Checking In With St. Augustine, FL’s, ASP World Tour
Representative Gabe Kling On His
Long Road To Recovery By Nick McGregor
“[The Tasmanian doctor] probably knew rugby, where they just say, ‘walk it off.’
I ended up getting on a flight a day or two later and left all my boards there
because I couldn’t carry anything.”
Gabe Kling has had one hell
of a time with the ASP World Tour. After three hard years trudging through the
WQS slog, the St. Augustine, FL, native narrowly missed qualifying in 2005 by a
mere six spots. In 2006, Gabe came back with a vengeance, qualifying for the 2007
WCT with enough time to spare for a celebratory blowout at hometown hotspot
Dunes Cracker. But Gabe’s rookie year on the Dream Tour proved harsher than
expected — he finished 43rd in the ‘CT ratings, and (again) barely missed
WQS qualification at the season’s end in Hawaii.
So the ever-persevering
Kling returned to the grind again,
and, just like in 2006, easily amassed enough points to join the 2009 World
Tour. It’s rare to earn a second crack at the big leagues, which made the
injury Gabe suffered this March in Tasmania — after surfing only one WCT
and two WQS events — all the more crushing. He has now been sidelined
since March, watching Bells Beach, Teahupo’o, Brazil, and Jeffreys Bay crumble,
heave, and race down the line without him. EasternSurf.com
got the latest scoop on Gabe’s recovery, his hopes for the rest of the season,
and his incurable itch for a good barrel ride.
ESM: Fill
us in on the progress of your recovery, Gabe.
Gabe Kling: It’s
never as fast as you’d like — I was hoping to be back by now. I wasn’t thinking
it was going to take this long. My ankle’s come a long way; I can walk around
fine, but I can’t really run yet or do a bottom turn or a cutback. It’s my back
leg [that suffered the injury], so there’s a really sharp pain when I try and
do stuff like that. I’ve talked to a lot of people, and it sounds like this
injury takes a while to heal.
ESM: You
injured your knee in addition to your ankle, right?
GK: I
strained the meniscus and MCL in my knee, and then my ankle suffered a partial
tear in the ligament — like a high ankle sprain. I think my knee’s fine
now, but I haven’t really been able to test it, because anything that would
hurt my knee hurts my ankle first. My ankle’s the one that’s been slow to heal.
ESM: What
kind of physical therapy are you pursuing? Do you have your own techniques, in
addition to the ones prescribed by doctors?
GK: I’ve
been going to physical therapy three times a week, where they’re always trying to
progress into newer stuff. I also had this PRP therapy, where they take your
blood and separate it into red blood cells and plasma, then shoot that into your
ankle. On my own I’ve been trying to keep everything stretched and active. There’s
nothing I can really do to simulate surfing.
ESM: Have
you been able to get in the water at all?
GK: I was
swimming laps at the YMCA for a while and also tried to longboard a little bit,
but it’s almost been too flat for that. So paddling around, rowing at the gym, and
doing anything I can that won’t hurt me. It’s amazing, though — it’s hard
to do any type of exercise when you can’t run.
ESM: Earlier
this year you were planning on returning for J-Bay. That didn’t happen, but
there’s a two-month break before the Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles in September.
Will you be back for that one?
GK: I was
overly optimistic to be back for J-Bay, but I’m definitely hoping to be back for Lowers. I’m going out to
California soon to do a bunch of promos, and I’m hoping it heals up by then so
I can get back in the water.
ESM: You
haven’t been able to double up on the WQS this year. Have you talked to the ASP
about a possible injury wildcard for 2010?
GK: Nah, I
haven’t been talking to anybody. I’ll apply for it, but I think that all comes
down to the end of the year. I’m just focusing on getting back in the water and
getting a couple of results.
ESM: How
about your sponsors? Have they remained supportive throughout the year?
GK: Yeah,
I’ve been trying to keep in touch with them to let ‘em know I’m still alive [laughs]. They’ve all been supportive.
ESM: What
was it like getting injured in Tasmania, literally halfway around the world?
GK: There
was no cell-phone service over there, even for the Australians. I thought I had
broken my leg at first. They did a couple tests, told me to keep some ice on
it, and made a little bed for me. It was such a small community that they had
this doctor flown in… he was like the celebrity doctor. He checked it out, took
an x-ray, and told me he thought I had chipped my bone. But he also told me to
walk it off [laughs]. At the time, I
was thinking maybe I could surf Bells. So he’s like, “You should just stay here
for a week and see how it goes.” But I couldn’t walk at all, so I figured I’d
go home and get it diagnosed. He was really cool, but if you don’t know surfing…
he probably knew rugby, where they just say, “walk it off.” I ended up getting
on a flight a day or two later and left all my boards there because I couldn’t
carry anything. Jimmy Wilson actually brought my boardbags home after Bells a
month later.
ESM: You’ve
spent most of your off time back home in St. Augustine, right?
GK: I was
out in California for the first week and a half getting diagnosed, and I’ve
been using this doctor out there to get the PRP stuff done. But yeah, for the
most part I’ve been in St. Augustine.
ESM: Has
the local community stepped up to the plate?
GK: I’ve
had plenty of support. They’re all behind me, but every time it’s the same
question: “When are you getting back on tour?” I wish I had an answer —
I’ve been saying “as soon as possible” a lot. I love hanging out here, and the
first month or two were fine, but I’m definitely itching to go get barreled
somewhere.
ESM: You’ve
spent more time away from competition this year than in the entire last decade
of your life. Has that solidified your desire to surf on the WCT, or have you been
second-guessing your whole competitive drive?
GK: It’s
funny — this is the longest I’ve ever been out of the water, and I’ve
been back and forth, where I almost don’t want to get too fired up because it’s
frustrating. But I know as soon as I do hit the water, I’m going to be more
fired up than ever.
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