Just like that 6 months gone by! Easy for anyone else to say but man oh man, the days move so slowly when you are healing it really challenges the body and brain! I don’t usually like to talk about my injuries till after I’m healed up and this last one was a doozy so wanted to share the ups and downs with some fun pictures of my internal tattoos!

Snap Crackle Pop

The “easy  fix” I mentioned in my first story was not so easy. There was old hardware in my ankle and the first surgeon mentioned not wanting to push the rod in too deep and hit screws. He chose not to plate the broken Fibula saying it would just heal on its own. He also told me I could put full weight on it 2 weeks post op! I was amazed and thought this one would be a breeze- WELL, at 2 weeks in there was no way I could put any pressure on my leg. Not at 3 weeks. I was feeling like a wimp. At 4 weeks it became tolerable just barely. Week 5 I told myself its time. My body said no- Week 6 things were getting better and there was some light at the far distant end of the tunnel. Starting to put weight into it. Slowly buy slowly was my motto!

I like the arrow showing which way to send the rod.....

Two months into recovery I had my first checkup and I was in pain. Something was not right. X rays showed a mal- alignment. Hmmmmm, I was referred to a specialist on Maui that had to fly in from another island. He said the bones had moved and it didn’t look “ideal” and that it might be ok and we could wait for 6- 9 months and see how I do! WHAT??? I was completely discouraged and in shock with his comments. I fired my X rays over to my favorite doctors in San Francisco and they said get over here, we will fix you. Off I flew..... I had to stick with one of my many mottos, IN PAIN, GET ON THE PLANE!

This was the side the bone came out of! OUCH

Voluntarily going back to ground zero was really tough. This was a big mental challenge for me. Normally when I’m broken there is no question, it has to be done right then and there. This was different. The anticipation. The what if’s. All those consent forms. My dad came wth me to hold my hand thankfully. Leaving my wife and kids for a couple weeks was very hard but I knew in my core I had to get fixed.

Team Deep2Peak getting me taped up

The time came and they wheeled me off into the operating room. I was cold. I was trembling. I was scared for the first time in a long time. The anesthesia team was led by a windsurfing friend of mine who made some of the best cocktails I CAN'T remember. I love going under and 4 hours later waking up to not remembering a thing that just happened. The Docs said all went well. The grand summary was: remove old injury screws in ankle. Remove screws into rod, straighten out (rebreak) bent Tibia,  cut back into knee, get big hammer and pound rod further down into ankle joint. Cut open other side, insert metal plate to straighten and support Fibula. Screw that puppy on nice and tight. I also convinced them while they were in there to clean up my ankle that was already in need of a tune up long before this happened. He took a hammer and chisel (seriously) and knocked some bone off reshaping the joint to give me some more range! PHEWWWWW…….

My in- house Therapist!

Getting out of the hospital was quite a mission. I begged to stay for as long as possible. They kicked me out after day 3! I was staying at a friends place on a STEEP hill in San Francisco. Getting out of the taxi was almost impossible. Once that was accomplished the 3 flights of stairs were a new challenge. I made it, barely! Phew. My awesome anesthesia friend gave me 2 nerve blocks that made my leg totally numb from below the knee down. They gave me a top up upon hospital departure which lasted another 3 days.  My biggest pain so far was the knee- couldn’t feel the bottom of my leg, it was like a piece of dead wood and that was kinda nice. I didn’t take any pain meds except the first night after the operation.

Another scar Tattoo!

Back in Action

A week later we moved down to a beautiful place overlooking Monterey Bay. Thank goodness for awesome friends that took us in and made me feel right at home. I was there for another week and felt strong enough to hop on the plane to Maui and see my family! Back on recovery road…..

Get to Work!

Since then it has been all about rehab (again) and getting things to move. A big process that forced me to dig deep, real deep. I get comments of people asking my how my knee is- I think it has been so long they forget I broke my leg, not my knee. Some will say, “that was fast!” and I look at them and say fast for you maybe….. When you are injured time seems to stand still. The hardest part is seeing the end of the test. It sometimes feels hopeless. I break it all down into stages. A complete body re-build. I need challenge and this is what kept me going. Hour by hour. Day by day. Keeping sanity was hard. Having a 2 year old and an 8 year old both full of chaotic energy is draining with 2 strong legs, let alone one……you can imagine the scene there. I was in the gym daily focused on the prize. My therapists are amazing! My wife was a champion. My kids…… well they got used to it. I didn’t allow myself to get used to it. I visualized recovery, 100% way down the tunnel……

My training partner showing me how to walk!

After 25 weeks and 4 days- I’m ready to go. Come join me!

See you on the water!

One of my favorite lines is "Risk it or sit on your biscuit" and that has always played a roll in my way of doing things. I have a hard time resisting the adrenaline rush of just about anything. I'm now in my wiser days and I have figured out I don't need to do nutzo stuff on my dirt bike, or fly the big hit down on the mountain bike trail. I have been there and done that! When it comes to windsurfing, I don't think much about getting 30 feet in the air. That is normal for me and just what I do. And then one bad landing and I remember the pain......

