Haley Hall Steed overcoming her ACL injury

The Deseret News reports:

Quitting seemed such a viable option to Haley Hall Steed that it felt more like accepting reality than giving up. It felt more like she was acknowledging the truth or taking the very painful hint that life was hitting her with over and over than waving the white flag.

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That's because there is such a fine line between determination and foolish futility. And sometimes a blessing looks an awful lot like a curse.

In the dark days that followed her third consecutive season-ending knee injury, the BYU point guard thought about quitting a lot. But as she contemplated giving up on her childhood dream of playing college basketball, she felt something more powerful than the disappointment that had come to define her first three seasons at BYU.

She began to feel gratitude.

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USC senior tears ACL in left knee

ESPN reports:

USC senior guard Jacki Gemelos, once the top high school recruit in the country and a current nominee for the Naismith Award as women's college basketball's best player, has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

It is the fourth time she has torn the ACL in her knees and the fifth time she will have an ACL reconstruction surgery.

Although she will miss the rest of USC's season, which effectively ends her college career, she vowed Tuesday that her career is not over.

"I'm not done. I can't walk away like this. I won't walk away like this," Gemelos told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "I feel like I have so much more to give. I'm only 23. I'm not ready to hang it up. I'm ready to get my surgery done and get my rehab going and then shock the world."

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UConn Women Don't Let ACL Injuries Stop Them

CTPost.com reports:

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The fact that Caroline Doty is back in the starting lineup for the UConn women's basketball team this season should not come as a surprise. Not even after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee for the third time last year -- all in less than four years.

Doty grew up in Collegeville, Pa., with two brothers -- her twin, Kevin Jr., and Mike, who is 15 months younger. Caroline was taught early on to persevere and confront challenges head-on. Whether it was playing kickball or Capture the Flag, having dunk contests off of a crate or playing football on the front lawn with her brothers, Caroline never backed down.

"She was a tough kid," Kevin Doty Sr. said. "She got in her share of scuffles and her brothers had her back. But if her brothers got in scuffles, she was the first one in. Just playing on the playground and playing in the driveway, she was `one of the guys' because she was able to compete with them.''

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ACL injury doesn't keep player's spirits down

NaplesNews.com reports:

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Watching games and practices from the sidelines was not part of the game plan for Mallory Motycka’s final season of basketball at South Fort Myers High School.

Instead of hitting jump shots and snagging rebounds — as she has done for the past four years on the varsity team — Motycka is now in the early stages of coping with a season-ending injury as best she can.

Having already signed with Division II’s Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Motycka was poised to shine during her final high school season, a year that figured to be a stronger one for South after the team managed just three wins in the previous season.

“This was going to be my takeoff season. I was pumped for the season,” said Motycka, a hard-working 5-foot-9 forward with a sharp shooting touch, strong defensive skills and an overall keen sense for the game.

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Appreciating every step

The Orlando Sentinel reports:

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Lake Mary's Courtney McDaniel has learned to appreciate every step she takes on the soccer field these days.

The senior has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee twice — injuries that required surgery, forcing her to miss most of her sophomore season and all of her junior season.

"I don't want to leave anything on the field, because every time I play, I know it can be taken away that quickly," McDaniel said. "When I'm out there, I really want to do my part, because I wasn't able to do it the last two years."

Now healthy, McDaniel has thrived for the host Rams (10-3), accounting for six goals and four assists heading into a matchup with Hagerty (10-2-2) at 5 p.m. Friday in the semifinals of the Julie Weber Classic.

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Three ACL Tears Have Not Stopped Doty

CT News Blog reports:

The fact that Caroline Doty is back in the starting lineup for the UConn women’s basketball team this season should not come as a surprise. Not even after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee for the third time last year.

Doty grew up in Collegeville, Pa. with two brothers – her twin, Kevin Jr. and Mike, who is 15 months younger. They were known simply as the “The Doty’s’’ in the neighborhood. Caroline was taught early on to persevere and confront challenges head-on. Whether it was playing kickball or Capture the Flag, having dunk contests off of a crate or playing football on the front lawn with her brothers, Caroline never backed down.

