Putting on skis again, and returning to the World Cup circuit, are two vastly different scenarios, and no one knows this better than Larisa Yurkiw of Owen Sound.
A year ago, Yurkiw was injured badly in a World Cup race at Val D’Isere, France, damaging her knee and leg to the point that 3 tendons had to be repaired.
For 12 months, the generally impatient Yurkiw has done what she’s been asked to, and this week in Calgary, the medical staff of the National Alpine team related they were impressed with the progress and have virtually cleared Yurkiw to put her skis on again.
However, Yurkiw still needs approval from her surgeon and from the Fowler-Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic at London before she picks up the boots and poles.
Furthermore, realistically Yurkiw knows the huge difference between skiing and competing, and as such has a general idea of how she’s going to put in the next four months; skiing, instructing and coaching at Georgian Peaks with club members and potentially with Ontario Ski Team members.
In the Fall, Yurkiw set a soft target date of mid-December for a return, and while she missed it, she hasn’t missed it by much.
The new target, pending surgeon’s approval, is for April 1st to rejoin her National teammates and participate in the Spring and Summer Camps conducted by Alpine Canada.
I’m Fred Wallace