dallas friday breaks femur

dallas friday broke her femur in multiple places at a tournament in singapore. she's due in surgery any minute now and will be in singapore during recovery.

include dallas in your prayers.

wow! will do

Ouch! My prayers go out to her... hope she comes out of surgery well.

Does anyone know what trick she was doing or how it happened?

Yikes! Hoping for a good outcome DALLAS!

that sucks.

ouch. really, that's the only thing i think of when i hear "breaks femur". ouch.

Let's hope her soft tissue (ACL, MCL, Etc.) is O.K. My friend shatered his Femur kitesurfing, it totally sucked! But, his knee was O.K. and he made a rapid 100% recovery.

Hope she heals up fast.

http://www.wakeboard.com.sg/index.php?s=cf61437deb2c31f0d9ee3e3f964224eb&showt opic=348

sounds like she broke it on a whirly.

Does anyone know if she was wearing a knee brace on that leg?

I'm pretty sure Dallas wears no knee braces when wakeboarding.
Even if she was wearing a knee brace, I doubt that it would have stopped a torsion injury. Which this may very well be.

(Message edited by phantom5815 on October 01, 2006)

they're saying a 6 month recovery. She must of screwed it up pretty bad for that to be so long.

sucky. very much sucky.

my friend skidded off the side of a bank skiing, flew threw the air and found a tree. by the time her dad got around to her she was laying there with her femur snapped up through her ski pants. multiple surgeries to remove wood from her leg, and a year of recovery - femurs are no joke!

Remember this tragic story...

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/104396.html?1082935831

This thread says she was trying a Tantrum.
http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/1/375016.html?1159711637

I've been there kiddo...snapped mine almost ten years ago on a DU tantrum. My knees and back were fine. I hope you have a full and speedy recovery, Dallas!

Multiple places? Ouch that's not good!

I wish her a good recovery. The good news is once she's through it there are generally no longterm issues like with a knee.

I think she's looking at a year too based on what I know.

Hey guys, i'm one of the wakeboarders from Singapore. Was at the world cup finals when Dallas's accident happened. Was pretty frightening 'coz we saw her fall and just lying motionless in the water after doing the whirly. Here's the article from our paper's today:


Dallas' injury overshadows Soven's hat-trick
Watersports
HSBC Wakeboard World Cup Singapore 2006

THE irrepressible Philip Soven won his third straight title in the HSBC Wakeboard World Cup Singapore 2006, but the 17-year-old's win was over-shadowed by a serious injury to woman wakeboarder Dallas Friday.

Clearly the crowd favourite at the Bedok Reservoir yesterday, Soven captured the Pro Men's Division final with the day's highest score of 79.12 to beat fellow American and three time X-Games champion, Danny Harf, who managed a poor 48.56.

But the real drama of the day happened earlier in the afternoon during the finals of the Pro Women's Division.

Friday, a multiple X-Games women's champion, fell while attempting the "Whirly Bird" — an audacious wakeboarding stunt — in front of Guest-of-Honour, Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck, who was seated in the VIP stand.

When the 20-year-old failed to get back on her board, an on-site safety and medical team immediately rushed to her aid and she was sent to the Changi General Hospital.

Paul Fong, the general manager of event organisers Singapore Waterski and Wakeboard Federation, revealed that Friday had a "suspected thigh bone fracture".

The fall proved costly for the American. The judges had initially deemed that Friday had done enough before her fall to win the title as she edged out compatriots Emily Copeland (53.98) and Meaghan Major (46.56) with a score of 54.23.

But Copeland argued that she should have come first and in accordance with the rules of the International Water Ski Federation, her protest was upheld.

Copeland's final score was raised to 54.76 and she was declared the winner of the US$10,000 ($15,880) top prize instead.

It means that like Soven, Copeland managed to successfully defend the title she won last year.

Said Copeland, who witnessed Friday's fall up close as both she and Major were waiting on the launch platform for their turns: "It was shocking to see a fellow rider get hurt. I was definitely shaken and nervous and a bit jittery, so I was happy with how I performed in the end."

