I hope you enjoy her thoughts and perspectives about returning to ski after her ACL repair.
What initially got you into freestyle skiing?
I met some very cool people while skiing one night and they taught me how to hit a rail.
Can you highlight any significant injuries you have sustained?
I have only had one major injury and that was tearing my acl and meniscus.
Ive also had a couple of concussions and bruised ribs.
Physically, I have never had to work out or train before and it was all new to me.
Mentally, thoughts raced through my head telling me to stop skiing all together (crazy right).
While being confined to my bed and being forced to work out, I was not mentally healthy.
I lost almost 20 pounds from my already skinny body and felt hopeless.
Physical therapy was painful for me.
Nick can account for that haha.
I wanted to be apart of breaking boundaries for women in the this sport.
And that is why I tried to push harder and get better.
What physical aspects and what mental challenges occurred during your rehab process?
During rehab I cried a lot because it was painful in the beginning.
Working on getting my knee completely straight was the hardest thing ever.
I thought it was game over again.
Thankfully my acl was still intact and I just needed to let it rest.
This fall set me back quite a bit.
I was back doing basic workouts and my knees range of motion was not great.
Thankfully I got through it and got back on track with my workouts.
Speaking of rehab, how was the physical therapy process?
(timeline, PT personality, what worked, what didnt work for you), etc.
PT was very strange to me at first.
If you know me, youd know I did eat healthy at all.
But after that moment I began eating a lot more fruits, veggies, and less fast food.
I said are you sure????
I thought it was dangerous to do anything without the brace on, but thats completely false.
Also, with never having to workout before and train I hated it a lot.
Physical Therapy drained me, twice a week for three hours was intense!
I was only given 20 visits from insurance so I did 10 weeks.
The way I was encouraged and pushed to my limits was rewarding.
How was your skiing affected once you were cleared to return to ski?
Did you change style of ski or boot?
When I first got back on snow I just skied downhill and got used to turning and such.
I wore a custom knee brace.
I didnt hit park until about a month after I got back on snow.
I did get new skis and look pivots mounted for my return to skiing.
How is your fitness routine now?
Did it change after your first major injury?
But here I am, still working on getting stronger and healthier.
How often do you stay in touch with your PTs or trainers for updates or advice?
Do you have any advice for those going through rehab themselves?
Keep your mental strong and know it gets so much better.
You just have to work hard to get back on track.
What is your favorite skiing memory?
My favorite skiing memory will always be skiing with my best friends Sarah and Ethan at Brandywine.
Never a dull moment.
-Audrey
IG: @SkiingPhysicalTherapy
