{"id":13724,"date":"2018-01-03T12:04:38","date_gmt":"2018-01-03T19:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=13724"},"modified":"2024-12-24T09:18:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T16:18:53","slug":"gutsy-athlete-soars-in-halfpipe-skiing-olympic-quest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gutsy-athlete-soars-in-halfpipe-skiing-olympic-quest\/","title":{"rendered":"Gutsy athlete soars in Olympic quest"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Allie Welsh never had done gymnastics or acrobatics, much less thrown herself 30 feet above the snow on skis.<\/p>\n

But, she always had been a fierce athlete.<\/p>\n

\"Allie
After overcoming numerous injuries, Allie Welsh is trying to make it to the top of the world with a shot at the Olympics in halfpipe skiing. (Photo by Mark Reis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, after numerous knee blowouts forced the All American lacrosse player to take a medical retirement during her college lacrosse career at University of California Berkeley<\/a>, she made a wild, gutsy move. Allie switched sports to halfpipe skiing.<\/p>\n

And, she\u2019s on a quest to make it to the 2018 Olympics in South Korea<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Allie\u2019s coming back from a scary fall during training in October in New Zealand that left her with a broken arm and a brutal infection. That injury came on top of numerous others. But, she has recovered and is training hard. Now everything is on the line in two halfpipe skiing competitions this month.<\/p>\n

Trading her lacrosse stick for skis<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The idea of trying halfpipe skiing was insane, Allie, 27, readily admits.<\/p>\n

A Colorado native, she always loved skiing, but never had set foot \u2013 or skis \u2013 in a halfpipe. One day, as Allie was pondering her future after graduating in 2012 from Berkeley, she was watching the X Games<\/a>. She found herself captivated as she saw the star in women\u2019s halfpipe skiing \u2013 Jen Hudak \u2013 \u00a0fly, spin and grab her skis to claim the gold in halfpipe skiing.<\/p>\n

Among those cheering for Hudak at the bottom of the pipe was her orthopedist.<\/p>\n

\"Allie
Allie trademark style is to get great air on her tricks. Here, she practices at Copper Mountain. Photo by Mark Reis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Allie had an \u201cah-ha\u201d moment. She, too, had a go-to orthopedist: Dr. Martin Boublik<\/a> of UCHealth\u2019s Steadman Hawkins Clinic-Denver<\/a>. Boublik and his team had kept Allie in top condition as she coped with two meniscus tears in each knee during high school and college. Boublik also helped Allie wrestle with the tough decision to give up competitive lacrosse in college. Together, they decided her knees could no longer handle the pivoting, pummeling and constant running in lacrosse.<\/p>\n

As Allie watched Hudak compete, a spark lit her up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized I wasn\u2019t done being an athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘Let’s see if you can spin’<\/h3>\n

Would Boublik ever sign off on halfpipe skiing? And for that matter, did Allie have the courage to launch herself off the nearly vertical walls of a 22-foot-deep halfpipe, then twist and fly another 10 feet in the air to perform spectacular tricks?<\/p>\n

Allie picked up the phone and called Hudak\u2019s coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never been in a halfpipe. I had no business thinking I could hang there,\u201d Allie said. \u201cBut I told her I really wanted to try this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coach, Elena Chase, gave Allie a shot.<\/p>\n

She headed to Vail, where she found a giant airbag that skiers use to work out new tricks.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see if you can spin,\u201d Chase said.<\/p>\n

She told Allie to do a 360, one full rotation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI accidentally did a 900,\u201d Allie said.<\/p>\n

Clearly, she could spin. She quickly excelled in her new sport and last year, ranked 12th<\/sup> in the world among women in halfpipe skiing.<\/p>\n

Now, in order to clinch a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, Allie will need to score in the top three in two key qualifying competitions this month. The first takes place Jan. 10-13 at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Snowmass and the second will be Jan. 17-20 at Mammoth Mountain in California.<\/p>\n

A perilous halfpipe skiing trick could make history <\/strong><\/h3>\n

On a recent sunny day in Copper Mountain<\/a>, Allie joined some teen up-and-comers and legendary snowboard phenom, Shaun \u201cThe Flying Tomato\u201d White, to practice tricks in the halfpipe. The pipe is open to any and all. Some beginners snowplowed right through the bottom of the trough, oblivious to the Olympians and Olympic hopefuls practicing tricks above them.<\/p>\n

Allie has been perfecting a trick that Hudak, the former world champion and X Games gold medalist, says is a beauty and would help Allie make history if she can land it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s called a Flat 5. In order to do the trick, Allie has to flip backwards, then do a 180 spin with her skis whirling like helicopter blades.<\/p>\n

\"Allie
Allie was training in the summer and early fall in New Zealand. She fell on a relatively simple trick and broke her arm. She’s fighting back from injuries to try to make the Olympics in halfpipe skiing in February. Photo by Mark Reis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI have never seen another female do it the way Allie does,\u201d said Hudak, who will be working as an analyst for halfpipe skiing for the X Games<\/a> later this month. \u201cIt\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s perilous.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very blind trick. The way that she\u2019s rotating, there\u2019s a point of complete blindness. If you don\u2019t take off perfectly, it\u2019s going to give you challenges,\u201d said Hudak, who is retired from the sport now and appears in the newest season of The Amazing Race<\/a>, which launches this week.<\/p>\n

