Debbi Wilkes on Yags injury

[Artemis]

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/debbi_wilkes.asp

[AxelAnnie22]

That was a great article. Thanks for the link.

[amethyst]

Great article. It pretty much sums up Alexei's love for skating and his determination to keep going. My heart breaks for him. The thought of quitting is clearly unacceptable in his mind but it's obviously a very real possibility. I hope that he is able to take some time to rest, have the surgery if necessary and find a way to keep doing what he loves if thats possible.

[duane]

if yagudin "desperately wants to return to eligible competition for 2003/04", why not take the advice of "no skating" from the medical experts, to give the hip a vacation? why continue to skate, which may cause permanent injury, bringing an end to any kind of skating career (eligible, professional, or in skating tours)?

i guess this can be viewed as being "tough", but IMO it's stupid.

[singerskates]

Originally posted by duane
if yagudin "desperately wants to return to eligible competition for 2003/04", why not take the advice of "no skating" from the medical experts, to give the hip a vacation? why continue to skate, which may cause permanent injury, bringing an end to any kind of skating career (eligible, professional, or in skating tours)?

i guess this can be viewed as being "tough", but IMO it's stupid.

Why? Because it's the only thing he knows and he's just so addicted to skating, he can't stop himself. I'm glad he's stopped doing the quads but he should stop doing the 3 axels too, especially on tour. Maybe, only skate one number on tour per day. Or not skate everyday on tour. To stop completely and rest didn't actually help him. Some motion is actually good but he needs to lay off of the 3 axels and scale down some of his footwork. What he should do is have a sports doc watch him practice and see what hurts while he's doing it. Then after that, not do what hurts but continue the rest. You can't really test him for pain while he's performing infront of an audience because the acting comes into play and he hides his pain as he skates very well. Remember the Sears (Canadian Open) how he went out and skated his heart out and how Debbie kept saying that by the way he was skating, you'd never know he was hurt except for the fact that he wasn't doing his quads and that some of his spins weren't as fast as normal? Alexie is a tough cookie in competition/performance but in practice it's another story.

singerskates

[spiralsrfun]

I too wish he would stay off the ice for a while to let himself heal...but as we all know, Alexei is pretty addicted to skating and he also said that he needs to skate as much as possible for the $$$, in case he is forced off the ice for awhile. I can understand that, but he he does skate, he should just do doubles, etc...his skating doesn't need the big jumps for people to appreciate it!

I hope he takes care and doesn't end up in a similar situation like Tara...that would be just awful. :??

[Thumos]

duane has a good point. These recent competitions are just test events and bring some cash home. He's won the most important competitions, nothing more to prove. I really don't think it's a good idea to force his body just because he feels a bit lost without his skating. It's what everyone has to deal with: change. I hope it's not a last grasp for glory, because it will be the last - if he continues to toil unnecessarily.

Resting 2 weeks doesn't heal much when your body needs much more therapy and recuperation. I think Yagudin was more tormented by his lack of direction in his life without skating than by his withdrawal from competition.

[lBrokenAnkle]

Hopefully as he works through this and gets over the initial shock of the prospect of the end of his career at a tragically short age, he will start making wiser decisions. I do understand even OGM are not super rich and he may have responsibilities and committments and so forth. Also that his self esteem is tied up in his career (like the rest of us, I mean) but still, continuing to skate does not make sense. Others have pointed out that not resting the injury will probably make it worse. It's not just the skating. but the travel and the lack of proper sleep that keeps injuries nagging. In addition to that it puts Yags at risk in other ways. He points how he needs shots for the pain, many athletes fall into dependency, which only makes things worse. It is also risky to keep skating, because skating is a dangerous sport. I hate to even write this, but there is a chance he can damage muscles or tendons in trying to compensate for the pain in his hip. Or, a bad luck fall due to the weak hip could get him broken bones or concussion or something. Like I said I hate to even write that, but I hope someone, his coach, family, or a friend is gently making him aware of what he could be risking right now.

I do feel sorry for him, can't imagine what it would be like to go through this, but he does have quite a legacy right now, he should feel proud of that as he turns his talent into new areas. Or at least takes a good long rest!

laura

[Skatingsarah]

Every year I gain more respect for Alexei, I think he is a TRUE fighter! I dont blame him for doing the pro am competitions. I really like the part of this article were they mentioned that he was sooo bored during his time off on the beach! You can tell he is soooo dedicated! I know exactly how we feels! When I take like a week off I go outta my mind and then I drive everyone else in the house outta there minds lol :lol: Either way I think Alexei is a great skater and a tough guy I hope to see him in the 2003/04 season GEt better Bud
-Sarah