story time

[loeweb]

OK. Here's a topic everyone should be able to talk about. with springtime rapidly approaching and all of us that haven't been able to ski getting the "ski fever" itch, I thought it would maybe be a good idea to remember the absolute worst fall of our lives, and tell everyone about it. No matter what the discipline. For example mine had to be about two years ago when I finally decided to try and wakeboard. I have skiid for years and barefooted quite a little bit but had never really tried to wakeboard so I thought I'd go for it. After finally getting up and getting comfortable on the thing, I was outside the wake and decided I would try and switch my feet like I have seen numerous friends do thousands of times with no problem. I went to perform this manuever and remember thinking "keep your toes up," but somewhere along the way forgot and did one of the hardest face plants I can remember, beside the one that happened about a minute later when I tried the same d@mn thing with the same result.

[Thrall]

Worst fall on the water, ever for me, was just this last season.
We were out on a friend's I/O, left the MC at home. I was 'boardin. No skylon or tower, so the rope was only about 2' off the water. The boat was throwin' a killer wake and after a few warmups, I went for a W2W 180.
Anyhow, launch was good, got a lot of pop off the wake. However, either the driver sped up a little or the angle of the rope attachment rotated me forward and I face planted outside the far wake. That was not the worst of it. When I was going down, I tossed the handle, but landed on it and inadvertantly stuck my arm through the handle. The boat continued on and I was almost stopped in the water.
The handle was ripped from my arm and I thought it took my arm off. Went numb instantly from my shoulder to my hand. I was afraid to look at my left arm.
My arm swelled up and went black and blue from shldr to fingertips. Turned out nothing was broken and only muscle tears to my bicep and minor tendon damage in my forearm, nothing requiring a second trip to the doctor. My arm was swelled to twice it's normal size and very sore for several weeks.

[ktn_cmu]

Fell over the front of a tube (bad water, I don't need to hear it... :uglyhamme ) into the rope while there was slack in the line...well, I was all tangled up in when the slack was taken out...I about hung myself. Instead I only had lacerations all around my body, under my arms around my neck...yeah, don't ask me how I got so tangled.

Also, full-speed on a jet ski, cranked it off, fell over the front, smashed my face on the front of the jet ski and broke my nose...and about passed out...

[tex]

I went out the front in a show at SW San Diego. I put my arm thru the handle up to my armpit. The handle broke off on my arm. Torn and crushed bicep, arm broke in 3 places. That's what i get for jumping behind a SN!

[Mag_Red]

I went out the front in a show at SW San Diego. I put my arm thru the handle up to my armpit. The handle broke off on my arm. Torn and crushed bicep, arm broke in 3 places. That's what i get for jumping behind a SN!OUCH!Now that had to hurt!

[ski_king]

I have had a few over the years but I am usually able to shake them off and keep on going. A couple of years ago I hit the wake wrong and went out the front and managed to catch the tip of the ski in the rib cage. I ended up with a cracked rib.

But the worst was about 10 years ago when I caught a toe while barefooting and had the usual hard face plant. It knocked the wind out of me and I saw stars, but after a minute or 2, I was able to drive for the next skier. A few days later I noticed a tingling in my left arm and shoulder, and in a few days the tingling turned into severe pain and I had lost most of the feeling in that arm. After a couple of months of doctor visits, physical thearapy, MRI’s etc. had surgery to repair herniated disks between C6-C7 and C7-T1.

[u29460]

My worst moment was a beach start gone bad. I took up the 3 coils of rope and when the boat took off I lost my balance and my hand went into the coils. It cooked all the skin off my wrist and separated my shoulder. I still have a scar that kind of looks like a leather bracelet. I use to do beach starts all the time, not anymore. The cool factor is not worth the risk.

[Thrall]

I went out the front in a show at SW San Diego. I put my arm thru the handle up to my armpit. The handle broke off on my arm. Torn and crushed bicep, arm broke in 3 places. That's what i get for jumping behind a SN!

I guess I'm lucky. Sounds the same as what happened to me, 'cept I was at wakeboarding speed (20mph +/-). I'd imagine you were going faster on the ski.

[east tx skier]

Doesn't even come close to Tex's fall.

Probably two summers ago. I had just started to attempt course skiing. It was a Monday late afternoon. I'd been painting the bedroom the weekend before, and the fumes had given me some nose bleeds. Anyway, heading for the two ball (my off side), I started thinking about the ball and forgot completely about what I should've been doing. Hit the wake badly and had a no ski OTF fall. Had enough sense to put my hands behind my head in case the ski was in missle mode. Smacked the water with my face and wrenched my back.

I must have looked really scarry. Nose started bleeding and by the time my friends got back to pick me up, I looked like Carrie on prom night. Looked worse than it was, but after the bleeding stopped, I hung it up and let somebody with a clue hit the water.

[USC8791]

Worst for me (so I'm told) was New Years Day this year. I went free skiing with a couple of friends who were barefooting. I should have known not to go because we were skiing behind my friends old Malibu. To make a long story short I went OTF and suffered a severe concussion; at least that's what the ER report says. I still have no memory of that day. My first true memory is sitting on my couch at about 9:30 PM. Two of my friends were there "babysitting" me; and apperently answering the same question for the 1000th time, "what are ya'll doing here?"

2005 can only get better (I hope)!

[u29460]

apperently answering the same question for the 1000th time, "what are ya'll doing here?"


Concussions are nasty. I had the same experience with my nephew. It was like he lost all short term memory and was stuck in a 3 minuet repeat loop. We had video of the wreck and each time he asked what happen I said we got it on tape, he went through the cycle so many times he kicked the battery. 6 hours later he was out of it. I guess he brain needed to reboot.
Very scary stuff.

[JEREMY79]

Mine is nothing compared to some but still fun to talk about. Last season I was wakeboarding. Water was too rough to do so but...cove full of ladies....I was going to show off. Went for the mid-air 180. Got a good pop off the wake, in the air something happend. I wish I knew what. I remember hitting the water.....next thing I remember my fiancè was pulling me back into the boat by my life jacket. I awoke with the worst headache that I have ever had. I had some teeth pulled a few days before and they gave me some lorecets (sp?) for the pain. I grabbed one of those and laid back and let someone else drive and board.

[DanC]

ouch, just reading some of these gives me the shivers.

I did crack a few ribs on a fall while barefooting, just a regular ol' one-footer that I had done a million times before. Don't know what happened but it was a quick face plant. When I couldn't pick my 6 month old kid up for two days, I decided to barefoot less and ski more.

Our favorite injury story was not bad, just notable. While in college, took some girls out waterskiing behind our I/O trihull, all beginners. My date was in the water putting on the first ski. I thought she was looking and tossed the second ski to her. It skimmed across the water and smacked her right in the lower lip. Bled all over the place. Not a bad cut but her lip swelled up pretty good (or bad). Not an athletic gal but she was a trooper and didn't let it bother her. I felt like such a schmuck. We dated for two years. The joke thereafter was "need a girlfriend? why don't you smack someone in the face with a water ski"

good times, good times...

[jimmer2880]

I was doing an "around the boat" - the full 360 degree one, where you finish up going the same direction you started. We were in a close area and needed to use a 60' rope and I was on an earlier model wakeboard (a 2nd generation skurfer with the fin shaved down to 3" tall). Boat was a comp with a 454. Anyway.... the wind kicked up a bit & we ended up with a 4" chop (remember the 3" fin?). At the peak of the whip what that 454 was giving me all she had, the fin lost it's grip & the board went sideways (think toe side). Of course, it caught. First thing I remember was laying in the water in severe pain making sure I could move all of my arms & legs.

After they rolled me onto the swim platform & headed back to the dock, I finall was able to move.

Never went to the doc's office though - no insurance (I was REAL smart back then, wasn't I... doing ski shows without any health insurance!)

[wakesport]

I was barefooting in September of 2003 and face planted at 40 mph when I caught some rollers. My first reaction was to wave a hand that I was ok. Then I realized that my right arm did not work. I had pulled my arm right out of the socket at the shoulder. My arm was stuck in an out stretched position until they popped in back in to place 4 hours later in the ER. I sat in the barefoot suit until they popped it out because I wouldn't let them cut it. It took 6 months of rehab but I was out skiing the next spring. I still have some loss of feeling in my finger tips.

[JEREMY79]

That a way to protect the suit man!!

[MasterMason]

I was kneeboarding when I was about 14, the house we grew up in was on the water, well, it was me and 3 16 year old kids from the nieborhood out goofing around. There is a turn island in the lagoon, and the started going around the island about 30 with me on the board. Since I didn't want them to think I was a wimp I held on. After about the 5 turn around the island the water had great big chops and I eventually couldn't keep the nose of the board up and face planted. Board came up and hit me in the face and broke my nose.

