Ashley Wagner in ESPN's 2017 Body issue - photos & article on concussion recovery & career longevity

Sylvia

Sylvia

Flight #5342: I Will Remember You
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Starting a new thread:
Bill Trenary said:
Direct link to Ashley's Body Issue pics...if you don't wanna see skin/derriere, don't click:
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/19742921/espn-body-issue-2017#!athletes_ashleywagner
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The accompanying article includes a 1-minute video with interview & photo shoot clips: http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/...lks-concussions-costumes-collisions-body-2017
ETA that the video is uploaded on YT - Ashley Wagner's Body Displays Her Hard Work In The 2017 Body Issue | ESPN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osSBOSFn3CM

Article excerpts:
When we're coming down from these jumps, we land with something like 500 pounds per square inch of force. It's a ridiculous amount of force. The majority of our muscle strength goes into our glutes, our core and our lower back muscles -- everything that is going to keep you in the correct position. You have to have the strength to push against that force so that you can correctly land the jump.
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The concussions definitely rewired my brain in the way that I process information. My short-term memory is not that incredible; talking to me is a little bit like talking to Dory from "Finding Nemo" [laughing]. It's really affected me in the way that I learn programs because you have to memorize this choreography and the choreography is very intricate. So for me, retraining my brain to be able to learn choreography and be able to remember it, that's probably my biggest challenge.
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I just read it and had two thoughts:
1. Wow. I'm sure the USFSA knew about it beforehand, but I'm surprised and happy that they allowed a skater to be included.
2. Ashley almost laughing off the long-term effects of the concussion is a bit frightening. There has to be a life after skating where she might need some of the skills that the concussion interferes with.
 
slicekw said:
I just read it and had two thoughts:
1. Wow. I'm sure the USFSA knew about it beforehand, but I'm surprised and happy that they allowed a skater to be included.
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Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig (in a sit spin) were featured in the Body issue after the 2010 Olympics; both Evan Lysacek (link to photo) and Johnny Weir (eta: well, his foot) had photos in the same issue as well.

2. Ashley almost laughing off the long-term effects of the concussion is a bit frightening.
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Sportswriter Bonnie Ford re-tweeted her March 2016 article just today in which Wagner took the subject of concussions very seriously in a roundtable discussion: http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/...are-concussion-concerns-roundtable-discussion
 
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slicekw said:
2. Ashley almost laughing off the long-term effects of the concussion is a bit frightening. There has to be a life after skating where she might need some of the skills that the concussion interferes with.
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As someone dealing with the long-term effects of concussion... there really isn't anything to do but laugh. It's completely out of your control how your brain reacts and there isn't any way to 100% prevent future ones except stay in bed all day.
You can fall anywhere and any time; hit your head exactly right and -- BOOM -- there you go. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful but there's a limit.
 
MacMadame said:
As someone dealing with the long-term effects of concussion... there really isn't anything to do but laugh. It's completely out of your control how your brain reacts and there isn't any way to 100% prevent future ones except stay in bed all day.
You can fall anywhere and any time; hit your head exactly right and -- BOOM -- there you go. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful but there's a limit.
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Sorry about the effects of your concussion, MacMadame, and you are right. Laughing is all one can do sometimes, and it can be helpful when it comes to coping with a health issue. My best friend had a stroke at a young age, and whenever it comes up now, it's usually her bringing it up in a humorous, self-deprecating way. Of course she knows her health is important, and we've had serious conversations about it, but laughing about it is one of the things that helps her deal with what happened. It may seem weird, but if someone jokes about their health, know that it may be what they need. :)

Back on topic - Ashley is :smokin:. And the body issue in general makes me feel simultaneously inspired and put to shame.
 
I've seen quotes from Ashley about her concussion issues before. Yes, dealing with post-concussion syndrome is not a laughing matter, but on the other hand, it's something that most athletes don't talk about at all. Ashley apparently hid her problems for quite a while because she was worried about how that would affect her career in a sport where so much is based on perception. So kudos to her for bringing the subject out in to the open. I'm sure she's not the first figure skater who has suffered from this, but I believe she's the first elite-level skater to talk about it.
 
slicekw said:
I just read it and had two thoughts:
1. Wow. I'm sure the USFSA knew about it beforehand, but I'm surprised and happy that they allowed a skater to be included.
Click to expand...
Well, ESPN's body issue is very good publicity. I think it's one of their best selling issues every year, and it's covered by lots of non-Disney news media sources to share pictures. Not to mention, the pictures tend to go viral (for obvious reasons), so that's more publicity for a USFS athlete and the sport.

As for Ashley and concussions, I think it's good she's even talking about it. It wasn't that long ago when figure skaters and coaches wouldn't even talk about concussions. They were so ignored in this sport that despite skating for a good 16 years, I'd never once seen a skater who hit their head evaluated for one. The first time I saw any skater have any sort of rest after a concussion was in my 17th year of skating - and that was mainly because her ER RN coach was well informed about concussions.

