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UPDATE FEB '10
Well, January has been a slow month for me unfortunately. After my injections early in Jan things were looking a little better however it was not the saving grace I was looking for.
During the past two weeks I have really just tried to get as much time on snow with as much quality training as possible without flaring up my knee. This has consisted of generally three days a week training Super G and the rest of the time concentrating on my fitness.
I did ski two Super G races last week in Obersaxen, Switzerland. I skied well in both races but made mistakes on the flat section of the course and lost a lot of speed and time. I finished around one second out in both races and my knee actually held up quite well. It was sore but bearable.
From there Craig, Simon and I took a couple of days off in Lake Como to hit the gym and do a little relaxing. After Como we drove to Les Orres, France for the most recent Downhill Europa Cup race. This was my fourth run of downhill since my crash and surgery in March and my first since November. In inspection I was a little nervous as this course was quite tough but as the start drew closer my nerves dissipated and I was feeling good. In the run I skied well but made a few mistakes leaving me in around 35th place by the end. My knee felt quite ok during the run however two hours post skiing I was in quite a lot of pain walking down stairs and spinning on the bike.
On the second training run I went up to see if my knee could handle it and after one warm up run I knew there was no chance. I probably could have skied down however I knew that I would be in even more trouble for the following weeks if I did. So it was straight back to Innsbruck to Doctor Fink the following morning and more Visco Supplementation injections.
I will be taking the next week off before skiing again at our pre-Olympic training camp in Nakiska, Canada. There I hope to get two to three days of quality training before heading to Whistler on the 7th to start the Downhill training on the 10th.
I have been confirmed to the Australian Olympic team for Downhill, Super G and Super Combined however just missing the criteria of top 120 in GS by just 4 spots. This is such a small margin of about 0.04% of the total number of men’s alpine athletes. It is unfortunate that I wont be able to ski all five disciplines however I am very happy and honored to be a part of the Vancouver Olympic team for my second Olympics.
On another note our training partners, the British ski team have had some very serious financial issues over the past couple of weeks. Basically the governing federation “Snowsport GB” is in financial ruin and on the brink of bankruptcy. The ski team has been left with none of the staff having been paid since the 21st of December 09 nor had any of their expenses paid as well as being given their notice of termination for the 14th of March. This has in turn led to the coaches deciding to suspend all Alpine programs, only providing training at the coaches local ski hill so that they do not incur any expenses. This has obviously been a difficult time for both myself and Craig as well as the British athletes. “Snowsport GB” is currently working on a solution however the mood in the camp is very somber. The only saving grace is that the British Olympic Association will be paying for the coaches to attend the training camp in Nakiska as well as the games. So although this situation is not optimal Craig and I will have coaching staff at the games which is most important.
I’ll keep you all up to date from Canada.
Cheers
Jono
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UPDATE JAN '10
First of all I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. I hope it brings to you everything you are hoping for.
So unfortunately I have not had the best end to 2009 or the best start to 2010. I am having ongoing issues with my knee and it is somewhat relentless.
After taking time out in December all was looking well as I starting skiing again, and skiing pain free. I managed to ski for about seven days out of twelve and almost all successfully. On my last day I was training Super G with the U.S team and the course was getting rough. After four runs I pulled the pin as I could feel a slight tweak in my knee developing. That tweak turned out to be more than expected.
I took some days off thinking it was some inflammation and planned on getting back to skiing just after Christmas in Bormio, Italy while my team mate Buddos was racing. Still sore in Bormio, we sought the advice of the U.S team doctor and his prognosis, which was later backed by a leading physician in Austria, was that there was one of two things happening. Either my bone bruising was flaring up from the vibrations and bumps of the course, or the scar tissue and calcification from the micro fractures on my femur were flaking and breaking off causing inflammation in my knee and subsequent pain.
After this diagnosis we decided that a second course of Visco supplementation was the first plan and to try some training after a short break. I managed two runs in a GS course a day for two days however after the second day I was once again in pain. I returned to Dr Fink in the Austrian clinic and we decided that we should try the next option, a recently developed type of cortisone from Germany, which is extremely effective for reducing inflammation and quite safe for the knee joint.
After two days off I have skied two out of the last three days, mainly freeskiing GS and SG with some decent results. I have been able to ski mostly without pain on smooth groomed pistes however on bumpy icy courses I am unsure as to how my knee will react. I am still having some niggling issues and so don’t want to push it and risk having to take more time off snow than absolutely necessary before the Games.
At the end of the day this is a less than optimal situation to be in just four weeks out from the Olympics however these are the cards I have been dealt. Our plan from here till the Games is to get as many pain free days of skiing under my belt, possibly start some European Cup races and be as healthy as possible leading into the Olympics. There is no doubt that I will ski at the Games and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be giving it everything I have and sticking to my motto. Balls out!
I’ll keep you all posted as to how it all pans out in the next few weeks.
Enjoy the summer months and thanks again for all the support.
Cheers
Jono
UPDATE DEC 09
So since returning to snow a month ago I have had some ongoing issues with the bone bruising in my femur.
After a week in Austria we headed to Canada where I trained a few days in Nakiska in mid Nov. This caused some pain whenever there where difficult, bumpy conditions and so with this in mind and the pain I was feeling my coach, physio and i decided it was best to sit out the Lake Louise World Cup events.
I met with the U.S team doc in Lake Louise and he suggested a course of treatment at the Steadman Hawkins clinic in Vail. So i flew down to Colorado as planned and consulted with the docs at Steadman Hawkins. They agreed that the bruising was the issue and i underwent treatment and was fitted for a custom Donjoy knee brace FOC thanks to the great guys at Donjoy Australia and America to help unload the joint.
