Ambassador Spotlight

Breezy Johnson's Road to Recovery

 

In 2022, after 3 consecutive World Cup finishes on the podium, Breezy suffered a torn right ACL, meniscus and knee cartilage in a high speed training crash. Now, a year later she’s back to being one of the fastest skiers on the planet, competing around the world on the World Cup circuit, slowly making her way back up the ranks including a fifth place finish in St. Moritz. She took some time to talk to us about her journey back to competition, delving into the physical and mental struggles of dealing with an injury and what it takes to get back to competing at the highest level of skiing.

Q: What was your return to snow process like mentally and physically? 

A: The physical therapy and rehab process was long. We broke it up into about 6 week sessions that helped provide milestones of success throughout. These milestones were important to feel like I was moving somewhere. Getting off of crutches, beginning to lift weights, doing single leg work, jumping, and running were all milestones that we celebrated. Most days started with cardio, then we would do PT, followed by strength or core. Many days we also had a second PT group session like balance and coordination, which is very important as it can be one of the hardest things to get back after injury. Even when I wasn’t working out I was “working” to help flush out inflammation and keep my knee feeling good.

Q: How did it feel to get back on snow? Tell us about that experience, where you were… the first few turns.

A: Getting back on snow was amazing. The first few turns were down in El Colorado, Chile. It was a bit like riding a bike. The first few turns felt a little wobbly but pretty quickly it was just like I remembered. 

Q: How important were other activities outside of the gym like hiking, running and paddle boarding? 

A: I am naturally a very athletic and outdoorsy person. So one of the hardest parts was being stuck inside all of the time. Anytime I can get out in nature it fills me with joy. Outside also provides unusual stimulus, which is incredibly important for rehabilitation. When you get injured your neurocognitive abilities are damaged, basically meaning that your brain’s ability to speak to the affected limbs gets hampered. By doing things that require balance, or coordination, such as running over uneven terrain, paddle boarding on uneven water, you help heal, not just the muscles in your knee, but those neural pathways that are so important to skiing.

Q: What’s your biggest advice on overcoming something difficult and staying mentally strong? 

A: Just. Keep. Moving. 

You always have to remember that most things are not permanent and if you stay in a place where you are miserable, you are likely to stay miserable. Keep trying to find what makes you happy. Keep working and always remember what you want. But most importantly if you're going forward, slowly or quickly, you will find yourself in a new place at some point, and eventually you will find a better place, as long as you keep moving.

Ambassador Spotlight

Breezy Johnson's Road to Recovery

 

In 2022, after 3 consecutive World Cup finishes on the podium, Breezy suffered a torn right ACL, meniscus and knee cartilage in a high speed training crash. Now, a year later she’s back to being one of the fastest skiers on the planet, competing around the world on the World Cup circuit, slowly making her way back up the ranks including a fifth place finish in St. Moritz. She took some time to talk to us about her journey back to competition, delving into the physical and mental struggles of dealing with an injury and what it takes to get back to competing at the highest level of skiing.

Q: What was your return to snow process like mentally and physically? 

A: The physical therapy and rehab process was long. We broke it up into about 6 week sessions that helped provide milestones of success throughout. These milestones were important to feel like I was moving somewhere. Getting off of crutches, beginning to lift weights, doing single leg work, jumping, and running were all milestones that we celebrated. Most days started with cardio, then we would do PT, followed by strength or core. Many days we also had a second PT group session like balance and coordination, which is very important as it can be one of the hardest things to get back after injury. Even when I wasn’t working out I was “working” to help flush out inflammation and keep my knee feeling good.

Q: How did it feel to get back on snow? Tell us about that experience, where you were… the first few turns.

A: Getting back on snow was amazing. The first few turns were down in El Colorado, Chile. It was a bit like riding a bike. The first few turns felt a little wobbly but pretty quickly it was just like I remembered. 

Q: How important were other activities outside of the gym like hiking, running and paddle boarding? 

A: I am naturally a very athletic and outdoorsy person. So one of the hardest parts was being stuck inside all of the time. Anytime I can get out in nature it fills me with joy. Outside also provides unusual stimulus, which is incredibly important for rehabilitation. When you get injured your neurocognitive abilities are damaged, basically meaning that your brain’s ability to speak to the affected limbs gets hampered. By doing things that require balance, or coordination, such as running over uneven terrain, paddle boarding on uneven water, you help heal, not just the muscles in your knee, but those neural pathways that are so important to skiing.

Q: What’s your biggest advice on overcoming something difficult and staying mentally strong? 

A: Just. Keep. Moving. 

You always have to remember that most things are not permanent and if you stay in a place where you are miserable, you are likely to stay miserable. Keep trying to find what makes you happy. Keep working and always remember what you want. But most importantly if you're going forward, slowly or quickly, you will find yourself in a new place at some point, and eventually you will find a better place, as long as you keep moving.