Hudak said Allie is known for getting great air on her tricks. Her accomplishments are all the more remarkable since she got a late start compared to the teens who dominate the sport. With that maturity came a confidence to choose her own path.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t follow the trends. She doesn\u2019t hold back,\u201d Hudak said. \u201cShe\u2019s looking at the mark she wants to make.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. team is full of talented athletes in halfpipe skiing, so Hudak says making the team will be tough, but Allie can pull it off.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has the skill set and the bag of tricks to make it happen,\u201d Hudak said. \u201cI have a lot of respect for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear is part of the sport
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As Allie prepares to ski into the pipe, she focuses, picking her track and breathes deeply. As she gathers her courage, she shuffles her skis on the snow, like a bull pawing the dirt. Then she heads down the slope to gather speed and plunges into the pipe.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single day, I\u2019m scared. Every day,\u201d Allie said.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s one of the few women in halfpipe skiing who\u2019s willing to send herself upside down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m a masochist by nature. And I\u2019ve been a perfectionist my whole life. There\u2019s a very stubborn little girl inside of me who has a hard time accepting the word, \u2018no,\u2019\u201d Allie said.<\/p>\n

If someone tells her she can\u2019t do a trick, she\u2019s all the more motivated to try it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Dr. Boublik has been such a great match for Allie. He\u2019s used to working with professionals, serious athletes and weekend warriors alike. So, he didn\u2019t nix Allie\u2019s decision to switch from lacrosse to skiing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I told him what I was going to do, he giggled and shook his head,\u2019\u2019 Allie said.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, when she\u2019s skiing and jumping correctly, she lands at the perfect angle where the pipe catches her and sends her flying again \u2013 a little like a kid on a swing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not this continual pounding, cutting and changing direction that I was doing on the lacrosse field,\u201d Allie said. \u201cHe 100 percent understands that I\u2019m an athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctor\u2019s mission: help athletes succeed, whatever the sport<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There have been other injuries. And Boublik has been there to put Allie back together.<\/p>\n

Back in 2013, when she was first practicing her jumps, she was training on a trampoline one day when she landed completely wrong on her right ankle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying to go higher and higher and coming down with one foot landing on the trampoline and one foot off. All my weight went on the right side and I just felt an explosion,\u201d Allie said.<\/p>\n

She has had plenty of practice and is now the perfect patient who diligently do her part to get well.<\/p>\n

Boublik has been caring for Allie since she was in high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s impressed me about her is not just her inherent athletic ability, but her energy and her incredible resilience in the face of so many injuries that she has overcome,\u201d said Boublik, who is also the team physician for the Denver Broncos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Allie told him she planned to carve out a career in a new sport, he immediately supported her.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal when we\u2019re looking after athletes \u2013 whether they want to get back to their sport or get into a new sport \u2013 is to help them succeed,\u201d said Boublik, an assistant professor of orthopedics for the University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing Allie, I\u2019m not surprised that she became extremely adept at halfpipe very quickly. At the same time, I\u2019ve always been relieved to see that she lands her tricks. You always hold your breath a bit,\u201d Boublik said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s eagerly watching as Allie tries to make the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our athletes are driven. A lot of our athletes are resilient. Even in that unique group, Allie stands out,\u201d Boublik said.<\/p>\n

‘Toughest girl’ in halfpipe skiing’
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The timing of the recent injury in New Zealand was tough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was feeling great and my tricks were coming along. Everything was coming together,\u201d Allie said.<\/p>\n

The fall came on a relatively easy move.<\/p>\n

Allie got the break in her arm treated, and now has a plate and 9 screws in her arm. She has a long scar and wears a brace when she skis. Two weeks after the break, a powerful infection took root in her arm. She had to be hospitalized for seven days and dealt with four surgeries to clean out the wound in her arm. Altogether she\u2019s had 12 surgeries during her 27 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timing was terrible,\u201d said Allie\u2019s boyfriend, Peter Olenick, a former halfpipe skier and X Games medalist, who is now coaching the South Korean Olympic team. \u201cBut she\u2019s coming back and she\u2019ll be better than she ever was. This puts more pressure on her, but she\u2019s feeling good again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple lives in Carbondale and both spend much of their time on the road finding good training spots and traveling to competitions.<\/p>\n

The boys call her ‘A-Dog’<\/h3>\n

Among the young skiers Allie trains with are teen boys from the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club<\/a>. Tristan \u201cTaz\u201d Feinberg, 14, has come up with a nickname for Allie. He calls her \u201cA-Dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just said it one day and it stuck,\u201d Feinberg said.<\/p>\n

Earning a moniker and praise from fearless boys is a tribute in a sport where youth, style and innovation matter. Feinberg said Allie \u201cwill send,\u201d meaning she\u2019s willing to try to new tricks like 9s or 900-degree spins.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not a wimp,\u201d Taz said. \u201cI\u2019ve never really seen that in a girl. She\u2019s probably one of the toughest skiers I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the two pivotal halfpipe skiing competitions get underway this month, along with Allie\u2019s family, medical team and Olenick, there will probably be a big group of young boys cheering for Allie. Listen closely and you\u2019ll hear what they\u2019re saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo A-Dog!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Allie Welsh never had done gymnastics or acrobatics, much less thrown herself 30 feet above the snow on skis. But, she always had been a fierce athlete. So, after numerous knee blowouts forced the All American lacrosse player to take a medical retirement during her college lacrosse career at University of California Berkeley, she made […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":13747,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[183,395,3681,455],"class_list":["post-13724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-orthopedics","tag-sports-medicine","tag-uchealth-steadman-hawkins-clinic-denver","tag-university-of-colorado-school-of-medicine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGutsy athlete soars in halfpipe skiing Olympic quest | UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Injuries could have sidelined former All-American lacrosse player, Allie Welsh. 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