Searching For Sarah

A bit of good news today from my friend and fellow ice dancer Mike B. A few weeks ago, a woman who used to skate showed up for the social dance session after a long hiatus. It turns out that two years ago she had PERIACETABULAR OSTEOTOMY. That's right, PAO, the same surgery I'm having. And she's back at the rink skating.

I have been searching everywhere for an ice dancer, any ice dancer, who has had PAO. I have found one ballet dancer and a hockey player but that's the closest I've come. The ballet dancer had other issues so I can't compare her outcome to mine, and the hockey player is still recovering from PAO#1 and looking forward to PAO#2, so there isn't much data there (although I was thrilled when she went to the rink and skated a couple of weeks ago).

But now, a figure skater, an actual gold-level ice dancer (per Mike) has walked into the rink and skated post PAO on a day when I wasn't there. Now I just have to find her! A few people know her, I think they know her last name, and will get me the correct spelling so I can look her up. I've put people on the alert that if they see her again, they MUST get her phone number so I can take her to lunch and ask all of the burning questions nobody else can answer.

Questions like how much range of motion did you lose, how long did it take to get your quad strength back, can you do a swing roll, what's your extension like, can you point your toes, can you still bend your knees, do you have more or less turnout, what can you do, what can't you do, oh my, I don't even know where to start with these questions.

Today we did the Austrian Waltz en masse at the social session, and it is so much fun, and I will be at most 8 weeks post PAO (likely still on crutches) when they do it at the dance camp. I know I'll be sitting on the sidelines and that really sucks big time, but at least I get to participate now, thanks to good friends at the rink who are teaching me the partnering. It won't be so bad to sit out in September if I feel I've "been there and done that" already. Right?

Ha! Who am I kidding. Sarah ... where are you???