 A million miles from care and not yet laid up with a career threatening injury. Kai, Ments. Pic: Smithy SYDNEY, NSW / Australia - Kai Otton (AUS), 30, has every right to feel like the forgotten soldier of the ASP elite. While plenty of kafuffle has been made of Joel Parkinson's sickening heel injury, the plight of the goofy footer (with the raga muffin hair) goes virtually unnoticed. Lovers of fine backhand surfing may have noticed something was a miss when his tail-wafting-whacks weren't spotted along the long lined walls of Jeffery's Bay - but is he really going to miss Teahupoo too? Tracks spoke with the man who placed fifth in the Quiksilver Pro event at Snapper this year, stopped Kelly Slaters run for a Ninth world title in Brazil in '08 and has been a semi finalist in the coliseum that is Teahupoo. This is what he had to say… Kai, what's the deal with your injury? I have got three bulging discs in my neck and the doctors prognosis is that I have a narrowing of one of the bones where your spinal cord travels down and I'm pretty susceptible to such an injury so it's going to be pretty horrific, which it has been. So I've got a lot of never referral going down my right arm. I thought I was all right there for a while and I went for a surf about two weeks before J-Bay (because I hadn't surfed in six weeks) I couldn't paddle with my right arm. It was basically turned off because of the nerves. I basically have a numb thumb, which is pretty serious when your fingers go numb. But I've had some improvement in the last four days so it's coming along. Prior to that though it was terrible. Do you remember when it happened? It's a lot of that wear and tear you get in our sport. Paddling the way we do, and, um, I just got pole-axed [See: severe wipe-out] at South Narra [Narrabeen] and I hadn't warmed up this one day so I got axed and couldn't turn my head to the right at all afterwards. What's it been like being stuck at home when a big events on? I actually haven't had a break in the last eight years of competing so sitting on the sideline for one was all right. I wouldn't want to do it too much longer. Especially when the waves were good, which they were you know. If it was really terrible and a bit slow I wouldn't have worried but it was a four-day special at J-Bay - it was pumping! Nice to sit back and watch it online (or on Fuel TV) and get a feel for the stage you're normally competing on? With an injury like this it's not about whether you're missing surfing – that's minor. An injury like this can be career ending if you don't treat it right. You look forward to hopefully holding a kid one day in the future, have a family and that - these things can go so pear-shaped you may never do that stuff at all! I just want to get it right so it doesn't blow out even worse. I've got a mate back home (in Tathra) for example, that was the keenest surfer ever, he got a bulged disc adjusted via surgery and has never surfed again! So I'm not fussed about getting back in the water until I'm right.  The many faces (and hair do's) of Mr Kai 'Otz' Otton. All pics: ASP From a spectator's point of view what did you think of the judging at the Billabong Pro at J-Bay? Yeah. I think, well, I didn't have too many issues with it in the past anyway to be perfectly honest with you. I think you win, you lose, you can whinge or you can't. What goes around comes around, especially for guys that have been on tour for a long time. I'm sure they chose to remember the times when they felt they got ripped off rather than the ones they got ripped on in! But I think it all evens out. Especially from being in a few comps and then having to sit out J-Bay I thought it was really good. Who stood out among the surfers (apart from Jordy Smith)? Well, I told all my mates that Jordy would win it first off, he was just surfing that good. I thought being a goofy-footer yourself Matt Wilkinson might have caught your eye? Yeah, he was throwing some big heat, throwing some big tail. It was good! To kinda lose the tail and keep speed on that wave is pretty good. He's really talented. Okay, will you be competing in the Billabong Pro in Tahiti? I'll say I'll definitely miss Tahiti. I've wiped it. It's just too gnarly of a wave for this kind of injury. Parko's going to be a worthy recipient of one of the injury wildcards, that leaves on... What about the cut off after Teahupoo? Worried? There are two injury wildcards and yes I'm applying for one of them, but I'm pretty sure I won't need it. I'm 22nd on the ratings now and I find it hard to see how I could drop ten spots after one event. It just doesn't happen, as those guys at the tail end have to surf against each other. It sounds like Parko won't surf again till Hawaii. He's gone. He's probably always going to get that first one over the top of me, yeah, so there's kinda one spot there. I guess I've got to sit back, cross my fingers, and hope that no one gets injured. You have to