Case study: knee injuries in moguls skiers
By Elizabeth Grimsley
Knee injuries can happen in any sport. Skiing with no obstacles or bumps can be hard in and of itself. Add in irregular bumps and jumps like in freestyle skiing’s moguls discipline and the athletes are simply asking for knee surgery. With a repetitive motion that is so demanding on the body, it is not surprising that moguls produces injuries from torn ligaments to dislocated kneecaps or anything in between.
In the moguls discipline of freestyle skiing, athletes take a run down a hill featuring irregularly spaced and sized bumps as well as two required jumps where the athletes perform flips not unlike that of aerial skiers. All of this is done for time, making the strain on the body even more intense. Different from alpine skiers, moguls skiers’ bodies experience different muscle activation on their runs as their knees are bounced up and down over the bumps before having to straighten up and prepare for the jumps. Because of the nature of the bumps that cause the skis to be momentarily lifted off the snow, the force the skiers’ bodies experience on impact is large and repetitive. Unlike in some other sports where injuries are uncommon, knee injuries in moguls are almost inevitable. “ACL tears seem to happen so frequently in World Cup skiing that getting a new ligament -- usually from an athlete's own hamstring or from the Achilles’ tendon of a cadaver -- has become like just another merit badge. You get your FIS license, a national team ski suit ... and, at some point, a replacement ACL” (Kingston, 2008).
Probably one of the most recent and well-known knee injury stories in moguls was American Heidi Kloser’s crash during the warm ups before the qualification round at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. What viewers remember most about Kloser’s crash was not the injury itself but the aftermath and the simple, heartbreaking question that came from the downed athlete on the way to the ambulance: “Am I still an Olympian?” In Jason Blevins' story on the accident, it seemed as if the injury was not the most important thing to Kloser. Since knee injuries happen frequently in moguls, it was not as big of a shock as in other cases. Instead, the first thing that came to Kloser’s mind was if she would still be called the thing she worked her whole life to achieve. Blevin also frames his story to show that the other athletes were not as fazed by what had just happened in front of their eyes as well. They are used to the danger of the sport and, while it is hard to see a teammate go down, it is not uncommon (2014). The framing is similar in many of the articles that came out after Kloser’s injury, including those of ESPN’s “Heidi Kloser tears ACL, out of Sochi,” (2014), the Daily Mail’s “'Am I still an Olympian, dad?' Heartbreaking words of American skier after she broke her leg during a training run in Sochi,” (2014) and USA Today’s “Moguls skier Heidi Kloser injures knee during training” (Jones, 2014), which states, “‘Next thing I know, they closed the course,’ Kearney said. Skiers know what that means. Someone had crashed.”
For Canada’s Chris Wong, tearing his ACL, PCL, MCL and meniscus in Inawashiro, Japan in 2007 was simply unlucky. It did not have to do with an error on his part or a problem with the course but rather fate that sent him tumbling down the mountain with a lower leg that was “hanging from his thigh like a wet noodle” (Kingston, 2008). These knee injuries are seen as more of luck of the draw situations rather than something that can be avoided through practice or preventative measures. In Kingston’s article, he includes nearly 10 Canadian athletes as examples in his one story alone that suffered knee injuries at the hands of the moguls. While the accounts from the athletes show they believe it is something that cannot be controlled, Kingston himself frames the article that way in his narrative and description of the events as well.
In a survey of World Championship skiers in both the moguls and aerials disciplines, 25 severe knee injuries in 15 out of 36 men surveyed and 26 in 15 out of 26 women surveyed were reported (Heir, 2003). Almost half of men and women surveyed had suffered at least one major knee injury while competing in moguls, a large percent compared to many other sports. Ted Clarke says it perfectly in the lead of his story on knee injuries in skiers, “Doctors are used to warning athletes who make their living playing hockey they shouldn't go skiing to minimize the risk of injuries. But you don't hear of doctors telling skiers not to play hockey to avoid a trip to the hospital,” (2005). While hockey and other similar sports may be more dangerous in terms of head injuries and other severe, life-altering traumas, skiing’s injury rate is higher overall.
It is almost more rare to have a moguls skier that has not had some sort of knee injury than meet one that has. “Few top international competitors have escaped the surgeon's knife after ripping some body part, by failing to execute off an aerial kicker or absorb multiple moguls at high speed. The Canadian freestyle team could probably write its own medical dictionary,” (Kingston, 2005). It is something that unites the competitors and gives them common ground among each other. It is something the athletes sign up for when joining the moguls disciplines.
