Well, I can't really sleep for some reason after a pretty busy and hectic day... But here is the Official press release from USA Ski Jumping!!
FAIRALL INJURED AT FINAL FOUR HILLS EVENT
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Published on 01/05/15
PARK CITY, UT—(January 5, 2015) Nicholas Fairall, 25, of Andover, NH sustained a spine injury while ski jumping in Bischofshofen, Austria. Fairall, a member of the USA Ski Jumping team and a 2014 Sochi Olympian, was taken to hospital where he underwent extensive emergency spinal surgery to stabilize his injuries. Fairall is a two-time US National Champion and has 20 World Cup starts. Nick is not expected to return for the remainder of the 2014/15 season.
"I understand Nick is out of surgery and is in good spirits. Coach Bine Norcic and teammate Nick Alexander are with him now at the hospital. Nick is one of the most friendly and supportive athletes on the USASJ team. He’s always the first person to lend a hand or offer words of encouragement to his teammates,” USA Ski Jumping Board Chairman Rex Bell said. “I know I speak for the whole US ski jumping and nordic combined community when I wish Nick a speedy and full recovery from his injuries."
Today was not a good day for USA ski jumpers. I had a gnarly crash in the first training round and ended up in the medical cabin for a little while. In walks Nick Fairall, presumably to check in and make sure everything was okay. He's just a good guy like that. I then noticed he had a wet suit and a very red face... we had both fallen victims to the tough landing hill conditions and ended up on our faces. At that point all we could do was laugh at this strange predicament we ...were in. We took a little time to cool down and catch our breaths before heading back to the top. We both decided to skip the second training round to prepare for the qualification round, to get our feet back under ourselves. I had an issue coming off the bar which sort of threw me for the rest of that jump. I just missed qualifying. I headed back of the top and got to watch Fairall fly past and out of sight. He looked good, like he was really on one. Then I heard the crowd gasp and the commentator speaking with a very serious voice. Nick had again fallen victim to the sticky landing conditions. I rushed to the cabin, changed and zipped down to the bottom. Nick was headed to the hospital. His skis were still at the bottom so I grabbed those and raced back up to the top. I grabbed all of our gear and rushed to the hospital to see Nick headed for surgery and got word of the situation from Bine. That was a tough moment. Nick and I have jumped together since we were 12 and it wasn't easy seeing this guy I've known for such a long time on a bed prepped and headed to surgery. It took about two hours and the surgeon came out and told Bine, Canadian coach Gregor and I that it had gone perfectly. That was some of the best news to hear all day. Nick is in good spirits and he appreciates all of the positive support he has received from the ski jumping community and friends. I've been impressed with his positive attitude through this ordeal and we can all learn something from him. Even though today was hellish for him, he has remained positive. Nick, you're an inspiration to all of us and I'm wishing you a speedy recovery. Stay strong buddy.
Simon ist in Bischofshofen schwer gestürzt - wir wünschen gute Besserung! Simons Zustand ist stabil, ist ansprechbar und kann alles bewegen. Er ist im Spital und wird morgen Mittag noch einmal untersucht.
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