arm chair ride it out and hope that no one in the back end goes ballistic? Yeah, basically. That's going to be wild! I want to watch it with you and some chips and dips? I'm not worried about the back half of the year; I'll get a wild card for sure. That's guaranteed. But it's just for Trestles onwards I'll have to see what happens after that. Being out this long puts a dint in your cause and makes it a little tougher when you got just two events to surf in to try get back up into the top 22 for the final cut off after Pipe. *Note below  Dropping the wallet is one of Kai's favourite moves – and it shows. Pic: Smithy Apart from watching surfing what else has Kai Otton been doing while he's been out of the water? I've basically moved to the Goldy [Gold Coast, Qld] and been seeing Jan Carton my trainer. She's got a lot of good ideas for this kind of injury and does an amazing job. She's all time. I've also been seeing a guy called Chris Prosser. They work independently from one another but between the two my injury recovery has been binding well. So, you've rented a big apartment looking over Kirra, flash cars in the garage and all that? Nah, Jan looks after me. She has an apartment under her house that I stay in so I've basically bunked down here. We call it the organic factory. It's pretty clean living out the back of the hills behind Mudgerabah, right in the bush. I've been down here for the last four weeks and I'm tossing up actually moving here - I like it. I'm always here to train and that so we'll see what happens. Thanks Kai. *Note: Article 7: Men’s World Tour - ASP World Rankings (Bridge Year 2010) 7.01 On 3 September, 2010 (final day of the Billabong, Tahiti Event), the top 32 Surfers according to the ASP World Title Race points will qualify as the Men’s World Tour Surfers for the remainder of the ASP World Tour Events in 2010. The Surfers rated 33-45 who do not qualify can continue to compete in all other ASP Events provided they have completed what is required to compete in the relevant Events (e.g. entry conditions for the relevant Event). TAKEN FROM THE OFFICIAL ASP RULES BOOK 2010
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Comments (6)
Wednesday, 18 August 2010 04:28
6
oink pigly wigly
i like buttons.
Monday, 16 August 2010 11:59
5
HappyMonday
If I may add a suggestion, - Kai, I had similar injury in neck with severe pain in right arm (C6 And C7 pinching nerves). Tried Cortisone neck injection, did not help. Go see Beecroft Physiotherapy -Stephen)(20 mins from Manly) they have medX neck strengthening machine. It has worked for me. and no surgery yet. This is the only MEDX neck Machine in Australia that I know of. It specifically strengthens neck muscles holding your head - taking strain off the bones/vertebrae thus reducing compression of nerve..(Does anyone know if Kai will actually read this? - Please pass it on if you know him and think it will help
Saturday, 07 August 2010 01:02
4
wow
those first three comments are about as fkcn random as I've seen on any post. seriously.
Thursday, 05 August 2010 18:57
3
julie mays
Is Kai Steve Otton's son. Steve was the original "Picture show man, traveling countryside to show surf movies in the 70's. They look alike. Steve also made surf movie "Highway 1" in 70's.
Thursday, 05 August 2010 14:37
2
Michael Yankaus
message to Kai: I am a Transcendental Meditation program instructor and Yoga/Fitness professional near Santa Cruz Ca. I was formerly Art Director at O'Neill Wetsuits & Sportswear (dual career interests; www.yankaus.com), and an avid surfer. I have had two major whiplash injuries, with disc and ligament damage in my neck, similar to yours. I recommend that you look into a treatment called the Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology (MVVT) program (www.vedicvibration.com). I went through months of Physical Therapy, especially after the second injury, and the MVVT program program had the most substantial effect of everything I tried. I healed almost completely. Unfortunately I damaged my neck again by free falling on it at Sewer Peak SC last year, and this time it damaged the Supra Scapular Nerve. I was bedridden, until I repeated the MVVT process and it healed almost overnight. I am surfing regularly with zero pain, and I am twice your age. I suggest you do a series of four 3-hour MVVT consultation sessions, rather than just one. Definitely try it before even thinking of surgery. You can ask me questions directly at: michael@yankaus.com. Wishing you the best. I am a huge fan of your surfing, and was looking to see you finish the year in the top 5. Seriously. You have massive talent. You will heal completely.
Thursday, 05 August 2010 01:40
1
cauli rodrigues
i do not comment;what i want to know is the photografer AITTION is still alive?if heis alive i would like to know his emailtogive a comment ihave three disc hernias the best thing to do is to swim,it reliefs from the pain sincerely cauli rodrigues