Ski Club Vail’s Lindsey Kildow, a four-event racer on the U.S. Ski Team, reports regularly from the World Cup tour in collaboration with Denver Post ski writer John Meyer.
Are, Sweden – I’m going to be out of action for a while because of a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in my right knee. The doctors say it will heal on its own without surgery, but my return to racing depends on how quickly that happens.
In slalom training at the world championships last Thursday, I hooked a tip. But instead of the ski deflecting off the gate, it stuck on it. I went over the tips of my skis and my knee hyperextended with all my body weight.
I got an MRI and it showed I have a Grade 1 ACL tear, which isn’t too bad, but I also have a hairline fracture of the femur in the joint line.
When I first got hurt I didn’t think it would be that bad. I was able to ski down to the hotel and I thought it would be fine. But when I got the MRI and they told me “ACL,” it felt really weird. I’ve fallen so many times in my career, and I’ve had plenty of injuries I thought would be bad that turned out to be relatively insignificant. This time it seemed like such a small thing, a fall in slalom training. I just couldn’t believe it.
Now I kind of feel like I have no purpose. I’m just kind of twiddling my thumbs waiting for my knee to feel better, and there isn’t much I can do but wait.
This is my first ACL injury, and I didn’t tear it completely, which is really good. I’m still young and my body heals fast. I’m lucky I don’t need surgery, and my season’s not necessarily over.
It could be worse, but it’s still really disappointing. I thought I had a chance to win the overall World Cup title, so this stinks.
Usually the recovery time for an injury like this is four to six weeks, and there are only four weeks left on the World Cup schedule. If it hurts or doesn’t feel stable, I’m definitely not going to push it.
Even if I miss the rest of the season – which includes two downhills and two super-Gs – I’ll probably still finish in the top three in the standings in those disciplines. I don’t want to call it quits, get home and then in two weeks feel like I can ski again.
I’ve heard a lot of people have skied with a partial tear, but I’m not going to risk anything.
