Re: Whiplash?
LOL. This topic cracks me up. Was just out there today with a couple of my buddies and we were discussing all our aches and pains. And then we did it all over again. Yeah...this is VERY common if you wakeboard with any regularity and actually attempt to land some tricks. In fact I find it to be a very rare session that I do NOT have whiplash that lasts up to a week after a "good" boarding session.
Today was especially bad. For some reason I was just "off." Ended up taking about 5 separate hard hits. Feels OK now, but tomorrow will not be good...I can already tell. Almost a week later I'll still be coming out of it. Then we'll do it again.
Simple fact is this: You cannot learn new tricks without crashing hard and often. And when you get "good enough" to stop crashing, it's only because you've stopped trying new tricks...this particular sport has a truly infinite envelope to push. Only your common sense tells you where you stop pushing it. And as my wife repeatedly tells me...I don't have common sense.
I used to recover quickly. But then I turned 35. Everything changed...........
BUT, at the age of 40 now, I'm getting closer and closer to acknowledging that I probably should stop trying the new crap and just ride peacefully with what I already know...and then I don't crash...but then I get bored...so I gotta try that backflip again...I came SOOOOOO close to landing it last time...
And so it goes.
But by far my two most common sore areas are the neck (whiplash), followed by the abs (sore stomach muscles.) The rest of the body seems to tolerate the crashes OK unless I rupture an eardrum. Knock on wood it's been a few years since I've had that experience. And we've ALL had our eyelids peeled back at times by water slamming into our faces LOL. And enimas are always fun. Oh...and the 3 to 4 day headaches? Those are concussions.
And yeah, wildH2Oskiier, barefooting is a whole different animal! And us almost-old-farts still do that too at times, just to prove we're still able. I actually find it's deceptively easy to barefoot. But it's the dismount at the necessary blistering speeds that always gets ya. We have never quite figured out how to let go of the rope and gracefully end the ride, because when you don't have anything to ride ON, your body is simply gonna start skipping at 40+ mph...TUCK AND ROLL!!! TUCK AND ROLL!!! Hopefully the soft squishy body parts slow ya down enough before one of the long dangly body parts grabs the water and stops you NOW. Thank god we're still smart enough to put on wetsuits before we try that...wetsuits seem to save a lot of random body parts from scattering...
I gotta say, despite this soreness, my WORST actually injuries were caused by slaloming. Crossing the wake at nearly 60 mph and unexpectedly "tripping" on it usually ends poorly. Such a crash is quite rare for someone who is capable of running a slalom course. And therefore it's all the more surprising! I cracked some ribs doing that once back in my younger days and it ended my season. At least when I'm wakeboarding I EXPECT to fall. And our speeds are down in the sane 20 mph range...
All in the name of fun. Or stupidity. Depends who you ask. I ain't dead yet...so we're still doin' it.