While the media typically frames moguls knee injuries as being quite a frequent occurrence, it also frames these freak accidents as being non-career-ending. Like in the case of Australia’s Merissa Wong, who suffered a serious knee injury while skiing, Wong was able to come back strong and compete at the same physical level she was at before her knee imploded on the snow. The media framed Wong in a positive light, showing just how successful she has been since her injury and how it is not holding her back at all (Clarke, 2004). Knee injuries in the story are almost soon as a good thing rather than a terrible occurrence.
In most cases of a knee injury in moguls, the media, like everyone else, cites the cause of the injury to being bit of bad luck. In injuries involving an unlucky run, the blame is not placed on one particular person but rather the stars not being aligned properly or another similar superstitious act. Although most are freak-accidents, there are a few cases that result from overuse or competing on an already injured knee. However, the framing of the stories still remains the same by showing that the injury happens all the time and is not career ending. This is shown in the framing of Jennifer Heil’s knee injury in The Globe and Mail’s “Heil's season comes to a premature end,” (Christie, 2008). In just the lead, the tone is set that the story is about yet another moguls skier that is injured. “As the knees swell, so does the population of Canada's top freestyle skiers in the sick ward,” (Christie, 2008). This framing is reinforced in The Sports Network’s “Jennifer Heil says knee injury is no big deal,” (2008), and Canada’s “Knee injury grounds world moguls champ Heil,” (2008). In this case of overuse, the athlete is almost always to blame like with Montana’s Bryon Wilson who potentially damaged his knee further after continuing to compete after the initial pain set in (Sayler, 2011). The trend continues in Butte Sports’ “Brad Wilson places sixth, Bryon reinjures knee,” (Sayler, 2013) as it frames Wilson’s injury of overuse caused by coming back to the sport too soon but still being something he can eventually fully recover from. With examples like this, the athlete is portrayed as the one making the decision on whether or not he is healed enough to come back. The coach is shown as the one taking the necessary precautions after the fact to make sure the injury gets taken case of once it is too late.
From studies done on the force and impact on the skiers’ bodies during a moguls run, it is clear that these injuries are inevitable just as the media has framed them. Because of the nature of the bumps and high speed going down the mountain, knee injuries come with the sport and are not something that can really be prevented or minimized easily. It seems that most reporters covering moguls know the basics about the research that has been done and about many of the surveys conducted about knee injuries in the discipline. This makes them able to accurately portray the injuries in their media coverage of the sport.
While there is research that shows long-term consequences of severe knee injuries, the stories produced by the media show little evidence of the athletes suffering lasting side effects. “Multiple knee injuries increase the risk of long-term adverse effects -- such as abnormal joint dynamics and early onset of degenerative joint disease -- they don't seem to consign the mogul bashers, or the 150-kilometre-an-hour downhill speed demons, and their Rossignols and Atomics to a scrap heap” (Kingston, 2008). Even if the injury to the knee is not so severe that it requires surgery, lasting damage can still occur including chipping on the surface of ligaments or bones or other such wear and tear that subsequently weakens the knee and makes it more susceptible to injury in the future. These injuries can eventually make it difficult to function as the athlete gets older and performing through an injury can create even more damage. However, when an injury occurs, the media focuses on the injury at hand and not these potential consequences and the athlete’s future in the sport and out of it.
The media frames the mindsets of moguls athletes, like those in many other sports, as wanting to do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level now rather than keep the future and the body’s best interest in mind. Wilson was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the 2011 World Cup season due to a knee injury he suffered and made worse after continuing to compete on the already damaged ligament (Sayler, 2011). Many of these stories portray blowing out a knee here or there as something that is alright if it means winning a world championship or Olympic medal in the future. That is, if the athlete’s body can make it that long.
Jim Schiman knows this conundrum all too well, according to Kingston in his story about him in The Vancouver Sun (2005). After completely shredding his knee in 2004, his doctor told him he would never ski again. Schiman’s mindset on the sport began to change and realized that he would rather be able to walk in 20 years than attempt a comeback. Schiman dabbled with coaching and watched his pupils suffer injuries. However, he realized he missed competing, and came out of his brief retirement in an attempt to make another comeback. Although he was back on the slopes, Schiman’s injury forced him to look at things in a more mature fashion, changing his outlook on the sport and the risks he was taking. In Kingston’s story, Schiman’s injury is framed as an eye-opening experience. Kingston frames the reporting differently than most other moguls injury stories published. He shows the repercussions of jumping feet first into such a dangerous sport and writes so that the readers, for once, see some hesitation from an athlete and concern for their own well being rather than blatant disregard for safety and acceptance that something bad happening is inevitable (2005).