Singapore's wildcard entry Sasha Christian failed to qualify for the women's final, while her brother Matthew and Suter Tan were both knocked out in the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, ski jumping world record holder Freddy Krueger lived up to his reputation as he captured the Pro Ski Jump Contest with a monster jump of 70m, just 3m short of his record.

--- TODAY newspapers, Monday 2nd October 2006
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/146116.asp

(Message edited by w8boardrebel on October 02, 2006)

Wishes to Dallas for a fast and full recovery.

"The fall proved costly for the American. The judges had initially deemed that Friday had done enough before her fall to win the title as she edged out compatriots Emily Copeland (53.98) and Meaghan Major (46.56) with a score of 54.23.

But Copeland argued that she should have come first and in accordance with the rules of the International Water Ski Federation, her protest was upheld.

Copeland's final score was raised to 54.76 and she was declared the winner of the US$10,000 ($15,880) top prize instead."

Copeland did all this after some of the judges had left, the protest was not filed in accordance with the IWSF rules and since Dallas was in an ambulance on her way to the hospital she could not defend her run during Copeland’s challenge. Dallas was robbed of the win and Maeghan was robbed of the championship...same story different country. This is why wakeboarding will never be "professional" or accepted by the IOC.

Get well soon Dallas!

Can anyone blame Copeland? $10,000 for a woman's top prize is a lot of money, and I'm sure there must be some kind of rule about being DQ'ed not being able to finish your run or something.

Zedz....are you saying that Emily should not have won?

I am no expert on events, though just as a person sitting here, I feel like if you don't finish your run...you don't win. DQ...

I feel bad that Dallas was injured and I don't mean to sound harsh. Just looking at this from the outside, doesn't seem that someone should win if they don't finish their run.

"Dallas was robbed of the win"

Sounds like those are the RULES...tough shiat!

You would protest too for 10 grand.....I would. Sorry, but I wouldn't have given it to Dallas out of sympathy.

Well if those are the rules, those are the rules... even if she had 30 points more than anyone, if not being able to finish your run for any reason, means you're disqualified, then she was disqualified and the person that was behind her gets the win. Emily shouldnt even have had to file a complaint, it should've been done automatically if those were the rules. What I dont understand is why her score was raised!

Dont get me wrong, I like seeing Dallas win, but I dont like great riders get bad rep for doing something that was in the rules and that's something we all wouldve done.

Your run is scored until you fall, get hurt or finish (same at every contest). The judges had ruled that Dallas did enough before she fell to win the contest.

I have no idea if Emily should have won or not...the fact is the judges sheets say she didn't. When she didn't like the results she protested but did not follow the procedures outlined in the rules..

As has been posted in this forum over and over again there is no professionalism when it comes to running and judging these events. Why have rules and procedures if you are not going to utilize them?

Dallas had some complications in surgery, she has fluid in her lungs and is in ICU on life support. Everyone say a prayer for her today.

Holy chit....it was like a kick in the stomach to just read that Hahn......

Anymore up dates???? Our prayers are with you

Damn it!!

I know very little about the Singapore healthcare system, but this is something that has always worried me when we take our sports overseas. Serious injuries need to be treated ASAP and certainly cannot wait for an American doctor. I wish Dallas the best.

best recovery to her!

Hahn,
I had not heard that! The last I heard they were flying in a renowned sports surgeon for the operation. Do you know anything more?

A friend just let me know that during the surgery, they found water in her lungs and that she was on life support. I wish her the best and our prayers are with her!!!!

Damn. We had one of our crew break his femur on a tantrum 2 weeks ago. Got airlifted off the lake. he's doing better, but had some complications as well.

What is it with these Tantrums?? That trick seems to just mess people up.

The trick this happened on was a whirly bird. (not that it matters)

(Message edited by ktm250 on October 02, 2006)

That's really sad news.... I wish her the very best. My thoughts are with her and her family.

Good luck Dallas.

Terrible news...thoughts and prays go out to Dallas and her family...Get well soon; we want to see you back and ripping in no time!

