AST Athlete Journal: Caleb Brooks

Hello everyone, my name is Caleb Brooks. I am 20 years old and this is my 3rd season on the Alberta ski team. This ski season hasn’t ended up the way I wanted. But we will get into that later.  In December we had a packed schedule full of racing. We raced in Panorama for the NORAMS and right after the Christmas series. The Panorama NORAMS were a successful race series where I came 14th in the super G. In the Gs I was just out of the top 30. In the Slalom I had two top 20s with top 15 runs. At the end of this race series I was ranked 20th in slalom and 23 in Superg.  I was super stoked! The Christmas series was also filled with solid skiing and I was happy to be headed home for some rest and family time.  My home club Lake Louise was hosting a Santa Slalom just before Chiristmas.  I was excited to come and cheer on the younger athletes and participate in a fun race with my brother and sister.  No pressure, no competition, just plain fun!  Well, the first run was great but the second run, not so much.  I injured my knee and am still working on accepting that my season is over.

The MRI showed a torn MPFL, Cartilage damage behind my knee cap and a MCL grade 1 tear. The MPFL holds and helps your knee cap glide and as described by my surgeon, is the size of a linguiny. This news came as a pretty big shock to me and to be honest I didn’t want to accept it. My life went from skiing everyday, travelling, being active to not being able to ski and train for an undetermined amount of time. I still think about that. In 1 second all the hours of training, the turns made, the sweat and effort put in, my season was over. I miss skiing more than I can put into words. Skiing has always been my passion and how I définie myself. The feeling of carving down a mountain, the rush of adrenaline, and the freedom—it’s like second nature to me. December 30th I entered surgery with Dr Timmerman in Calgary. He repaired my MPFL and took out the floating cartilage pieces in my knee.

Everything went well with the surgery. I was able to bear weight right after surgery and walk with crutches.

After three weeks of rest and recovery with minimal movement, I was cleared to start Physio. Kevin and Nate at the CSI facility in Calgary, have been amazing in giving me the confidence to work hard and regain my strength. Firstly, we worked on range of motion rather than strengthening. We’ve been doing Blood flow restriction and EMS in order to get everything going again. A couple weeks ago, I started squatting again and I never expected to shed tears of JOY over leg exercises. I am now starting to bike, run and soon cross country ski.  As soon as my legs are of equal strength, I should be able to start sliding down on my skis again.

Despite these challenges, I have remained resilient and focused on giving my best effort in everything I do. I know that success in skiing requires perseverance and dedication, and I am determined to keep pushing myself to reach my full potential. While the season may not have ended the way I wanted, I am grateful for the lessons I’ve learned and the experiences I’ve gained. Next year, my goal isn’t just to return to the level I was at before the injury. My goal is to excel by pushing my limits, Conquering new challenges, and becoming stronger than ever before. Although this knee surgery has set me back, it won’t prevent me from achieving my goals and dreams. So,I’m taking this time as a chance to grow. The journey ahead is lengthy, but I’m dedicated to the effort it requires. I’ve invested too much effort and come too far to let a single injury hold me back. I’ll return to the slopes next winter, better than ever.

Thanks to our amazing sponsors GMC Dealers of Alberta, Karbon Sports, Genstar Canada, Mountain Fire Foods, and Gear Up Mountain Sports. You guys make our ski season possible!!