About 6 months later a guy decided he was going to ski up to his dock and grab ahold, but misjudged it and skied into the dock. He spent 4 months in the hospital in traction.

[tex]

They wanted to cut mine off($25 ski warm spring suit provided by the show) and I would not let them. It's all about the principle! I have a friend who fell backwards on shoe skis as he was approaching the jump. He ripped one of the most sensitive(exit only) parts of his body and had to get stitches. He should have been wearing a wetsuit!

[JEREMY79]

He ripped one of the most sensitive(exit only) parts of his body and had to get stitches. He should have been wearing a wetsuit!
That sound very, very, very painfull, OUCH :eek:

[charlie Law]

Summer of 03 we had just gotten back into boating after a 10 year lapse for children. In an earlier life I had skied, barefooted and jumped but now I had decided to try to fit in with my 11 year old and taken up wakeboarding. I was doing a simple wake 180 and did a faceplant. Immediately had a bloody nose and a black eye the next day. A CT scan of my face a few days later revealed an ethmoid fracture (one of the very thin sinus bones). My left eye now sits a few millimeters further back than my right but nobody notices.

[Professor]

Some great ‘ouch’ stories but what I never thought would happen was the following:
Finally talked this beautiful girl into going to the lake to learn how to ski. She liked to swim but was afraid of fish and things she could not see in the dirty “lake water.” You guys have been there. We went through the usual motions – signals, equipment operation, boom first, etc. – and took it extra slow reassuring her not to worry. “The fish will not bite.” We even took her to a secluded cove where the water was like glass. She did great on the boom and started her first try behind the boat. She got up just like we taught her. We started to clap and yell how great she was doing when we noticed something caught around one ski boot. She had no clue but a snake had somehow managed to get caught on one ski! We did not know whether to yell drop, shake or whatever. I guess it was the ‘whatever’ category because before we could say anything she noticed or felt the snake rub against her leg. Now it starts to get interesting because she opened her mouth to scream but nothing – no voice. I think this is called the ‘really scared’ category! As the snake slid off the ski, she decides to drop the handle and sink back into the water … with the snake. Now she realizes what she has done and this time she screams - loudly. We could not believe that someone so petite could yell that loud. We have no idea where the snake was but QUICKLY (though not quick enough for her) returned to pull her out of the water. Never saw the snake again. Never got her in the lake again. Never talked her into going anywhere again! Yes, I am afraid to admit that weeks later some of the guys did affectionately refer to her as snake girl.

[Leroy]

I'm realizing how lucky I have been. These stories are going to scare people off :D. But they are great to read!

[east tx skier]

Tex, LOL! "Madonna with meatballs!"

Prof. Great story. I was just telling a coworker about the time I crossed paths with a water mocassin. His question, how did you know. My answer, don't ask, it's a better story if it's a water mocassin.

[Professor]

Prof. Great story. I was just telling a coworker about the time I crossed paths with a water mocassin. His question, how did you know. My answer, don't ask, it's a better story if it's a water mocassin.
True...but as you said - how do you know? Most likely just a water snake? To her? Well, she had fangs of her own! It's always the quiet ones?

[MarkP]

Professor

You probably ruined that poor girl for life.

[Professor]

Professor

You probably ruined that poor girl for life.


No, but she did view my future statements with much skepticism. She is a dance instructor now.

[JEREMY79]

You guys can believe this or not but It is true. I know this older gentleman that fishes in the lake here. He is scared to death of snakes (as am I) Well any way he has a little small aluminum jon boat. Fishing one day back up in a creek, somehow a snake gets into his boat. He decides to shoot it. I dont think I need to explain how the hole got into his boat. Anyway it about sunk on him before he could get to the bank. I know this because I fixed the hole for him. I laugh every time I think about it.

[east tx skier]

True...but as you said - how do you know? Most likely just a water snake? To her? Well, she had fangs of her own! It's always the quiet ones?

Like I said before, my stories are much better if you just sit back and don't ask any questions. :cool:

[east tx skier]

Water Mocassins are known to get into boats after people. We used to have them chase fishing boats (when fish were strung on a line and in the water). Also, if you shoot one, its mate will come after you.

/they weren't water snakes.

[lakes Rick]

I was in my old Tristar and it hit the water so hard after going over a 3" wake that my stomach was bruised from flopping..... does this count??

[bradamerry]

I was in my old Tristar and it hit the water so hard after going over a 3" wake that my stomach was bruised from flopping..... does this count??
Only for you Rick.

