Team News

Stab Magazine's take on the torn ligaments and broken dreams 

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 March, 2010 : - - Until August 11, 2009, doubt didn’t exist. Everyone else gave up. Mick went to Vegas to drink and gamble; Taj looked at masterworks in Paris and Kelly continued to experiment with micro-sleds. And, then, on one of those bright, perfect Balinese days when the onshore gives welcome relief from tropical burn and makes it perfect for airs, it happened.

Standard air reverse. Ankle. Snap

Stabmag.com’s Jed Smith reported the injury on the same day and asked the obvious rhetorical question. “Does this mean the world title race is back on?” The response from Joel’s support crew was as fast as it was furious.

Luke Egan wrote in the comments: "Hey Stab, you can come to us for the correct info as everything in your reprt is false. Joel will be back in the water in a few days when this swell hits Bali. GET YOUR FACTS CORRECT YOU LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF WANKERS."

Joel’s manager, Bree Andrews, called Jed with her spin. “I was just ringing about your report on Joel’s ankle injury. You put the fear of God through me when I woke up this morning.” Jed replied: “Really. Is there anymore news on the extent of the injury?”

Moments after landing. Click on picture for video

Bree: Yeah, it’s not as serious as first thought. It’s just a strain around the calf or the achilles tendon. He will be fine for the rest of the tour. He will be surfing the next swell in Bali. If you could add that to the story that would be awesome. The truth don’t spin. Joel was fucked. And, if someone stepped up, his title was in grave danger. History tells us the man in waiting, of course, was Mick Fanning.

Says the now three-time runner up to the title a week after, sitting in a park on the Gold Coast with his kids: “When I first did it and it felt the pain I thought it was a compound fracture (when the bone is sticking through the skin). I thought for sure the bone had broken the skin. I wasn’t trying to make the air. I knew I was hurt but I couldn’t get off.

I was stuck on there, left standing there on my bad ankle. Then I rolled off my board and then I don’t remember much. It made a horrible noise, a really horrible noise. When it first happened and I couldn’t isolate the pain, it felt like it ripped right through me. It was like my throat even. It wasn’t a flesh or a bone sound so much but it was like tearing tarps. Like, shkeeeessh, skeeeooouush. Steds (Luke Stedman) happened to be there. He was the first one to pick me up.”

Read the full article and see the footage at Stab Magazine 

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Jed Smith

Team - Surfersvillage