Classification

I went to Landgraaf to get my international classification yesterday and I got class LW4, which isn’t  a surprise I got LW4 in my national classification as well. Now I can race international races!

Class LW4 is a standing category in which athletes have a functional impairment in one leg, with a total of 30 points or less in strength testing the impaired leg (normal 40). Like with below the knee amputation or in my case irreversible muscle weakness in one leg. They ski with 2 skis and poles and prosthesis or in my case orthosis.

The whole process took less than 10 minutes, and I drove 500 km for that (250 one way)!

I came in the room introduced myself to everyone which took 5 of the 10 minutes there were a lot of people. I told my story (short version) of what happened with my leg. After that came the actual testing there were two classifiers testing my leg an American guy and a Spanish woman, both head classifiers I guess.

They tested the strength in my knee and hip, they couldn’t test the strength in my ankle because of the cast but as it turned out it wasn’t necessary. The American said I can test you in lot more positions but it’s pretty clear to me; your leg is very weak, ok, thanks I guess.  I already lost way more than 10 points in my hip and knee so testing the ankle wasn’t necessary. It was clear enough and I don’t have to get retested when my ankle is healed.

They would have wanted to see me walk, more out of curiosity they said, but unfortunately I couldn’t show that. It’s not a strange question considering the weak leg I walk with my orthosis with a locked knee in extension and since my hip is too weak to swing my leg forward I have to walk out of my pelvis and I use my abdominal muscles, and sort swing forward with my pelvis.

I told them about the orthosis with the gas spring I’m planning to use for skiing, they said it was fine whatever I wanted to use there are no regulations for that.

In that case….. But now I think of it there really isn’t anything better. I’ve tried an orthosis with an electric knee lock which allows the leg to bend while walking but my leg was to weak for that, there was no way I would be able to extend the knee again and it ends with me falling down. So a robot leg isn’t going to make me ski faster as well.

 After the testing I had lunch with my teammates, which was really nice.

I asked how many racers would be in the races Thursday and Friday and the answer was 70 but it should be 71! Yes I would have liked that to!

One of them said why don’t you race in a mono ski? Which was more like a joke but it was nice to hear anyways. Well we had some fun but they had to rest after the morning training so it didn’t lasted too long.

While riding there with my wheelchair a lot of people asked me if I was going to compete because sitting in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t race, well in my case it pretty much does.

It’s great that no one looks at your disability but more at your capability, accept when you go for classification.

I don’t consider myself disabled or none of the people over there for that matter, your are disabled when you have to control your electric wheelchair with your chin, or even more when you feel like you are.

I like the line in the classification manual better, functional impairment. All though the disabled parking card is great.

It was kind of strange leaving for home, I’ve only spend 90 minutes there, and leaving everyone behind when I really would have wanted to have the need to stay. Luckily I had a birthday party of two friends at home.

I got some new stuff, poles, gloves, back protector.

The new stuff and the fact that the pain is now almost gone makes me want to ski even more, I just can’t wait.

But everyone keeps on saying that I should be patient that they don’t allow me to come back until I’m healed properly. Which is for the best I know.

The coach asked if I was taking enough rest and I told him that the first 6 weeks accept for my classes and my daily exercises I spend most of the day in bed with my foot high up on a lot of pillows and he was pleased with that, never expected that. But it’s the best way to heal fractures like these, more rest than you can handle.

For me it’s more then I can handle anyway, lazy people would love this I guess.

Friday again 500km in the car to watch the final race day and I’m starting to look forward to that.