She once crashed into a tree in the front yard when Mike used the tree as a pick as he was running a pattern in a game. Caroline got back up. She was mad and ready to exact revenge on the very next play. She credits her toughness, the same toughness that drove her to relentlessly attack her rehabilitation in an effort to continue her basketball career. Even if it was three times in a span of less than four years.

“She was a tough kid,’’ Kevin Doty Sr. said. “She got in her share of scuffles and her brothers had her back. But if her brothers got in scuffles she was the first one in. So she was a tough kid. Just playing on the playground and playing in the driveway, she was `one of the guys’ because she was able to compete with them. She enjoyed it and it was all good.’’

Doty is one of many players who have played under Coach Geno Auriemma who have suffered a serious injury at UConn and were able to successfully continue their career. All-Americans Shea Ralph, who is currently a Huskies’ assistant coach, and Sue Bird top the list.

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Athlete recovers from, unimaginably, four ACL injuries!

The Bellingham Herald reports:

To say Meridian senior girls' basketball player Ali Wasel was a bit eager leading up to the Trojans' season opener against Coupeville on Dec. 2 is a drastic understatement.

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While most athletes are anxious to get back on the hardwood and hear the cheers of the crowd for the first time after a long offseason, Wasel hadn't been able to experience the joys of suiting up for the Trojans since her freshman season in 2009.

"The night before (the game) I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep," Wasel said in a phone interview. "My adrenaline was pumping, and I didn't know what was going on during my classes that day. My heart was really pumping when I got on the bus, and I got more nervous as we got ready to leave (for Coupeville)."

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Macalester ACL tear "outbreak"

The Mac Weekly reports:

In the early overtime minutes of her team's first conference match of the year, Macalester women's soccer midfielder Emily Humphreys '13 went down and knew she wasn't getting back up.

"I was running to go get the ball and on the way I stepped in a divot and just went down," Emily told me, months later, in an email. "It was like the feeling of walking down the stairs when you think you're at the bottom but there is still one more step to go, so you hit the ground with your leg fully extended."

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In the third game of Macalester's football season, inside linebacker Levi Brown '14 left the field after his knee gave out during a tackle.

"I got off of the field without any help and as soon as I sat down it began feeling much better," Levi said. "The trainers put a brace on my knee and I was running around on the sideline so I was cleared to go back in, but before I could make a play my knee gave out again on the field. The pain was ten times worse."

Early in the Macalester volleyball season, outside hitter Mattie Hill '13 hit the ground after landing on the other team's right-side hitter.

"When I went to turn, I couldn't pivot and my knee rotated without my leg rotating with it," Mattie wrote me. "I knew right away."

What Mattie knew was that this moment wasn't one she'd soon forget—because like Emily, Levi and at least five other Macalester athletes, she'd just torn a ligament crucial to her knee, the anterior cruciate ligament (A.C.L.). She knew that her season was over before it had really begun, because she'd soon be navigating on crutches and making daily visits to the training room. She knew that as soon as her swelling went down, she'd be scheduling reconstructive knee surgery. And she knew that after surgery, she'd be back in the Leonard Center every day, slowly rebuilding her strength on a four-to-six-month road to recovery.

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Kristine Best out for the season

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports:

Marist College women’s basketball head coach Brian Giorgis confirmed Wednesday that Kristine Best, a senior guard on the Red Foxes’ women’s team tore her left anterior cruciate ligament at practice earlier this week, an injury that will likely sideline her for the remainder of the 2011-12 season.

“She’s out for the year,’’ Giorgis said. “She’s trying to set up an appointment with The Hospital for Special Surgeries (in Manhattan) and we’ll apply for a medical redshirt. Hopefully, we’ll have her back next year.’’

The injury occurred on Monday, and the Red Foxes received the final diagnosis late Tuesday.

On crutches, Best was one of several Marist women’s players who attended Wednesday’s men’s basketball game between the Red Foxes and the Army Black Knights at McCann Arena.

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Making the most of what you're given

Enterprisenews.com reports:

The first knee injury prevented her from playing the entire 2006 girls soccer season at Rockland High School.

Amanda Panaro tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during summer soccer, wiping out her junior season with the Bulldogs.