To this day, I see a lot of skaters and coaches ignoring concussions or possible concussions. I think the main reason is that coaches/parents of skaters ignore it because they see continuous training as the only way to success, and any diagnosed injury is a threat to training. An injury like a concussion (that doesn't necessarily prevent skates from getting on your foot) isn't taken seriously compared to something that will force you to stop training (ie. a broken leg or ACL tear). Maybe now that coaches/parents/skaters have a successful role model with a history of concussions, they'll be able to see that you can have a diagnosed concussion, get adequate rest after them, and still be a successful athlete, they'll be more willing to care about concussions.
 
Question: Is it that easy to diagnose a concussion? It is my understanding that some of the signs of a concussion can be subtle and not show up for days.

After a fall one can feel shaken up....cause you were, and keep going thinking you will shake it off. Except for loss of consciousness, or memory of what happened, it is self reporting. And with the adrenaline that kicks in with an injury........the self who is reporting may not realize they are really injured. (Having taken some head banging falls from my horse, and watching others....it is not always so cut and dried.)
 
AxelAnnie said:
Question: Is it that easy to diagnose a concussion? It is my understanding that some of the signs of a concussion can be subtle and not show up for days.

After a fall one can feel shaken up....cause you were, and keep going thinking you will shake it off. Except for loss of consciousness, or memory of what happened, it is self reporting. And with the adrenaline that kicks in with an injury........the self who is reporting may not realize they are really injured. (Having taken some head banging falls from my horse, and watching others....it is not always so cut and dried.)
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Thanks for sharing this. I'm reminded of what happened with Natasha Richardson because she refused to be taken to the hospital. She didn't realize the seriousness of her concussion and brain trauma.

Natasha Richardson: Tragic delays after her fatal fall.
 
AxelAnnie said:
Question: Is it that easy to diagnose a concussion? It is my understanding that some of the signs of a concussion can be subtle and not show up for days.

After a fall one can feel shaken up....cause you were, and keep going thinking you will shake it off. Except for loss of consciousness, or memory of what happened, it is self reporting. And with the adrenaline that kicks in with an injury........the self who is reporting may not realize they are really injured. (Having taken some head banging falls from my horse, and watching others....it is not always so cut and dried.)
Click to expand...

Some concussions are easy to diagnose, and some are hard. So it is a bit of a grey area. On the other hand, there are measures you can take.
Generally, the rule of thumb is that you should refrain from doing anything that might further injure your head for 24 hours if you hit your head even if you don't have symptoms of a concussion. If symptoms appear - even ones you might pass off as normal from hitting your head (headache, dizziness, "seeing stars", etc.) you need to see a doctor. The CDC's sports concussion initiative (HEADS UP, mainly aimed at youth sports) recommends that athletes who gets a blow to the head be evaluated for a concussion by a professional, not a coach, before returning to sports.

What I'm more concerned about is the lack of education in skaters. A skater may only take the rest of the day off they hit their head (if they take any time off) - so if they hit their head at 12pm one day, they might think it's fine to go train at 6am the next day (even though it may be too early to see symptoms). In other cases, they may take time off until the symptoms go away and then get right back to it, when in reality it's best to wait 7-10 days after the symptoms of concussion go away to get back to regular training - and even then you should start slow. That 7-10 day rule is what skating coaches are taught through their PSA yearly CERs, but it's pretty much never followed.
 
rlafler said:
I've seen quotes from Ashley about her concussion issues before. Yes, dealing with post-concussion syndrome is not a laughing matter, but on the other hand, it's something that most athletes don't talk about at all. Ashley apparently hid her problems for quite a while because she was worried about how that would affect her career in a sport where so much is based on perception. So kudos to her for bringing the subject out in to the open. I'm sure she's not the first figure skater who has suffered from this, but I believe she's the first elite-level skater to talk about it.
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Lucinda Ruh talks a lot about it in her book, although in her case it was related to the spins.
 
No disrespect intended. When everyone wanted to look like Christie Brinkley, Ms. Brinkley said that she wished SHE would wake up in the morning and look like Christie Brinkley!

Those athletes have awesome bodies. But no one strikes a pose in the shower and has that shine, definition nor lighting, and makeup.

Ashley has a great bod. No doubt about it.
 
rlafler said:
I'm sure she's not the first figure skater who has suffered from this, but I believe she's the first elite-level skater to talk about it.
Click to expand...

Joshua Farris spoke very honestly about the effects his concussions had on him in his retirement interview.
 
AxelAnnie said:
When everyone wanted to look like Christie Brinkley, Ms. Brinkley said that she wished SHE would wake up in the morning and look like Christie Brinkley!

Those athletes have awesome bodies. But no one strikes a pose in the shower and has that shine, definition nor lighting, and makeup.
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I wish I could pull off even the untouched-up version of the layback spin and split jump.

. . . Ashley's physique reminds me of the physique of a 22 year old Nellie Kim at the 1980 Olympics.
 
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AxelAnnie said:
Is that a split falling leaf she is doing? Whatever it is is gorgeous.
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Probably a Spit Flip or Split Lutz. If she did a Split Falling Leaf, then she would have done a Loop Entrance, which would have caused her to rotate in the air and crash into the ice in the background.

:shuffle: I hope I got my split jump entrances right.
 
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