Jeff - Luckily she's is in good hands. Singapore is one of the most advanced countries in Asia. Its heath care system, doctors and surgeons are first rate.

Can someone please help me understand the judging system? In Europe, we are given points regardless if we "finish our run" or not. Meaning, if I fall twice, but do more and or better tricks (I get higher points than them) than the other riders who don’t fall - I win…

Is it not the same in the US and internationally?

paul, i'll second that she's in good hands. America is no longer more advanced than our international counterparts. Because of rising costs, American patients are now traveling to India and other countries for major procedures. She'll no doubt receive top notch care

Paul,
the scoring is the same...if you do more complex tricks, have better composition and execute them with more intensity then you win regardless of a fall or falls. The trick you fell on doesn't count but your run isn't (or should I say shouldn't be) effected except for missing the trick you fell on.

well, i just called her to verify, and she said that Dallas' dad was on the way to singapore right now. dallas' brother is the only one there with her right now. i am not sure what the chances are of survival when you get water in your lungs and get put on life support, but all we can do is pray that she makes it thru all of this. once again, i wish her the best!

Man that is terrible! My thoughts are with her and her family.

Wow this is very bad news. I wish her and her family the best.

Is it fluid in the lungs or water in the lungs? If her lungs are generating fluid then I'm pretty sure they are trying to flush out some nastiness in there. If its water that she was sucking down after the crash well thats probably not as bad.

I can't believe that she broke her femur. The femur us the largest bone in our body. It takes a special crash to snap it, usually with a solid object. I hope Dallas comes back strong, she is nearly the only one really pushing the girls. She deserves everyones respect. My opinion is that Emily CD took the low road in this case. Pretty shiesty IMO.

Get better Dallas!!!

I sure hope her complications aren't related to some sort of damage to the femoral artery. Damage to that can be life threatening in spite of whatever surgery has been done.

That's good news that they have decent doctors there, how the bone get's reset is critical (as well as dealing with the complications.)

Big Heavy....I think it is in poor taste to bring ECD into this when someone is fighting for her life. Wins and losses sort of take a back seat at this point, regardless if you agree with the judges decision or not.

I agree with E.J. Let's keep this thread about Dallas and her injury/condition/recovery. She really needs out support and prayers right now. All the negative complaining and crap can go somewhere else. Someone start another thread about judges/scoring, etc.

Water/fluid in the lungs can be a bad thing, but hopefully not as serious as it sounds. As far as her being on "life support", it could be possible she is just on a respirator because of being sedated, post-op conditions from surgery, etc. It hopefully does not mean that she is in grave condition.

Get well Dallas. You are in our heart and our prayers.

"Water/fluid in the lungs can be a bad thing, but hopefully not as serious as it sounds. As far as her being on "life support", it could be possible she is just on a respirator because of being sedated, post-op conditions from surgery, etc. It hopefully does not mean that she is in grave condition."
That's what I'm wondering....like you said, hopefully it's just the respirator!??!

She could be experienceing pulmonary embolism, when clotting in the leg makes it's way to the lungs. It can be life threatening.

Thoughts and prayers to Dallas. Just went through this with a good friend crashing on a Tantrum.

PEOPLE - Drink your milk, take your calcium tablets, put the sodas down. Let's get that bone density up.

Best wishes to Dallas. The FMX boys go through this all the time, no reason why she shouldn't have a good recovery just the same.

i placed a call to dallas' mom, and this is what i was told.

1. her femur was shattered. they attached a plate and used part of her hip to reconstruct her femur.

2. they found 70ml of blood around her knee, which i'm guessing is "normal" considering the trauma.

3. the water in her lungs was lake water, and was discovered post-op when they noticed dallas having difficulty breathing. at that point, she was in stable condition.

4. this morning, robin (her brother) said that the doctors moved dallas to intensive care unit due to her lungs going "white." (anyone know what that means?)

5. she's given O2 and the doctors are trying to rid her lungs of the lake water. there has been some improvements from when she first entered icu.

this is all we have at this point.

please continue to keep dallas in your prayers.