I got a call from an awesome family that said, let's go to Baja. We want to up our wave game, can you come? I love last minute opportunities and jumped on the plane. Off we went to a nicely forecasted swell and plenty of wind. My brother was still down and decided to hang out for a few days with me. Day one the wind was blasting and the swell was beginning to rise. We decided to go do some jumps on the outer reef upwind- Both Kev and I were on 4.5 sails and lit out of our heads! Perfect for some big air. Side by side we streaked out to a head high ramp that shot me up pretty high and I went into a back loop- I was looking down on my brother and knowing I was up at cruising altitude. I hung on and thought I better not land this baby, don't want to break any bones.... so I ejected and got my back foot stuck in the strap. Not fun. Impact snapped both my leg bones right out the skin. That was not a good feeling. I knew right away this was not going to be fun- Kev came over, saw my foot hanging off my leg and performed a heroic rescue. I wrapped my one arm around his waist while holding my foot onto my leg. We got worked over the rocks and flushed through Mummy rock. The tide was just high enough to let us through. We bounced off some rocks and made it back to shore in what seemed like an eternity.

Once we got to shore, that is when things started to happen. The crew carried me up and laid me onto a comfy sun chair. I was cold, in shock and bleeding. I remember shaking uncontrollably. I had some great help from the local crew, the team made me a splint out of a knee brace, a broken SUP paddle and a foam mat. It kinda kept my leg from falling apart. Fortunately the SoloSports plane was on the cliff and they wasted no time getting me up up and away. Back to the USA. We got pre-clearance to land in the US without having to go through customs. I was in pain. Someone gave me an advil which didn't do much for the 2 hour flight back. We landed and I was transported into a taxi and rushed to one of the best hospitals in the country. Brother Kev got me straight into the trauma ward with all the medical bells and whistles! That was such a relief...... Then the morophine kicked in and all was groovy! The verdict was a compound Tib/Fib open fracture. An easy fix said my doc.... and off to the operating room I went. My anesthesiologist put me into another world and after a couple hours of work, they had me back together again!  One thing that really impresses me is how surgeon's can just open you up and put you back together again. Now I have matching rods running through both of my Tibia bones. Bionic Matt is gonna be back stronger than ever.

Now I'm on recovery road and getting to rebuild the body! I actually like doing this for the most part, I don't care for the pain but focusing on health and coming back from the bottom of an injury is a challenge and I find that to be rewarding. I have been working with the crew at Deep2Peak on Maui and they are doing a great job at getting me going. One day at a time.......

See you on the water.

Thanks Droneabove.com for the awesome good morning Maui shot!

Good morning Spring time...... March 1 is always a time to celebrate as a windsurfer! However you look at it, Windsurfing season is just around the corner and I hope you are excited and getting prepared. There is nothing worse than pure exhaustion when you have a cold 25 knots blasting at your local spot and your body cramps up and says NO MORE! And of course you want more more and more......A lot of people ask me what can be done to get in shape to handle your first days back on the water!

Let's go Elise!

Is weight training the answer? Not really- The biggest thing you want to avoid is injury. Having big strong muscles are not necessary just to go out and have a good time windsurfing. I think you are better off being flexible and limber so doing exercises that support balance and stretch are key in my opinion. I love the jump rope, such a simple and effective means to bump up your cardio. Spending a half hour jumping rope and stretching your muscles in between sets will go a long way to get you kick started into shape. If you can get on a bike, do it. Pedaling is good. For the hands that seem to rip apart on a lot of people, get an old boom cut it down and hang it somewhere. You can do pullups from this or just hang there and let the body stretch. This gets the hands ready to go. Mix in some pushups and core exercises and you have a quick and easy no excuse workout to get onto right now!

Suck those legs up!

My next tip comes in the form of mental training. Watch videos of guys out windsurfing. Get your head into it and begin to visualize yourself out at your local spot blasting around and having some fun. Think about your movements in the jibe and how you can perfect it. Feel the chop and the bumps, picking your lines through the waters. If you are a jumper, feel the air under your board projecting you up up and away. Suck the legs up under your bum, connect with the wind let it lift you up and set you down. For you waterstarters, leave the arms long and let the wind do the work. When you need power, scissor the mast towards the nose of the board as you suck the back leg under your bum and roll onto that back heal while kicking with your front foot to get you up and going! Jibers, remember to look where you want to go. Watch the water 10- 15 feet in front of where the nose of your board is pointing. This will help you prepare for any bumps in the road. Stay low and then get lower!

Get low and then lower!

For you that want to challenge yourselves this year and learn to loop...... all I can say there is you gotta WANT IT! Build it up in baby steps from precise chop hops controlling the board up and under your bum, practice looping the sail without your board- going SLOW not at full speed. This is a big one to visualize. If you can't see yourself doing it, you may not be ready. If you are on the edge of the fence, you might need someone to help push you over that ledge! Bruno wanted it so badly he was not gonna go back home without getting a rotation. He paid some dues and made it happen in less than 2 hours! In this video you can see the commitment he had and what it takes to get the job done!

