After surgery for a damaged ligament in his hip, Edward sacrificed his last season as a Junior so that he would be fit enough to compete in the coming season. Here is his story.
2004-2005 season really went well which ended with fantastic race results. It was then during summer training I was experiencing some pain in my hip. Following scans and x-rays it was discovered that I had a damaged ligament and surgery was recommended. The consultant Mr Villars who specialises in this particular keyhole surgery area, explained that I could continue racing and have the surgery at the end of the season, then take 2-3 months to recover.
So I had a huge decision to make, and, after talking to my parents, coach and Mark Tilston, the Performance Director of Snowsport GB, I felt I could not guarantee being able to race giving 100%. The decision then was to go ahead with the keyhole surgery as soon as possible. This would mean that I would have plenty of time to recover and take full advantage of the summer training for next season starting in May. This wasn’t easy for me as I was looking forward to my last year as a Junior racer, but the possibility of 2 seasons at half fitness meant I had to sacrifice my last season as a Junior.
I had the surgery on the morning of the 12th December, that same evening, with the aid of crutches, I left the hospital with strict instructions for 4 days of complete rest, I had to have a bed in the sitting room to avoid the stairs! After 3 days of extreme boredom I was allowed out for an appointment with the doctor and physio at the Olympic Medical Institute in Harrow. Great news I was told to start partial weight bearing over the weekend followed by some gentle exercises. The following week it was off to the O.M.I. and was told I had made great progress, the range of movement was improving and after only 10 days I was to start to use the static bike and cross training equipment, poor dad having to be my taxi back and forth to the OMI.
At the follow up appointment at the end of January the surgeon said that as far as he was concerned I could go and ski as soon as I wanted but that I was now in the hands of the physiotherapists and they would probably have a very different view, unfortunately he was right. The carrot they dangled was that I just might be ready to ski by the middle of February if I followed their instructions to the letter. I went again to the physio`s a few weeks later hoping they would say that I could go skiing, but despite religiously following their training regime I was not yet ready to ski, and was given a different set of exercises to do. I wasn’t even allowed to go rowing as the action meant my hip would be at too great an angle at this stage, or play squash as it was competitive! I watched my fellow team mates doing well in the races via the FIS website, which was very frustrating, I also chatted to them on the phone. I have been competing for as long as I can remember and here I was not allowed to do anything remotely competitive. More weeks of exercises followed and another visit to the OMI, better news, I was to be allowed to go skiing (not racing) at Easter, and I was allowed to go rowing. I got home and said to mum I am going rowing, I will get dinner later. Thinking I was going to have a paddle about with my mates on the river I was surprised when my rowing coach said that we were doing an ergo test (rowing machine) was the whole world against me enjoying myself? I got on the rowing machine and worked off my frustration, only to find I had trashed everyone else’s performance and found myself being given a seat in the eight for a race that weekend, competition at last! We didn’t do well in the race, but I thoroughly enjoyed being back in competitive mode.
Easter came, and as mum was driving out to the British Land Alpine Ski Championships in Meribel, I was allowed to go with her, but my physio said that I was under no circumstances to take part in, or train for, any races. So I spent my time catching up with mates and sliding about gently on my skis. My coach Wolfgang said he didn’t care that I wasn’t doing the last of the season’s races as long as I was fully fit for the beginning of the training for next season.
I left Meribel to be an official at the University races (BUSC) in Les Deux Alps where Susie Berry was TD, it was a great experience. Susie must have thought I had done a reasonable job as she asked me to do a similar one back in Meribel for the British girls Junior Slalom. It was great to be back in the mountains skiing and being with my friends, but still frustrating not being one of the competitors.
After Easter and back home I was still seeing the physio at regular intervals, and, on what they call Recover Status. However in May I did a training camp in Lofer, the whole team senior and junior were there, we had a great time free skiing, telemarking and training through some gates. In July I saw my surgeon again and he said it was time to come off the rehabilitation program and see how the hip will be back on a full fitness program. After fitness tests and a hard endurance training camp in Austria , it feels great.
It has been a very difficult year but thanks to the skill of the surgeon and all the guys at the British Olympic Medical Centre, the support of my parents, team coach Wolfgang, my friends who contacted me often, I have made it back to full fitness. This combined with the continuing support from The Ski Club of Great Britain and other sponsors; I cannot wait for the new season to start.
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