By Nicole Dreon, ESPN

After the 2010 Winter Olympics, both Daron Rahlves and Casey Puckett suggested that they may retire. And while each has greatly reduced his race schedule for 2010-11, both are returning to Winter X to compete in Skier X.

One of the favorites for gold at Winter X 2010, Rahlves’ day was cut short in Skier X when he went down hard in the rhythm section during the quarterfinal and dislocated his right hip for the fourth time in his career. “I had a little more speed than I thought, and I tried to stay in the draft as long as possible,” says Rahlves, now 37. “I was watching the terrain and not the person in front of me.”

Daron Rahlves

When Rahlves was taken off the course in a sled and sent to the Aspen Valley Hospital, his chances of making a fourth Olympic appearance less than a month later seemed slim. But he remained positive that he would return for Vancouver.

With the assistance of a PRP shot, which used his own blood to help regenerate soft tissue, he was ready to go for the Olympics. “It is the best procedure ever,” says Rahlves. “It was like super juice. It was the only way I was able to recover so quickly.” The only thing that wasn’t easy about the procedure was getting it approved by the IOC in such a short amount of time.

“Once you get within three weeks of the Olympics, things like that get tough,” said Rahlves. “Luckily, a doctor in South Lake Tahoe helped me get it authorized and helped deal with all the bureaucracy.”

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