Thanks for the update Joe. Though I am sure you have, let the Friday family know that the online wake community is hoping for a full recovery and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.

I cannot imagine how stressful it would be to have an event like this happen to your child half way around the world.

Deuce, I thought it was pretty lame for her competition and friend to bring it up after watching her get hurt. Friend leaves in ambulance, "umm hi, she didn't finish her pass, why is she still leading" sounds pretty crappy to me. Granted I wasn't there and this is conjecture but thats just lame.

Get well Dallas!

Just let it go dude.

Thanks for the update Joe - it sounds like she is improving some which is great news.

My mom is an ICU nurse and she said that when your lungs go "white", that means they aren't oxygenating properly.

Anyway, I really wish dallas my best throughout all of this. It's a serious injury, and to have it become even more complicated is horrible. Good luck

ICU nurse here.

"White" lungs on an xray means there is material in that lung that will impede airflow/ventilation. It can be mucus, fluid, etc. In her case, she probably aspirated some of the lake water and will now develop a pretty bad case of pneumonia. This is common with near-drownings. The blood around the knee is normal too. The femur holds a large amount of blood, so when shattered the blood has nothing to do but collect at a lower point. Some femur fractures require blood tranfusions. Dallas will certainly have a rocky recovery. She is healthy and young, two major points going for her. Keep us updated guys. She will be in my prayers.

A common misconception about a breathing machine, ventilator, or respirator (they are all the same) is that this is "life support". Many people on ventilators are on them to give their body a chance to recover. The machine will support respirations offering oxygen and pressure to fill the lungs. "Life support" would be a term to use if this machine was the only thing keeping her alive. I seriously doubt that is the case.

Big Heavy--Fluid in the lungs is actually better than water in the lungs. Fluid,generated by the body, can be pulled off using medications like diuretics. Fresh water, a foriegn object to the body, is full of bacterias that causes pneumonia to form.

Flux--Its a little soon for a pulmonary embolism. That is the biggest risk factor from having a broken femur. Definitely something to look out for. Her breathing difficulties were probably due to pneumonia.

Tackleberry--She will probably recover from the fracture as easily as the FMX guys. Her problem now is from the aspiration of the lake water. Her recovery will not be "just the same."

(Message edited by awsnow on October 02, 2006)

(Message edited by awsnow on October 02, 2006)

When it comes to bone breaks the saying, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is true. Bones heal back stronger than they were originally. Hope all goes well and the new season brings a new knee, a new determination, and a new Dallas Friday.

Big Heavy, serious injuries aren't that uncommon in wakeboarding. There's no way Copeland could have anticipated the complications Dallas has faced, and I'm sure Emily thought the surgery would be as "routine" as a broken femur can be. $10,000 isn't pocket change in the Woman's wakeboard division, and I have no hesitation in saying I would have done the exact same thing had I thought I won. It's irresponsible to be painting Copeland as a villain when we do not know the whole story; Dallas could have been smiling and giving the crowd a thumbs up as she was carted off for all we know.

But, like everyone has said, all this is so irrelevant right now. Please PM if you wish to continue the discussion.

im not liking the sound of the docotors using part of her hip or something, for the surgery, u need your hips to ride

Routine bone grafting. She will not have any residual effects from it.

wow. Good luck Dallas.

"serious injuries aren't that uncommon in wakeboarding"

Beg to differ, but in 10+ years of attending pro, amateur, freeriding events, have only seen 1 or 2 riders ever carted away to the emergency room.

Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. How many people on WW post "I just tore my ACL" threads every year? How many graphic pictures are there floating around with wakeboard related injuries? How many professionals haven't had an ACL tear or two in their history (including Shaun Murray and Scott Byerly destroying their knees on skates)? It's only a matter of good fortune and coincidence (and possibly dialed down runs with less amplitude) that it doesn't happen more at contests.

ACL injury is not a serious injury, compared to life/limb threatening injuries. Most ACL tears do not require emergency surgery. I, myself am ACL-D.

