On November 22nd, Decker Dean sat at the top of a ski jump in Poland- ready for his first career World Cup start. Family, friends, former coaches, and teammates all watched from back home- glued to their screens. What happened next, was the worst case scenario. Upon landing, Dean’s ski caught an edge and came off. He fell hard onto the notoriously icy landing hill and ragdolled to the bottom of the hill, where he could be seen gripping his shoulder. “I honestly blacked out a little bit until I felt my shoulder tear and pop out of the socket,” said Dean.
He walked away from the crash but not without major damage to his shoulder. “I didn’t want to look at my arm but new something wasn’t right,” said Dean. This certainly was not the World Cup Debut Dean had in mind, especially since his jumping was really coming into form at the time.
After X Rays and an MRI, it was decided that Dean had a 180 degree tear in his Labrum. Dean spent December at home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado focused on physical therapy and strength in the gym. Five weeks away from ski jumping proved difficult for Dean, “All I wanted to do for those five weeks was fly some meters with my teammates.”
Doctors and coaches decided that Dean’s mobility was good enough to jump for the rest of the winter. After the season though, he will need to undergo surgery to fully repair the shoulder. “Since it is my last year of Junior World Championships and with ski flying opportunities in March, I’m grateful to still have the opportunity to compete,” said Dean.
Head Coach Bine Norcic was impressed with Dean’s conditioning upon return in January, “He did a good job, I’m proud of him.” Norcic continued, “He looks 100% and has obviously taken this whole thing very seriously.”
When asked what he learned through this process, Dean replied, “The biggest thing I learned through this injury is how to be patient and trust the ones who are helping in these types of situations.”
Dean has already notched two top 30 FIS Cup finishes since returning from injury. Most notable is his 19th place finish in Zakopane, Poland two weekends ago. Dean will compete in the Planica Continental Cup this weekend before returning home to focus and prepare for the Junior World Championships- a competition that he hopes to excel in. According to Dean, “My high goals for this season haven’t changed one bit.”