Overall, covering most aspects of an injury in moguls well, including why it occurred, who might have been to blame and what the future holds for the injured athletes. Most of the time the coverage remains consistent throughout the span of a moguls knee injury. Since most injuries suffered are merely accidents, not much changes about how it occurred or why it might have happened to that skier or on that particular day. However, the one area where the media is lacking in coverage is the ways the discipline is trying to limit injuries. It is highly doubtful that the governing bodies and officials in freestyle skiing are turning a blind eye and letting these athletes continue to pursue the sport with the knowledge that severe injuries are almost a given. Are there new rule changes in the works to help make the courses safe? Is there new equipment that might be enforced that can help save the athletes’ knees from damage? What is being done to help save these athletes from a life full of pain after retirement from the snow? These questions need answers, and it is the media’s job to find and provide them.
Knee injuries can happen in any sport. Skiing with no obstacles or bumps can be hard in and of itself. Add in irregular bumps and jumps like in freestyle skiing’s moguls discipline and the athletes are simply asking for knee surgery. With a repetitive motion that is so demanding on the body, it is not surprising that moguls produces injuries from torn ligaments to dislocated kneecaps or anything in between.
In the moguls discipline of freestyle skiing, athletes take a run down a hill featuring irregularly spaced and sized bumps as well as two required jumps where the athletes perform flips not unlike that of aerial skiers. All of this is done for time, making the strain on the body even more intense. Different from alpine skiers, moguls skiers’ bodies experience different muscle activation on their runs as their knees are bounced up and down over the bumps before having to straighten up and prepare for the jumps. Because of the nature of the bumps that cause the skis to be momentarily lifted off the snow, the force the skiers’ bodies experience on impact is large and repetitive. Unlike in some other sports where injuries are uncommon, knee injuries in moguls are almost inevitable. “ACL tears seem to happen so frequently in World Cup skiing that getting a new ligament -- usually from an athlete's own hamstring or from the Achilles’ tendon of a cadaver -- has become like just another merit badge. You get your FIS license, a national team ski suit ... and, at some point, a replacement ACL” (Kingston, 2008).
Probably one of the most recent and well-known knee injury stories in moguls was American Heidi Kloser’s crash during the warm ups before the qualification round at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. What viewers remember most about Kloser’s crash was not the injury itself but the aftermath and the simple, heartbreaking question that came from the downed athlete on the way to the ambulance: “Am I still an Olympian?” In Jason Blevins' story on the accident, it seemed as if the injury was not the most important thing to Kloser. Since knee injuries happen frequently in moguls, it was not as big of a shock as in other cases. Instead, the first thing that came to Kloser’s mind was if she would still be called the thing she worked her whole life to achieve. Blevin also frames his story to show that the other athletes were not as fazed by what had just happened in front of their eyes as well. They are used to the danger of the sport and, while it is hard to see a teammate go down, it is not uncommon (2014). The framing is similar in many of the articles that came out after Kloser’s injury, including those of ESPN’s “Heidi Kloser tears ACL, out of Sochi,” (2014), the Daily Mail’s “'Am I still an Olympian, dad?' Heartbreaking words of American skier after she broke her leg during a training run in Sochi,” (2014) and USA Today’s “Moguls skier Heidi Kloser injures knee during training” (Jones, 2014), which states, “‘Next thing I know, they closed the course,’ Kearney said. Skiers know what that means. Someone had crashed.”
For Canada’s Chris Wong, tearing his ACL, PCL, MCL and meniscus in Inawashiro, Japan in 2007 was simply unlucky. It did not have to do with an error on his part or a problem with the course but rather fate that sent him tumbling down the mountain with a lower leg that was “hanging from his thigh like a wet noodle” (Kingston, 2008). These knee injuries are seen as more of luck of the draw situations rather than something that can be avoided through practice or preventative measures. In Kingston’s article, he includes nearly 10 Canadian athletes as examples in his one story alone that suffered knee injuries at the hands of the moguls. While the accounts from the athletes show they believe it is something that cannot be controlled, Kingston himself frames the article that way in his narrative and description of the events as well.
