When I was 13: Strained hip flexor, tendonitis, appofecitis, bursitis, a torn cartilage, torn labrum, torn ligament, inflamed fluid sack, stress fracture, avulsion fracture, bone spur, malformed growth plate, and the beginnings of arthritis.

It required surgery, six weeks on cruches, over a year off the ice, several streoid injections when I did start skating, and almost three years later, I'm still recovering, and will never be able to walk completely normally again. I'm stil on heavy anti-inflammatories, and now I have to be on GI medication because the anti-inflammatories killed my stomach...

All from nine years of overuse and skating four-six hour days and doing triples when I was growing.

I've been through the concussions, sprains, bumps and bruises that seem to be a given at one point or another.

In addition, I've managed a broken wrist (layback)........2 sprained ankles (dropped from an overhead lift in tennis shoes)..........stitches in my chin (Tano lutz gone wrong)..........herniated disc (sit spin with nothing wrong) that resulted in major surgery and a year off the ice.

Am I back on the ice? You bet!!!!