Todd Eldredge has hip replacement surgery -- Updated with baby news!
Article reporting that Todd has just had hip replacement surgery. Highlights the toll skating has on the body over time. Also, here is another article about the start of the Stars on Ice tour is which Kurt Browning states that his "knees are barking........, but his love of skating carries him through."
Here's wishing both of them the very best.
Last edited by Mao88; 04-26-2012 at 08:25 PM.
Wishing Todd a speedy recovery, always liked his skating while he was competing and with SOI.
I did not know that Todd was going to be a father, Congrats!
Thank you for posting the article.
Oh, I love Todd. I wish him a speedy recovery as well.
Besides jumps, is there any skating element that would cause injury for the single skaters in the long run? I'm thinking: Which one is more important: athlete's long-term health or my short-term pleasure of watching somebody doing a spectacular jump?
Kurt's had multiple knee surgeries... and back issues... there are countless men who have had the same injuries as Kurt or Todd... I'm thinking jumps are the main reason...
I know what you mean, BC. During Midori Ito's career, when her jumping ability was influencing skating and then she was getting injured, I started feeling really guilty about watching (and, obviously, enjoying) skating when it was sacrificing the bodies of such young people. I had already lost interest in gymnastics because the girls were so young and did such dangerous tricks, and I hated the idea of giving up skating. But every time I hear of a young sort having major surgery from skating injuries, I feel uneasy. In my world, hip replacement is for seventy-year-olds.
I hope he gets better quickly and resumes his life. If he's going to be a father, he'll have a lot of activity even without skating!
Edit: I read both articles. The one on Todd just gives the basic information and is helpful. But the one on Kurt is a terrific examination of the planning work he's doing for Canadian Stars on Ice. It's a delightful look at his personality and his creativity. I recommend it to one and all. Thanks so much, Mao88!
Last edited by Olympia; 04-26-2012 at 08:31 PM.
Hmmm, Todd's second marriage and a baby on the way. There's some news. Anyone know who is fiance is?
i wish him a speedy recovery too. i'll probably be in the same boat one day. she didn't skate but my mom already had a hip replaced 2 years ago and is having the other done next week due to a problem she was born with (and i probably have it too on top of skating), and she's only 50.
Kurt and Todd didn't do the volume of quads that men are pushed to do now. I wonder (and kind of worry even though I've never been a fan) how many joints Plush will have to have replaced and how soon. Not too mention all the younger skaters doing so many quads and more jumps in programs than in Kurt and Todd's era. The emphasis on quads worries me because it doesn't seem to come easily to anyone (except maybe Plush) and the potential for long-term injury is probably huge.Originally Posted by skatinginbc
You and me both, Louisa05.
It's not just the programs, it's the practices. How many times a day or a week do skaters do those jumps to perfect them? I guess there aren't many sports that are completely safe for the body. Archery and marksmanship, maybe. Or dressage. Even swimming can cause shoulder wear-and-tear injuries. I had a friend who had ACL surgery on both knees during an amateur career of Ultimate Frisbee. Thank goodness for sports medicine!
Congratulations to Todd on his successful hip surgery & on his forthcoming marriage & birth of his first child.
I agree that nothing is going to be completely safe. And all kinds of physical activity have risks of injury and repetitive use injuries in particular. My favorite workout is adult ballet. And ballet is torturous on the body, forcing it into all sorts of unnatural positions (although my calf muscles look awesome).
I guess I just wonder where the line should be drawn on jumps. The current scoring system and mindset is that more is always better. More rotations, more combinations. But the human body has limits. And I don't think parents, coaches and athletes think beyond the podium. Fans can trumpet Patrick Chan's alleged infinite wisdom all over fan boards (and I find the notion that young athletes are blessed with infinite wisdom about their own careers, bodies, and futures really absurd...I was a Kwan Uber and the endless "Michelle is so wise" adulation that is still going on in some corners of the internet makes me roll my eyes), but the reality is that he has likely given little thought to the possibility of artificial hips at 40. He is thinking about podiums and medals when he repeats those quads over and over to perfect them for competition. Not what is the distant future to most 21 year olds. And Kwan was thinking about podiums and medals when she kept going to try to make it to Torino.
Kurt and Todd, though, were practicing the quad before the technique was "perfected"... Kurt wrote in his book about the night he hit his first one in practice. He pushed himself towards exhaustion because he wanted that jump and he wanted to be the first... that's a lot of wear and tear on the body.
Those are pretty physical, too. It takes a lot of strength for archery. Marksmanship is all about the perfect stance, breathing, and stability... I've been knocked on my butt quite a few times. Bruised ego, shoulder and tailbone to prove it.Archery and marksmanship, maybe.
Last edited by Tonichelle; 04-27-2012 at 01:19 PM.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks