A broken hand won’t keep Dane Reynolds out of Lowers

Dane Reynolds’ entry into this year’s Hurley Pro at Trestles was the most interesting thing to happen since, like, John John’s oop in Bali. In the semis of Hurley’s video trials, Dane faced comparatively unknown Cam Richards. Cam leveraged social media. Dane activated Instagram and entered the fray. All of a sudden, it felt like high school president election, with Jaden Smith, Tony Hawk and Kelly Slater backing campaigns. In the end, ordeal done with, Dane won. And then he beat Luke Davis in the finals. Balance restored, etc.

And now, four days before the waiting period begins, it’s likely Dane’s wrist injury will keep him from firing at top speed. While surfing Macaronis in the Mentawais last week, Dane tried a heelside grab air, didn’t grease it and landed with his hand wedged between his leg and his #4.

This morning, Dane again took to social media to reveal that he has a spiral fracture on the metacarpal, and sprained TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex, a ligament group). He captioned with: “diagram of my injured hand for DGO global (though, Stab believes Dane means DJO Global, makers of sports braces). tryin to get a suitable brace so i can surf in trestles comp next week.”

Not all hope is lost. John John surfed in a brace after returning from ankle injury, even noting that it made him feel safer. And, Dane’s message suggests that he has every intention to compete. It’s not entirely surprising that he’s prepared to grit his teeth through a coupla heats, though, considering his exhaustive levels of preparation (by Dane Reynolds standards) – when Stab asked Dane about his measure of confidence at Lowers, he said: “I’m gonna try my best. I’ve been trying to eat right and not drink. I mean, not train, but just not be a lazy fat-ass. Well, I was never lazy, but I just have a sweet tooth and like junk food n’ shit. So I’ve been trying to eat right and exercise and get back to, uh, athletic shape (laughs).”

If Dane does withdraw, his spot will go to video trials runner-up, Luke Davis. Other change-ups include Pat Gudauskas, Yadin Nicol and (real life trials runner-up) Ian Crane filling spots that injured Owen Wright, Dusty Payne and Micro Hall have left. Taigo Pires and Alejo Muniz are on the fence – if they withdraw, then Nate Yeomans and Mike Dunphy, who finished equal third in the real life trials, will be pulling on jerseys.

So at present, it’s looking like Dane will surf, albeit with strapped wrist. And, hopefully minimal apprehension.

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