In a survey of World Championship skiers in both the moguls and aerials disciplines, 25 severe knee injuries in 15 out of 36 men surveyed and 26 in 15 out of 26 women surveyed were reported (Heir, 2003). Almost half of men and women surveyed had suffered at least one major knee injury while competing in moguls, a large percent compared to many other sports. Ted Clarke says it perfectly in the lead of his story on knee injuries in skiers, “Doctors are used to warning athletes who make their living playing hockey they shouldn't go skiing to minimize the risk of injuries. But you don't hear of doctors telling skiers not to play hockey to avoid a trip to the hospital,” (2005). While hockey and other similar sports may be more dangerous in terms of head injuries and other severe, life-altering traumas, skiing’s injury rate is higher overall.
It is almost more rare to have a moguls skier that has not had some sort of knee injury than meet one that has. “Few top international competitors have escaped the surgeon's knife after ripping some body part, by failing to execute off an aerial kicker or absorb multiple moguls at high speed. The Canadian freestyle team could probably write its own medical dictionary,” (Kingston, 2005). It is something that unites the competitors and gives them common ground among each other. It is something the athletes sign up for when joining the moguls disciplines.
While the media typically frames moguls knee injuries as being quite a frequent occurrence, it also frames these freak accidents as being non-career-ending. Like in the case of Australia’s Merissa Wong, who suffered a serious knee injury while skiing, Wong was able to come back strong and compete at the same physical level she was at before her knee imploded on the snow. The media framed Wong in a positive light, showing just how successful she has been since her injury and how it is not holding her back at all (Clarke, 2004). Knee injuries in the story are almost soon as a good thing rather than a terrible occurrence.
In most cases of a knee injury in moguls, the media, like everyone else, cites the cause of the injury to being bit of bad luck. In injuries involving an unlucky run, the blame is not placed on one particular person but rather the stars not being aligned properly or another similar superstitious act. Although most are freak-accidents, there are a few cases that result from overuse or competing on an already injured knee. However, the framing of the stories still remains the same by showing that the injury happens all the time and is not career ending. This is shown in the framing of Jennifer Heil’s knee injury in The Globe and Mail’s “Heil's season comes to a premature end,” (Christie, 2008). In just the lead, the tone is set that the story is about yet another moguls skier that is injured. “As the knees swell, so does the population of Canada's top freestyle skiers in the sick ward,” (Christie, 2008). This framing is reinforced in The Sports Network’s “Jennifer Heil says knee injury is no big deal,” (2008), and Canada’s “Knee injury grounds world moguls champ Heil,” (2008). In this case of overuse, the athlete is almost always to blame like with Montana’s Bryon Wilson who potentially damaged his knee further after continuing to compete after the initial pain set in (Sayler, 2011). The trend continues in Butte Sports’ “Brad Wilson places sixth, Bryon reinjures knee,” (Sayler, 2013) as it frames Wilson’s injury of overuse caused by coming back to the sport too soon but still being something he can eventually fully recover from. With examples like this, the athlete is portrayed as the one making the decision on whether or not he is healed enough to come back. The coach is shown as the one taking the necessary precautions after the fact to make sure the injury gets taken case of once it is too late.
From studies done on the force and impact on the skiers’ bodies during a moguls run, it is clear that these injuries are inevitable just as the media has framed them. Because of the nature of the bumps and high speed going down the mountain, knee injuries come with the sport and are not something that can really be prevented or minimized easily. It seems that most reporters covering moguls know the basics about the research that has been done and about many of the surveys conducted about knee injuries in the discipline. This makes them able to accurately portray the injuries in their media coverage of the sport.
While there is research that shows long-term consequences of severe knee injuries, the stories produced by the media show little evidence of the athletes suffering lasting side effects. “Multiple knee injuries increase the risk of long-term adverse effects -- such as abnormal joint dynamics and early onset of degenerative joint disease -- they don't seem to consign the mogul bashers, or the 150-kilometre-an-hour downhill speed demons, and their Rossignols and Atomics to a scrap heap” (Kingston, 2008). Even if the injury to the knee is not so severe that it requires surgery, lasting damage can still occur including chipping on the surface of ligaments or bones or other such wear and tear that subsequently weakens the knee and makes it more susceptible to injury in the future. These injuries can eventually make it difficult to function as the athlete gets older and performing through an injury can create even more damage. However, when an injury occurs, the media focuses on the injury at hand and not these potential consequences and the athlete’s future in the sport and out of it.
