenmark’s run down the Hahnenkamm back in the day was pretty poor.

I was there. He barely went into a tuck & was smiling the whole way! I think he ended up 36th, doing it for combined points. Phil Mahre on the other hand had a very respectable top 10 IIRC!

Did you guys see Rudi's pics from the Streif? He was checking it out earlier in the week. He's there climbing mountains on his bike.

 

[sparty]

The Vonn documentary (HBO, I think) included multiple references to doctors telling her that continuing to race was setting her up for medical issues for the remainder of her life, possibly even threatening her ability to walk if she had another bad crash.

If I recall, she kept going for years after the doctors started advising her that it wasn't a good idea. She's clearly wired differently to drive herself to the levels she did.

 

[no edge]

AFAIK, the great Ingemar Stenmark never suffered serious injury & is still pretty mobile into his 60’s but I think that is the exception, not the rule.


Mikaela Shiffrin has had recurring back issues & one minor knee injury but other than that nothing major so far

That's an impressive box jump, especially for his age which I don't know.

 

[wolcoma]

I think nearly all sports can lead to long-term injury, but the benefit of athletics by far outweighs any long-term consequences. I grew up playing three sports a year which included football, ski racing, and lacrosse, but I was not exactly a "natural athlete" and was never a star in any sport. I think one of the reasons I am a lousy golfer, despite my best efforts to improve is I have a fairly stiff neck from years of hitting in those contact sports. However I still enjoy exercising and have never had a weight issue, so again I think the long term benefits of athletics cannot be understated. That's another reason I am constantly pushing for improved accessibility and reducing the cost of alpine ski racing.