Let's get fired up and start the windsurfing season off right! Get fit, get ready..... it is gonna be a great season on the water, just ask El Nino or La Nina!

See you out there!

MP

All I can say is WOW- Hookipa has delivered the most incredible windsurfing conditions to be seen in a long time! It was pretty crazy out there to say the least. I'm so stoked for Kev as he got the job done and has stomped this contest so far. There are 4 more days left for one man to come up the double elimination and try to beat him 2x for the Hookipa crown.... That is gonna be one tough job to do! Kev has been training and focused on having fun and just improving his style. He is out there all day everyday for the most part and this event has showcased his style. Here is a quick video of some of the action that went on- If you have been watching the live stream you get the picture. If you have been sitting on the beach you know just how big and burly it was out there. The camera's do a good job, but noticing a double mast high wave is hard to tell from the drone's perspective. Gnarly is the best way to describe this event so far!

Just 3 guys are left and able to work their way up to battle Kev. The next heat will see Kai Lenny the master of waves taking on Levi Siver the other master of waves, these friends are gonna duke it out to see who will battle former World Champion Marcilio Browne. This is gonna be one tough heat. On any given day Levi is the one to watch at Hookipa. Kai isn't out as much as Levi but he always shines when he does hit the water. One thing I know about Kai is he is so mentally strong that he knows what it will take to oust Levi. He is a competitor and knows how to get the job done. Levi is such a ripper, my question is how he will hold it together in his head..... I think he is gonna come out swinging as he has nothing to lose and this will be one of the most exciting heats so far providing conditions pull through.

From there the victor will meet Brawzinho- and this will be another epic demonstration of what the sport of windsurfing has progressed to! We will see flips and spins and late hits, one handed, no handed and who knows what else... it will be a nail biter and I'm excited to be spectating. Watch this closely.

Once the victor is decided they have to meet the determined seasoned veteran of my brother.... Kev is not a guy you ever want to have in any of your heats! He is tough mentally, physically and does not want to let this title slip away from him. At 40 years young, he has nothing more to prove but this is just icing on the cake for him. Keep your eyes open and be sure to watch the live stream if you are able. The forecast looks more positive towards the weekend and Hookipa will do whatever she wants.... I think we still have a show to see!

Watch it here: http://www.alohaclassicmaui.com/

“I should have done that 10 years ago!” is what a lot of people say to me after a 2 hour lesson on how to improve their windsurfing skills. Check out this quick video of Geoffrey learning to master his jibes.... a few days complete with video analysis and learning the proper dance can fast forward the moves you want to make! 

So many windsurfers are self taught and a lot of them learned over 35 years ago on equipment that has since changed….. A lot! I have learned a ton over the past 10 years of teaching and wanted to share some more tips for you to think about while on the water.

1. Use your harness! I mean really use it, don’t work the arms too much. The more you tug and jerk with your arms on the sail, the more you tire yourself out and send mixed signals to your rig. Make sure you have the right length lines!
2. Keep your head up- this one I can’t preach enough. Chin on shoulder is how I like to explain it. Look down= Go Down.
3. Footwork and handwork for those working on their jibes is super key. Imagine dancing with a beautiful woman or striking gentleman and not knowing how to dance and where to put your feet. Establish correct movements on the beach, create a “jibe dance” as I like to call it so it becomes a natural movement. If you can’t do it on the beach, how are you gonna pull it off at full speed on the water? 
4. Direct connect. Think of your body as the universal joint, (aka UJ or the thing that connects the sail to the board)  that takes the power of the sail and puts it into the board. This makes you go go and go. All the power of the sail should be going through your harness and being distributed by your legs, arms and the mast, (aka mast foot pressure) to control the board. If you lose that connection by having too bent a front leg or pulling in too hard on your front hand causing the sail to sheet out, you are gonna struggle with planing and keeping your speed through lulls in the wind.
5. The most simple and effective tip I always give, Smile and Breathe! I can’t tell you how many times I say that to people and everything comes to life. The arms relax, the harness gets used, the air is flowing and we are having a good time!

For most people, improving their skills is just a few things that need to shift and be focused on. Being able to communicate and translate that back to people is a fun challenge for me. There are an infinite amount of ways to tell the story and everyone is different in how they learn and absorb the information. This process of the dance and connecting with people to see them “Get it” keeps my stoke flowing for the sport that has us all searching for the next great forecast! 

See you on the water-

MP

It's game time for all of us wind warriors...... the season is on and it's time to get on the water windsurfing! Maui has been bustling with activity, the wind has been in a weird mood the past week but that just keeps us all fired up! Been having some fun on the water watching new kids push their sailing to new levels. The beauty of windsurfing is you never get bored..... Always something new to learn. Challenge yourself this summer, just like this visiting 16 year old Sam from the UK- you are never to young or old to learn something new. Get out there and always remember to breathe and SMILE!