Skier faces uphill battle
THE BLUE MOUNTAINS Recalling the day of his sons horrific crash on a Colorado ski hill, Brammer Longs face turns to stone.
It was 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 12. Long and his 18-year-old son, Braden, a ski racer, were strapping on their boots inside the chalet at Copper Mountain in Denver, about to hit the slopes for a day of training.
Thirty kilometres away, at Arapahoe Basin, Longs other son, Richard, 15, was already on the hill, training with the Ontario Alpine Ski team.
Thats when he got the call from an Ontario coach. Richard had crashed.
He left the trail and the trail dropped off, Long, who was born and raised in Orillia, said from his Clarksburg home, just west of Collingwood. It was really bad.
At an estimated speed of 80 kilometres per hour, Richard, Canadas top developmental skier, lost his balance on the Lower Ramrod run, tried to stop by digging his skis into the snow, left the trail down a 12-foot embankment, and flew headfirst into a rock and a tree.
Doctors at Denvers St. Anthony Central Hospital say the boys helmet, which split in half in the crash, likely saved Richards life.
The head of the ski patrol saw him leave the trail and heard the impact, said Long, a Barrie restaurant owner who lived in Midhurst for 15 years. They knew he was in serious trouble.
The Canadian Snowsports Association, Canadas representation on the International Ski Federation, has launched an inquiry into the crash.
Richard received CPR at the scene.
He was transported to hospital in Denver, where he spent the next 23 days fully sedated and suffering from severe brain trauma and internal injuries.
Once out of a coma that lasted two weeks, Richard was airlifted to Torontos Sick Kids Hospital. He has since been transferred to Bloorview Kids Rehab, a neurorehabilitation centre, where he receives speech therapy and occupational therapy, as well as specialized education five days a week.
Richards physical condition is improving, and he spends his weekends at home.
A left-temporal lobe brain injury has impeded his ability to speak and process language, however.
Richard, who plays guitar, has better success singing than he does at actually trying to think of the words, his father said.
There is no set timeline as to when Richard may return to skiing. With Olympic aspirations, the Whistler Cup champion and second-place finisher at last years world championships in Italy plans to get better and return to the slopes, but his parents are focusing on their sons health, first and foremost.
The Long family is grateful for the support theyve received since the crash.
Its a small community, sad Brammer, a ski coach of 25 years. Weve had e-mails from all over North America and as far away as Italy.
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