Yeah, I Broke That

by Kevin Whipps

If it weren’t for athletes pushing the boundaries of what their bodies can do, there would never be any advancement in sports. But eventually, luck runs out and a major injury happens which can sideline the pro for months or even years. The best way to hear these stories of pain, injury and suffering is straight from the mouths of the people who went through it all, so that’s exactly what we did. Just remember, don’t try this at home.

Mike Vallely
AKA: Mike V
PROFESSION: Skateboarder, Musician
INJURY: Broken ankle & torn ligament
“I was doing a demonstration at a skate park in Westchester, Penn., and about 10 minutes into the performance I fell awkwardly, and kind of did the splits but then fell back over one of my legs as I was doing the splits. It caused my ankle to fracture in a spiral way, and also causing the big ligament on the other side of the ankle to become detached, causing my ankle to kind of flop around like a dead fish. I heard it break, I felt it. I knew it was bad, but I was so in the zone at the time �” especially when I’m doing these demos, I’m in such an aggressive mindset �” that I really thought I could get up and keep skating for another five or 10 minutes before it swelled up so bad that it caused me to stop. I broke it, I tried to get up immediately and get on my board, and my foot was twisted around behind me. I dropped to the ground and waited for the paramedics. Staying true to my character, I was bummed, but shit happens �” you accept that as a skateboarder very early on. I knew I was hurt, but I’ve been hurt before. I felt worse about the kids who had come there, paid money to see me skate and went out being ripped off from the two hours I was supposed to skate, and only seeing 10 minutes. Before the paramedics got there, I started an autograph line, and people were bending over taking photos with me, while I’m on the ground.”

Damacio
AKA: The Angel of Death
PROFESSION: World Extreme Cagefighting Mixed Martial Artist
INJURY: Broken hand
“I hit the guy and I knocked him out. He was on the floor and I gave him a couple of extra punches. Right after I did it, they pulled me off and brought me to my corner where I felt the pressure in my hand. I thought, ‘Hey, I think I broke it.’ I say to [my manager] Greg, ‘Hey, I think I broke my hand,’ and he says, ‘I think you broke it, too.’

Tony Hawk
AKA: Birdman
PROFESSION: Skateboarder, Businessman, Video game icon in Tony Hawk’s RIDE
INJURY: Broken pelvis, fractured skull, concussion
“I was doing a full, complete loop ramp, and it just didn’t go well that day. I basically fell from the top onto my hip, and I also fractured my skull and got a concussion. When I woke up, they were putting me in the ambulance, and they were kind of shifting me from the stretcher, and I felt this shooting pain through my pelvis and my leg. I said, ‘Oh wow, my hip really hurts.’ It was one of the first things I remembered when I came to. They said, ‘Oh, we’ll x-ray that,’ and we get to the hospital and they x-ray it, and they say, ‘Oh yeah, you fractured [your pelvis] all the way through.’ I really couldn’t walk for about six to eight weeks.”

Rick Thorne
AKA: Biker in Black
PROFESSION: BMX rider, Sports commentator
INJURY: Broken palate, broken eye socket, deviated septum
“I hit a loading dock, the corner of a loading dock, on this gap that went short and I broke my palate. I hit the corner of the loading dock with my face and what happened was that I had a hairline crack below my eye socket, and I broke my eye socket on my left side, then it came down and broke my palate. I had already broken my jaw before that, had it wired shut, and I thought that was a nightmare, but this thing was intense. I deviated my septum and there was this fluid leaking from my brain down through my mouth, so I was spitting out all this fluid from my brain. I deviated my septum, broke my eye socket, broke my palate and you could put your finger in my mouth and move my whole mouth up and down �” it was crazy. They cut my head from ear to ear, pulled my skin down, took some fat from my stomach and clogged this leak up between my brain and my skull, which was the fluid leaking from my nasal. I lost all sense of taste and smell, I had a tracheotomy, and I had a full-on stitch across my head. “