The second knee injury came a year later when Panaro again tore the ACL in her right knee, causing her to sit out the first half of her senior season in 2007.

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After being sidelined for much of her final two years in high school, Panaro didn’t have high hopes for a future in soccer.

“I thought my college career was over then,’’ said Panaro. “I thought there’s no way I can play in college. No coach is going to look at someone who has torn their ACL twice in high school.’’

Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H., gave Panaro a shot beginning in the fall of 2008, and it turned out to be a wise move by the Ravens.

The player with a history of knee ailments earned All-Northeast-10 Conference honors four consecutive seasons and made the Daktronics Div. 2 All-America second team as a junior in 2010 when she was also a first-team All-East Region selection. Panaro scored 32 goals with six assists in 68 career games.

“It was a blessing to be able to play,’’ said Panaro, who was a midfielder as a freshman, was a back as a sophomore and a forward the final two years. “I never thought I would be able to have such a successful career, especially at such a successful program like Franklin Pierce.

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Working to Overcome an ACL Tear

The Indpendent Florida Alligator reports:

Freshman guard Carlie Needles planted her left foot to cut right, but she never completed the move.

Needles crumpled to the floor untouched after suffering tears to the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her left knee.

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Just like that, her season was over before it even began.

Needles is not the first Gator that has lost a season due to ACL woes.

Sophomore Lily Svete and senior Ndidi Madu, both forwards, also took medical redshirts during their respective freshman seasons due to ACL injuries.

When Needles originally injured her knee, she thought she had merely hyperextended it and that ice treatments would be the cure.

Madu’s situation was similar.

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Athlete doesn't let her injury hold her back

Journal Online reports:

This Thursday the Maine West girls gymnastics team faces conference foe Maine East. Despite a fierce crosstown rivalry, this meet is taking on more of a personal tone for West senior Michelle Madalinski.

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It was against Maine East last year when Madalinski tore an ACL in her knee, sidelining her the rest of the season.

But the returning state qualifier isn't letting an injury ruin her final year at West. The injury limits her ability to compete in all gymnastics events. So she's putting her focus on competing on bars and beam. Her goal is to eventually compete in all events by the end of the season.

"I've never been injured before so I've never known I had any limitations," Madalinski said.

It was during her floor routine last year when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. She landed on her left leg after completing a twist, but when she took her next step her leg gave out, which kept her from finishing.

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Player comes to terms with ACL injury

Knox News reports:

Marjorie Butler has met big challenges throughout her athletic career. None are bigger than the one she now faces.

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The Webb School senior basketball guard and track star will have surgery Wednesday in Knoxville to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee sustained Nov. 25 during a game in Memphis.

Butler, who has signed to play basketball for Georgia, will miss the rest of the season and all of track season. She plans to complete a full rehabilitation and be ready for summer workouts at Georgia.

The injury was a crushing blow at first for Butler, but she has come to grips with it now.

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Megan Malloy’s final season at Penfield

The Penfield Post reports:

“I have had a Malloy in the program for all 11 years I have been here,” said Penfield girls basketball coach Mark Vogt.

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“Jamie graduated in 2006 and went on to play at Nazareth. She is currently in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Megan is a senior this year. Her story is coming back from two anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. She was sixth man as a freshman on the sectional championship team. Blew out each knee in the spring of her freshman and sophomore years.

“Megan has not had the career we thought, but is finally healthy and will have a big year,” Vogt said.
Like her sister, Megan is a four-year varsity player and a captain.

“They are two of the most significant players during my time here,” said Vogt. “It is kind of like the end of an era.”

Malloy sustained her two ACL injuries while playing lacrosse.

“That’s where I got hurt the first time,” Malloy said. “Then I got hurt during sectionals in lacrosse the second time. Lacrosse is a lot like basketball, so it helps a lot. It’s different, but it’s definitely very similar.
“It’s really helpful to be a similar sport, so it’s easy to go from one to the other.” Click here to continue reading.

Columbia College women's basketball player tears ACL

The Columbia Missourian reports:

Kayla Rice tore an anterior cruciate ligament in her knee Friday at practice, Columbia College women's basketball coach Mike Davis said.