Unfortunately having undertaken the treatment it meant that I had to sit out the following week of World Cup events in Beaver Creek and with this Simon Ruse our physio and the docs decided it was best to take it easy for most of Dec to ready myself for January and the Olympics in February. So that is what i have been doing. I followed Craig back up to Lake Louise where he raced the Nor am Speed series and I freeskied for 5 days. 5 days in a row is huge for me and this in itself was an accomplishment. I even was pain free the entire week, possibly the first time in 5 or 6 years.
We are now back in Europe in Val Gardena where Craig will be racing the World Cup DH and SG events this week. I started my first gate early this week and have logged some good days. GS and SG with Canada and the U.S and I am happy to report that despite rough and tough conditions I came out of the week pain free and confident I am back on track.
I will continue training all week and hopefully next week I'll hit up my first races since injury with some FIS SG events in Switzerland.
I’ll be keeping myself the right way up with my feet on the snow.
Till next time, enjoy.
Cheers
JB
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JONOS FUNDRAISER AND SWEEPSTAKES COMPETITION
For this coming season myself and my friends who helped with the 2010 World Cup/Olympic fundraiser decided to have a Fundraising evening and a Sponsorship Sweepstakes competition with the main prize being my primary Sponsor for the upcoming World Cup/Olympic season.
The Fundraiser was held on the 15th October with around 110 people attending. We had a great speaker in Steve Bradbury who everybody enjoyed and I think that every one left a winner after some great prizes were snapped up in the Auction at sensational prices. We exceeded our expectations by raising just under $25,000 on the night which is a great feat. I have to thank everybody who came and supported on the night and a huge thank you to Tony Rumble, Paul Manka and Michael Clifford who were instrumental in both the fundraiser and the Sweepstakes competition. Along with that I have to thank my mum and girlfriend and also Lynn Kearney who all went above and beyond in helping me with the event.
In the Sweepstakes competition we had 18 entrants and I am pleased to say that we have drawn a winner.
My new primary sponsor for this Olympic season is
“The Ski Club of Australia”
Thank you so much to all the supporters of my World Cup and Olympic Campaign for 2010. I would like to throw out a huge thank you to all the entrants of the Sweepstakes draw. Those that got involved in the Sweepstakes were
* Alpha Investments
* Avenue Capital Management
* www.footytips.com.au
*Incentive Action
*Judy Boyd
*Chop House Restaurant
*KPMG
*Lantern Apartments
*Mountain Watch
*RBMH Lawyers
*Shirlaws Corporate Australia
*Ski Club of Australia
*Snow Yeti Silverstar
*Travelplan
*Thredbo Ski Racing Club
*Wild Brumby Schnapps
*XTM
I am ecstatic to have so much support from such a broad range of people. Without you all I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Here is to my 2009/2010 Olympic season with The Ski Club of Australia as my latest supporter.
UPDATE NOV 09
It’s now November 2009 and I am back on snow in Canada once again. I flew out from OZ on the 8th November to Europe with our latest edition to the team, physio, Simon Ruse. I had one week on snow in Austria dialing in some new equipment and getting some good feeling on the snow.
We are now in Canada getting ready for the first Speed World Cups of the season with training in Nakiska, one and a half hours from Calgary. The snow here has been a little soft the last few days however with the cold temperatures it is firming up more everyday. We are training alongside Italy, France, Croatia, Canada, Germany and a host of other nations and we are mixing it up with the best of them.
My knee is holding up reasonably well and I am looking to keep it as pain free as possible and taking on a pain management strategy. Our physio Simon has been a very welcome edition to the team and is working wonders on both Craig and I.
From here we have a few more days training Downhill and Super G before heading to Lake Louise next week. I will look to start in the Super G and possibly the Downhill, it all depends on how my knee is feeling. Having years of experience at this game we are taking on the approach of less is more so I can stay as healthy as possible and continue to get as fit as I can before February and the Olympic Games.
I’ll keep you updated after the first races and let you all know how I am travelling. Enjoy the scorching weather at home.
Cheers
Jono
UPDATE OCT 09
After getting back on snow 6 months post surgery things were looking good. I had five days on my home mountain in Thredbo before consulting my physio and surgeon. We came to a last minute decision to fly out to Chile for a three week training camp.
Chile had great snow and sensational training as always. We had all of three overcast days and the rest were sunny with cold snow conditions, perfect for training. For the first time in years I was skiing for more than four hours a day and only stopping because I felt I should rather than because I had to. I logged about 10 days of freesking and six days in the gates. Immediately I felt comfortable on the snow. My first day in the gates I clocked some of the fastest times and was really happy with my progress.
After returning home in late September, I have had the past 5 weeks focusing solely on physical conditioning. I have been working closely with my physio at the AIS and my conditioning is improving weekly. My knees are feeling good and I am doing things in the gym that I haven’t done in over 4 years.
Whilst I was away some good friends of mine decided that they would like to take the initiative to put together a fundraiser which was successfully held two weeks ago to help give me every opportunity to ski at my best come February 2010 and help relieve some of the associated costs of the NH winter season. This year in order to give ourselves the best chance of being in great shape for Vancouver my team mate, Craig Branch and I decided to employ a physiotherapist to travel with us as of next week up until the Olympic Games and this was one of the reasons for the fundraiser. With the help of an AOC sports grant and the funds raised we will be travelling for the first time with a fulltime pysio and this will give us a great advantage compared to the past seasons.
All in all things are looking great for a successful World Cup and Olympic season. As always I will be giving my absolute all and come the Olympics I’ll be putting everything I have into performing at my absolute best.
I’ll keep you posted as the season unfolds and again I thank everyone for their continued support.
Cheers
Jono
