Figure skatingMixed emotions for injured skater

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Jeremy Ten, left, couldn't compete in last week's Canadian championships because of a foot injury. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

A thought started to roll around in my head with one simple statement from three-time Canadian women's figure skating champion Josee Chouinard, who was telling me about the time in her life when she was first diagnosed with severe back problems. Is the way that elite athletes approach an injury different from the way we do as mere mortals?

Chouinard was about 14 years old, and one too many hard falls had forced her to take time off. Would it be permanent? Some in the skating community thought so. But Chouinard wasn't willing to accept that scenario, even from medical professionals.

"I kept switching doctors until I got one that gave me the right answer," Chouinard says, meaning the answer she wanted to hear - that she could continue skating.

A couple of medal hopefuls were notably absent from last weekend's BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Victoria. Jeremy Ten had hoped to be a medal threat in the men's event, while Bryce Davison and Jessica Dube wanted to be on hand to defend their national pairs title.  

Ten, a former medallist at nationals, has been trying since October 2009 to resolve the pain in his foot. He tried cortisone shots. He tried avoiding flips and Lutzes. He tried rest. Nothing really worked for any extended period of time.

On the advice of national team doctors, he turned to Dr. Dory Boyer, and between them it was decided that Ten would undergo surgery at the end of the past December to repair his bone impingement problem.

It was not an easy decision to arrive at. But the surgeon was honest with him, telling Ten that the operation could either improve or worsen his condition, and it was that honesty that convinced Ten that he was in good hands.

"I didn't sign any consent papers for surgery until the first week of December," Ten says. "I wanted to wait and see if it would get any better, but there was no other way. By trying to push, I was making it worse, and this seemed like the perfect time as I had already done my [international events for the season].

"My goal for the season was to compete, and I did that, so I have no regrets. Although I would have loved to be at nationals."

I spoke to Ten two weeks after his surgery, during the week of the Canadian championships, and he was starting to put weight on his right foot but still using crutches. He plans on making a full recovery in time for next season, and was on hand in Victoria to watch his buddies compete.

Ten agreed to send me his thoughts on what must have been a mixed experience "being on the other side of the boards," as he called it, at one of the biggest events of the season.

Here are some of his thoughts from the week of nationals:

Old habits

"It was difficult, as I knew it would be. The night prior to leaving for Victoria, and also the night before the men's short, I ran through my short program in my head before I fell asleep, just like I do before every competition. I guess some habits you just can't kick."

"Over the course of the weekend there were moments when it was really difficult for me to be at the rink, as well as moments when there was no place I would rather be because I was with my skating family. It was so wonderful to see everyone and to be there with them to share their special moments - not just the skaters, but their parents as well.

Happy tears, sad tears

"A few moments I'll remember: Dylan and Kirsten claiming their title, Paul and Vanessa doing the same, Shawn skating the skate of his life, and Patrick skating the skate that will go down as one of the most, if not the most, brilliant in history."

"One of my other favourite moments was crutching over to Kirsten and Dylan's mothers when their "babies" finished skating and giving them the biggest hugs as we all cried. It made sense to be there and to be cheering for my teammates, my friends - my family - as loud as I could."

"Along with the happy tears, there were sad tears. It really hit me hard when the last flight went on for the men's free program. I got a little teary during the six-minute warmup. But as each skater took to the ice, I could feel the motivation and the drive boiling within me and the desire to be out there. It was exactly what I wanted to feel. I felt more than ever that I should be out there, that I belonged out there, and with each skate that finished, this feeling became stronger. I can't wait to get back on the ice when I'm 100 per cent and to work harder than I've ever worked before."

Standing out

"Shawn and Patrick inspired me even more with their skates. Patrick's skate blew me away, and as he raised his fists to claim his fourth Canadian title, I was in tears and beyond happy for him."

"When you're on crutches, you stand out no matter what you're doing, so I was very hard to miss weaving through the crowds in the concourse or through the arena to find friends. But I never expected the amount of support and well wishes that I received from the fans. When you're caught up in the hustle and bustle of nationals as a competitor, there isn't much time to sit around and mingle with the fans or to get to know them (especially with the men's being the last event). So it was nice when they came up to me wanting to chat and I could take the time to meet with them. Many, many people went out of their way to come up to me and ask how I was doing and say that they missed seeing me out there. It was both motivating and humbling to know how many people really enjoy my skating and genuinely care about me."
 
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Davison, one half of last year's pairs champions, was also sitting out nationals while recuperating from surgery. He had landed awkwardly from a popped jump and immediately knew that there was a problem.

After having surgery in October, Davison knew he wouldn't be competing at nationals, which was a shame because he has great memories of the event.

Davison says there are challenges inherent in being an elite athlete on the mend. The first is trying to figure out what to do with your time. In training, your time is structured and everything you do is built around your sport and how to excel in it.

Depending on the timing of an injury, the time off, if it's short, can give you a fresh start in your training. But being off for an extended time can be unnerving.

 

The silver lining for Davison has been the ability to spend more time on bulking up his upper body and adding overall size, something that he hadn't had time to do before. He has also had a chance to work on school, which makes him happy.

In a peculiar twist of fate, he had just finished studying the bone and tissue section of his human anatomy course when he was injured, which meant that when Dr. Brock was talking to him about his injury, he understood.  

Does he think he'll be able to come back this season?

"Hopefully I will make it," he says. "We will have to wait and see, but I am feeling good."

Sitting on the sidelines and having to wait and see while your friends are on the ice - that has to be more challenging than any free program.

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