The media frames the mindsets of moguls athletes, like those in many other sports, as wanting to do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level now rather than keep the future and the body’s best interest in mind. Wilson was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the 2011 World Cup season due to a knee injury he suffered and made worse after continuing to compete on the already damaged ligament (Sayler, 2011). Many of these stories portray blowing out a knee here or there as something that is alright if it means winning a world championship or Olympic medal in the future. That is, if the athlete’s body can make it that long.
Jim Schiman knows this conundrum all too well, according to Kingston in his story about him in The Vancouver Sun (2005). After completely shredding his knee in 2004, his doctor told him he would never ski again. Schiman’s mindset on the sport began to change and realized that he would rather be able to walk in 20 years than attempt a comeback. Schiman dabbled with coaching and watched his pupils suffer injuries. However, he realized he missed competing, and came out of his brief retirement in an attempt to make another comeback. Although he was back on the slopes, Schiman’s injury forced him to look at things in a more mature fashion, changing his outlook on the sport and the risks he was taking. In Kingston’s story, Schiman’s injury is framed as an eye-opening experience. Kingston frames the reporting differently than most other moguls injury stories published. He shows the repercussions of jumping feet first into such a dangerous sport and writes so that the readers, for once, see some hesitation from an athlete and concern for their own well being rather than blatant disregard for safety and acceptance that something bad happening is inevitable (2005).
Overall, covering most aspects of an injury in moguls well, including why it occurred, who might have been to blame and what the future holds for the injured athletes. Most of the time the coverage remains consistent throughout the span of a moguls knee injury. Since most injuries suffered are merely accidents, not much changes about how it occurred or why it might have happened to that skier or on that particular day. However, the one area where the media is lacking in coverage is the ways the discipline is trying to limit injuries. It is highly doubtful that the governing bodies and officials in freestyle skiing are turning a blind eye and letting these athletes continue to pursue the sport with the knowledge that severe injuries are almost a given. Are there new rule changes in the works to help make the courses safe? Is there new equipment that might be enforced that can help save the athletes’ knees from damage? What is being done to help save these athletes from a life full of pain after retirement from the snow? These questions need answers, and it is the media’s job to find and provide them.
- 'Am I still an Olympian, dad?' Heartbreaking words of American skier after she broke her leg during a training run in Sochi. (2014, February 7). Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Blevins, J. (2014, February 7). Olympic dream of Vail's Kloser turns into nightmare. Denver Post, p. 11B.
- Christie, J. (2008, January 10). Heil's season comes to a premature end. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Clarke, T. (2004, April 9). Wong finished season in style. Prince George Citizen, p. 8.
- Clarke, T. (2005, January 10). Knee injury frustrates aerial skier Nachbaur. Prince George Citizen, p. 9.
- Heidi Kloser tears ACL, out of Sochi. (2014, February 7). Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Heir, S., Krosshaug, T., & Ekeland, A. (2003). The Prevalence of Previous Serious Knee Injuries in Freestyle World Championship Skiers. Skiing Trauma and Safety, 14, 1-4. Retrieved October 3, 2014, from http://www.klokavskade.no/upload/Publication/Heir_2003_ASTM STP_The prevalence of previous serious knee injuries in freestyle world championship skiers - skiing trauma and safety.pdf
- Jennifer Heil says knee injury is no big deal. (2008, January 1). Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Jones, L. (2014, February 6). Moguls skier Heidi Kloser injures knee during training. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Kingston, G. (2005, November 19). Jim Schiman's coaching refines his competitive edge. The Vancouver Sun, p. D20.
- Kingston, G. (2008, January 10). Heil not expected to compete this season; Injuries will likely keep champion freestyler from hitting moguls. Edmonton Journal, p. C2.
- Kingston, G. (2008, February 9). Skiing's dark side; Canada's young stars push their bodies past natural limits -- but they don't want to talk about the toll on their knees. Vancouver Sun, p. H1.
- Knee injury grounds world moguls champ Heil. (2008, January 16). Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Sayler, B. (2011, February 3). Knee injury may shelve Wilson. The Montana Standard.
- Sayler, B. (2013, January 13). Brad Wilson places sixth, Bryon reinjures knee. Retrieved October 10, 2014.