Dealing with injuries is never fun, especially if you’re in the middle of an event! That’s exactly what happened to team rider Will Grady at Jackalope Fest. Feeling good and skimming well, he unfortunately tweaked his back ankle while training but decided to push through the pain and compete regardless. A decision that could make or break his contest hopes, it ended up paying off for him with a 4th place finish in Men’s! Nice, Will! We checked in with him to see how he feels about it now that the dust has settled. Check it out below!
ZAP: Yo, Will! How’s the ankle holding up today?
Will: It’s still pretty rough. I tweaked it pretty badly so just trying to rest and take it easy!
ZAP: Run us through what happened. How did you injure yourself and how did that affect your contest mindset?
Will: I was running down a line and went for an alleyoop. My feet were slightly out of position so I didn’t fully commit and ended up sitting right on top of my back foot. It definitely affected my mindset through all my other heats. From worrying if I would even be able to finish my other heats to how much worse it would get if I kept skimming. It also limited what tricks I was doing so I had to change my whole strategy.
ZAP: Were there any times during the event where you thought it would be too much to push through?
Will: I honestly didn’t have a moment where I thought it would be too much. It was either I finish my heats or I push too hard and injure myself more. Luckily the second didn’t happen and I was able to keep skimming.
ZAP: What were you doing between heats to keep yourself mobile?
Will: Just lots of ice and keeping it elevated!
ZAP: Are there any moments that stand out in your mind from your finals heat?
Will: Nothing too crazy from the final honestly, but landing a front 3 in semis was nice and a sign that I could still do my usual tricks.
ZAP: Thanks for chatting with us, Will. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Will: Shoutout zap, shore lb, and Mr lemon wax!!! And shoutout Sydney and April for keeping my ankle in one piece and keeping me skimming
