Awe, shit

by swapmoto | Mar 07, 2009 |

Last year, three days before I was set to head to Japan for round one of the All Japan National Championship Series to check out the works bikes, I was crashed into at my Loretta Lynn’s Area Qualifier and suffered a dislocated left wrist and a broken right wrist. Surgery and an overly cautious doctor delayed my departure by two days, and an understaffed American Airlines jet delayed me yet another. When all was said and done, my 11-day trip was cut to six, and I spent the entire trip decked out in a flo-pink cast on my left arm that went all the way to my armpit.

This year, my wife and kids banned me from racing the weekend before my trip, hoping to protect me from any pre-travel injuries. It’s too bad they didn’t keep me from racing TWO weekends before my trip! Last weekend, I entered the District 37 Big 6 GP at Glen Helen and - yep, you guessed it - did a number on myself. Racing in blinding dust, I missed a sharp corner in the single=track section of the course in the mountains high above Glen Helen’s MX track. Long story short, I busted my left fibula.

The funny thing about this injury, is that I didn’t think I was really hurt at all. I mean, my left calf was sore where the bike landed on me, but I still loaded my bike, went to eat on the way home with my friend Kyle, and made it to my daughter Samantha’s soccer game. Heck, I even took Samy and all of her friends to toilet paper their friend’s house later that night.

When I woke up Sunday morning and my leg was still a bit sore, I decided that I should get X Rays, just to be sure. And sure enough, that bitch was snapped in half! The ER doctors wrapped me up in a soft cast that went all the way to my crotch and equipped me with a set of crutches, even though I had walked on my leg for well over 12 hours without much pain. Thanks to my lingering injuries from last year, walking to the car on crutches actually hurt my wrists more than my leg pained me… Then, when I couldn’t even fit in my car when I got to it, I unwrapped my leg and left the splint, crutches, and five Ace bandages next to the trash can in the ER parking lot. A quick call to my old riding buddy and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Baum, and I was off to the paintball fields with my kids for a Sunday afternoon of fun. Dr. Baum stopped by the ER later that day and checked out my X-Rays, then phoned me and said to “wait at least four weeks before riding again,” and added that the break was aligned nicely. Because the fibula is not a weight-bearing bone, he wasn’t overly concerned that I had ditched my splint and crutches, but he did ask me to get a hold of a walking boot/splint before heading to Japan this week.

A quick call to my friend Brett Geurin at Ossur/Cti, and I had a trick walking boot by Tuesday. After strapping it on and pumping up the air chambers, I stood up and found that my leg actually hurt worse when splinted. Though the big plastic brace was as trick as I am sure any walking boot can get, it made me walk like the Elephant Man on crack. Since then, I’ve decided that an Ace bandage for a little support (and as a gentle reminder that I am, indeed, injured) is a better/more comfortable plan of attack.

“Now you’re a true off-roader,” said my friend Mark Tilley, of Dirt BIke Magazine testing fame. “Off roaders always ride hurt and get rid of their casts.”

Sorry Mark, but I’m not a true off-roader yet. I’m just a motocrosser who temporarily lost his way…

So, three days from now, I’m headed to Japan again. This year’s All Japan National Championship Motocross Series opener is being held north of Tokyo, near Kumamoto airport. I hear that Honda and Yamaha both dropped their factory teams because of the poor global economy, but I’m still hoping to see some trick pre-production bikes. I hear that the Suzuki and Honda 250Fs are fuel injected for sure, and that there is a chance that the Kawasaki might be, as well.

Sometime before or after the National, I am also hoping to see my friend Cloud Toda, the Suzuki factory rider who was paralyzed last year in a freak crash involving the Yamaha team trainer. Cloudy stayed at my house for a couple months a few years ago, and I (as well as my family) hope to pay him a visit.

I am planning on updating my blog throughout my two-week jaunt (limp) through the homeland, so check back often!

- swap

15 Comments for this entry

jaallen
March 9th, 2009 on 10:37 am
Don,
Not being a smart a$$, but you really seem to have problems with cornering. Every vid, every injury, every story, seems to be a problem with your cornering, especially in the first turn from starts.

I feel that you may be to passive, and maybe even a little scared of the other bikes in your corners. This may be holding you back bro. I can understand, with a family, job and life, that racing takes a less, lets say, immortality approach, but if you continue to get injured almost every year in one area of racing, its time to look at it and practice more. If you want to continue to have fun, and stop the useless injuries.

Your not going especially fast either, the vid of the first turn helmet-to-tire turn from last year shows this very well, I actually see no reason for your fall in that. None whatsoever. It looks as those you braked in fear of the turn, inside, and just gave up the line. Be less passive, practice a diff line from your starts. If someone hit you at Lynns, look at what line you had and what you did, and go opposite.

Just some thought.

Love ya Swap! Keep your head up!

Reply
migs
March 9th, 2009 on 10:38 am
…… Awe, Snap

That’s crazy swap. You should leave those motorcycles alone, they’ll hurt you!!

I remember back in 93 I broke my knee at pac-west after I was all qualified and pre-entered for Loretta. That sucked

Reply
tygerwayne
March 9th, 2009 on 8:41 pm
That’s a pretty clean break,
obviously an expertly handled crash haha.

I broke my funny bone off once and it wasn’t anywhere near as clean as this. Kudos swap!

Reply
Cristian "CHILEAN DUDE" Naser
March 10th, 2009 on 1:11 pm
man like some rider said, bones got back together, so no problem and hope you get back as soon as possible, i’m injured my self riding on the beach with my knee twisted but no surgery need it, im resting and bored, jajajaj a big hug from CHILE.

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DISTRICT 37!
March 10th, 2009 on 7:38 pm
OH YEAH BUDDY U GOTTA WATCH THAT RIDGE AT GHR. WHEN I PRACTICE AT GHR I END MY DAY ON THE RIDGES, GOOD OFFROAD PRACTICE.

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