(Message edited by socalwakepunk on October 02, 2006)

Can we stop fighting over stupid things. At this time all of this seems minimal to what really needs to be going on. Which is good positive thoughts towards Dallas and her recovery.

I have been on Wakeworld for awhile and when a fellow wakeboarder goes down, the community crowds around and sends positive thoughts, prayers and wishes their way. This is the first time I have seen this type of childish behavior. Knock it off already. Get back to the heart and intention of the thread.

This thread is intended for people who want to express support to Dallas and her family.

I am positive that Emily Copeland-Durham, Meaghan Major, every pro wakeboarder and those of us that would love to be a pro wakeboarder are saying prayers for Dallas' recovery and no one is thinking about the competition right now or how many people get this type of injury and if it is serious or not serious.

To Dallas and her family, I will say an extra prayer or two today for you. Get better soon. Fight hard and hope to see you crowd pleasing on the water soon.

Over it.

Get well soon Dallas!

I just saw this and I am blown away to say the least! Dallas and her family were always super nice to me, and I wish her a speedy recovery......and come on guys...it's Dallas, she's proven she can beat it all....this will only give her some time off!!!

This also isn't the first time I've heard about some "post event" biotching about the results, scoring, rules, etc......and this case will certainly draw a lot of fire because of the injuries to Dallas. But HOPEFULLY....someone, somewhere, somehow...will come up with a STANDARD rule scoring system that works. I.E. one that doesn't allow emotionally charged competitors to argue a point in a grey area to try and improve their results, or formats to be changed half-way through a rider's run at an event like X! It seems to happen more in the women's division.....are they not taken as seriously by the judges and promoters? Doesn't look that way, but I'd say....based on the total sales $ of pink boats, women's specific boards, clothing and gear that it SHOULD be taken seriously!!!!

After a while of this crap....the sport looks kooky to people.

Foxrepdc - do us a favor and edit your post to delete the judging comments. Please save those comments for another thread on judging or something.

BS Flower...do us a favor and stop trying to be a "thread boss"! Do you want everyone to go back and delete comments or just me? This is an opinion forum here too.....I know Dallas and her family well and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

Just you. You had time to read the thread and see what it was intended to be about.

There's a time and place for everything. this isn't the time nor the place to post opinion on judging.

Please take it to PM's.

Joe any updates would be awesome.

Agree with Foxdc.

Again, best wishes to Dallas.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Dallas, her parents, other family, and friends. This was gut-wrenching news. I've been praying and checking up all day. She is an amazing athlete and inspiration to all!

Dallas, We wish you the best and our prayers are with you and your family.... Get well soon.....

That has got to hurt. Like said above, its a good thing she was in perfect health before this accident, that should give her an advantage in her recovery. It would be nice if they could come up with some sort of a standard for judging competitions. After the way she has dominated the womens wakeboard scene for so long, I am not surprised that the other girls were looking for a win any way they could get. You can't blame them for that. They all want to win when they are on the water. I am sure none of them feel good about this. I hope she makes a speedy recovery, her video parts have always been my favorite.

she's certainly a gnar-dog...

and defininitely my favorite chick rider to watch, ever.

Dallas, we wish you the best. You are in great shape and mentally tough and have the support of so many great people.

Joe, thanks man for letting us know. Tell the family how many people are behind her. I will keep my eye on this thread to see if you have updated her condition.

Amanda Snow, thanks for explaining things so well. The aspiration of lake water sounds tough. You would be nice to have in the boat.

i just received a phone call from mark, the family spokesperson. dallas' condition has improved the last few hours. her left lung has improved a lot, though her right lung hasn't improved as much as the left. but, the good news is that they're both showing signs of improvement.

dallas is still in critical care but all of her neurological functions are normal. she's heavily sedated, but resting comfortably.

robin sr. is due to land in 30 minutes where he'll meet robin jr. with great news!

the family is aware of all the support for dallas and the friday family and they appreciate them greatly.

keep the prayers coming.