The senior guard was the American Midwest Conference player of the week last week with a 27-point game against the University of the Cumberlands.

Rice was not available for comment.

After injuries to teammates Laurel Wichmann and Amanda Phillips earlier this season, Rice's injury leaves the Cougars with eight healthy players.

Katie Rigby is the player of the year!

Phillyburbs.com reports:

Last season, Katie Rigby was still an Indian, she just couldn’t play.

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The Lenape forward tore her ACL and missed her junior season, a season in which the Indians won their fourth consecutive state Group 4 title.

This year she was back and the rest of the state found out the hard way.
Rigby scored 22 goals and led the Indians to their fifth straight state Group 4 title. What was more impressive about her 22 goals, is that nine of them came in the playoffs.

“She had a tremendous year,” Lenape coach Kevin Meder said. “She took on the role of not letting her team lose. Her best soccer came in the playoffs, when it mattered the most.”

Earlier this season, while playing Shawnee, Renegades coach Drew Wagner yelled to his girls, “You can’t give her that much space. She’s the best player on the field! She might be the best player on the planet!” Click here to continue reading.

Rehabbing knee will sideline Blount

Tampa Bay Online reports:

It looks like the best girls soccer player in Pasco County won't be playing her junior season.

Last week, Wiregrass Ranch girls coach Erin Dodd said junior scoring sensation A.J. Blount will probably scrap what's left of this season as not to re-injure her right knee where she tore her MCL and ACL during a club-soccer game in September.

"Her rehab is going great, progressing just fine, but it's not in the best interest of anyone involved to bring her back just for it happen all over again right after the fact," said Dodd, who coached the Bulls to a region final appearance last season.

Blount, who has 68 goals, 18 assists, 109 shots and 154 points in two seasons, would also need to play in four district games to be eligible for the district tournament beginning Jan. 16, and even then, it's no guarantee Wiregrass (5-3) will be one of the two region quarterfinal teams.

"The adjustment (of not having Blount) for the girls has not been as overwhelming as they thought, but every position has stepped up in her absence," Dodd said. Click here to continue reading.

Ashley Albritton plays it safe with ACL tear so she can return to sports!

The Jacket Buzz reports:

Senior Ashley Albritton and former starter for the Lady Jacket soccer team is sidelined from a career ending ACL tear. Albritton has torn her ACL fully twice in her eighth and eleventh grade years, separated by a partial tear her sophomore year.

Although Albritton ran cross country, she says she knew she was still likely to hurt herself again in the coming soccer season.

“I had to make my own decision to not play this year,” Albritton said. “I know I would hurt it again and I want to be able to stay very healthy and be able to play tennis this season. I don’t want to risk it at all.” Click here to continue reading.

Girls More Likely to Tear ACL, Proper Warm-Ups Help

Chicago Fox News reports:

High school girls are six more times likely than boys to suffer a sports-related injury to their ACL. Dr. Cynthia Labella of Northwestern Medicine joined us to explain why.

Each year in the United States over 20,000 high school girls suffer a serious sports-related knee injury, Dr. Labella said. There are neuromuscular differences between girls and boys. Several studies have shown that girls tend to have less neuromuscular control of knee motion than boys while performing certain athletic tasks, such as landing from a jump or changing direction suddenly. During these athletic tasks, girls tend to demonstrate less use of the hamstring muscles, less knee and hip flexion, and greater inward collapse of the knees than boys. These neuromuscular patterns have been associated with a greater risk for ACL injuries, according to Dr. Labella. Click here to continue reading.

Alyssa Chin back after injury

The Cayman News Service reports:

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After eight months of rehabilitation recovering from a torn acl knee injury, seventeen year old Alyssa Chin returned to the Cayman Islands Women's National Program this week. Chin who attends the Raburn Gap Nacoochee School in Georgia, USA returns after a long layoff from football, at times the long road back from injury had Alyssa questioning whether she would ever play football again, but as she re-joined her team mates in her first week of training since the injury it was clear to see she was happy to be back. Chin represented the Cayman Islands at the under 17 level, she was part of the Cayman team that made it to the final round of World Cup qualification back in 2010. Click here to continue reading.