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Bold leadership needed to reduce ski racing injuries - 2009/12/18 16:44
Bold leadership needed to reduce ski racing injuries, says Alpine Canada head
Radical changes may be needed if World Cup ski racing wants to reduce the injuries which have claimed some of the sport's biggest stars, Max Gartner, Alpine Canada's chief athletics officer, said Monday.
"It's gotten to the point where there are way too many severe injuries in the sport at the top level (and) even at the development level," Gartner said in a telephone interview from the Calgary airport. "It needs some thorough looking (at) and some bold leadership to make some changes."
Gartner and Paul Kristofic, head coach of the Canadian men's team, will attend a meeting in Val Gardena, Italy, on Wednesday where a group of coaches and team leaders will discuss the rash of injuries which has affected athletes from all countries.
Gian Franco Kasper, the president of the International Ski Federation (FIS) said last week he hopes the meeting will "identify commonalities and seek practical solutions."
The Canadian men's team has lost two racers to serious injury in the last month.
John Kucera of Calgary, who won the downhill at last winter's world championships, broke his leg in the opening World Cup super-giant slalom race at Lake Louise, Alta. The potential medallist will miss February's Winter Olympics.
Jean-Philippe Roy of Ste-Flavie, Que., a giant slalom specialist, suffered a suspected torn ACL in his right knee in Sunday's World Cup race in Val d'Isere, France. It's unlikely he will ski at the Olympics.
It's been a devastating season for some of skiing's biggest names.
Along with Kucera, France's Jean-Baptiste Grange, the World Cup slalom champion, and Austria's Nicole Hosp, a former overall world champion, will miss the Olympics due to injury.
American TJ Lanning broke a vertebra in his neck and dislocated his left knee in a fall at Lake Louise.
Lara Gut of Switzerland, who won two silver medals at last year's world championships, dislocated a hip and isn't expected back until at least January.
Imagine the reaction of the NHL if Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, Jarome Iginla, and Roberto Luongo were all hurt at the same time.
"We have these athletes and we can't just replace them," said Gartner.
"The severe injuries are still going up. In my opinion we haven't really addressed it. Something radical has to change to get these injuries down."
Equipment and course preparation are two areas that may be examined.
Gartner said skis have become shorter, meaning racers can make tighter turns, which puts more pressure on knees.
Ken Read, the former Crazy Canuck who is a member of the FIS alpine executive board, said early season conditions which makes the snow "very catchy" might have contributed to some injuries.
Another concern is water injection. This is where water, under high pressure, is injected into the snow. The resulting hard, thick surface can turn a race course into a "vertical skating rink," Read said.
"Maybe we need to look at whether or not that is something where a little less is used," he said.
The Olympics could also be a factor.
"People are training hard and training to peak for February," Read said. "These races are where athletes are earning their spot to compete (at the Olympics).
"These races are critical, so they are pushing it."
Gartner doesn't expect all the problems to be solved this year.
"You can do some stuff as far as course preparation," he said. "You can do little things.
"I think the core issue is we have equipment that is extremely powerful. People have to take a look at the equipment. That can't be done short term. That's something we are looking at in the future, maybe next year."
Read said rules were put in place two years ago governing the length and width of skis.
"Do we have to take another look at the equipment?" said the former Alpine Canada chief executive officer. "I think we do, but that must be down with the ski manufacturers.
"Any time you make a change like that it is expensive for them and the last couple of years has been very challenging for them in the current economy."
The courses used for downhill and super-G races can also be altered to make them more technical, which reduces speeds.
Gartner said coaches from all countries agree injuries are a problem.
"Everyone is on board," he said. "It has to come from the coaches and the federations and the athletes.
"It's not good to have a sport where it's normal to have a severe injury every two or three years."
For the Canadian team, it's been a rough start to the season.
"These are always tough times," said Gartner. "It's like a family member getting an injury. You have to overcome that.
"You can't dwell on these injuries. You have to focus on the skiing. You have to be smart but also stay aggressive. If you start to get defensive, sometimes injuries happen more often."
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