[tex]

i was skiing in the back straight in a show when i fell on a roller as i was fixing my hair. it was right in front of an observation platform filled with people. my hair resembled George Costanza's at the time. i caught alot of grief!

[loeweb]

It's so fun to read about everyone's mishaps. so many things that have happened to people and if I had heard them from a friend that they heard from a friend I never would have believed them. Better to take things straight from the horses mouth.

[AirJunky]

After over 14 yrs of skiing, boarding & foiling, the list of injuries to myself is long & gruesome...... 2 concussions, 2 torn rotator cuffs, over 100 stiches in one leg & a staph infection in the other...... pretty well balanced injuries, huh.

But the most awesome has to be JakeB on a Sky Ski at the TN Flyin on Dale Hollow Lake in 2003. I was driving & he was goin HUGE for the photographer in the boat. We were heading in for dinner & the sun was setting directly behind him..... so every shot was a silohuette in front of a gorgeous sunset. He busted out a huge floater front flip, fully released the handle, hands out wide like he's soaring & then regrabs & ducks his head. The pics are phenominal but he over-rotated & landed fully on his face & chest. Knocked him silly. We jammed back to get him & his dad jumped in the water before I could do anything. Jake was blowin bubbles at the time but ended up being OK despite a minor concussion. Looking back, had he had a serious back injury, his dad could have caused a huge problem by moving him right away.

[ski_king]

This one isn’t about a fall from skiing, but it was a boat related injury. It was one of those things that I should have known better, but I took a short cut and paid for it.

I had just pulled the boat out after a weekend of skiing and was parking it in its usual parking spot at camp hidden away up behind the trailer. Problem was we had a brief shower and the grass was wet. Also I didn’t have my truck, so I was borrowing my dad’s 2wd truck. The 2wd was somewhat helpless in the wet grass and I couldn’t get the boat back into its normal spot.
The hitch was in a little bit of a bind and I had my left hand on the hitch latch as I cranked up the jack with my right hand. About that time, my wife walked by and asked if I needed any help. Just as I looked up at her, the trailer toung came of the ball and the weight of the boat pushed the trailer up against the bumper of the truck with my hand crunched in between. That hurt like he!! And blood started flowing. My wife was screaming hysterically. It took a few moments to calm her down and ask her to put blocks in front of the trailer wheels and move the truck ahead. It seemed like it took forever. She wanted me to go to the hospital right away, but I insisted we had to wipe down the boat and cover it first.
I was lucky and didn’t break any bones, but ended up with about 10 stitches. The web between my ring finger and middle finger was torn thru, almost to the knuckle.
Everything healed in a week or 2, but now it is much easier for me to do the Spock Vulcan salute.

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CHOCK YOU TRAILER WHEELS!!!!

[sfitzgerald351]

That reminds me of a story from when I picked up my boat from the dealer. I show up and there was a brand new CC that had the stern all smashed in. The dealer's shop is down this steep driveway and this guy has just gone to drop off his new boat for some accessories to be put on and dropped some 2x4s behind the trailer wheels. He took off the safety chains and jacked the trailer up off the ball. Well he apparently didn't have the blocks all the way under the tires because the trailer rolled right over them and went down the hill and off the 4' retaining wall at the bottom and came to a nice rest on it's stern in the dirt. :eek3: So chock those wheels and remove the safety chains last after you're sure the trailer won't go anywhere.

[jimmer2880]

That reminds me of a story from when I picked up my boat from the dealer. I show up and there was a brand new CC that had the stern all smashed in. The dealer's shop is down this steep driveway and this guy has just gone to drop off his new boat for some accessories to be put on and dropped some 2x4s behind the trailer wheels. He took off the safety chains and jacked the trailer up off the ball. Well he apparently didn't have the blocks all the way under the tires because the trailer rolled right over them and went down the hill and off the 4' retaining wall at the bottom and came to a nice rest on it's stern in the dirt. :eek3: So chock those wheels and remove the safety chains last after you're sure the trailer won't go anywhere.

I have personally witnessed tongues moving quite a bit on all kinds of trailers (especially tandems) when un-hooking and have been waiting on the chains for years. Glad I'm not the only one who does that!

[jsonova99]

my worst fall was a few years back on a kneeboard, I was kind of new to the thing and I tried just doing a 180 on the water but I caught the back of the board and it caught and slung me backwards. Not as bad some of the others, but definitley my worst