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Sports

Growing numbers of serious injuries sideline athletes

By GLENN BILLMAN
and CARMEN VESCIA
Staff Reporters
Sprinting down the field, she gasps
for air and sweat trickles down her face.
All that matters is reaching the ball. She
can hear the thud of footsteps quickly
approaching. Suddenly, the wind is
knocked out of her as she collides with
an opponent. She loses her footing
and crashes to the ground. Her foot is
pinned underneath the other player.
Her leg is held fast as her torso twists.
SNAP! A sharp pain shoots up her
leg. She tries to stand, but falls. Her face
contorts as a wave of pain floods her
body. Its over.
One faulty step, misjudged tackle or
swift kick is all it takes for an athlete to
tear a ligament, break a bone or even
rupture an organ.
Sophomore soccer player Carly Aozasa was forced to watch from the sidelines as her teammates prepared for the
upcoming season because she tore her
medial collateral ligament (MCL) at a
soccer tournament, but continued to
play, further damaging it.
Youre in a mindset where you dont
care about anything else but the game,
Aozasa said. You put soccer before

Photo by Glenn Billman

It kills me every second Im not out there with them, sophomore Abby Mejia
said. Mejia has been forced to watch soccer team from afar, due to a torn ACL.
your body.
Many athletes have become accustomed to the sometimes dangerous
physicality of sports.
Probably about half the people [on
the team] have been injured at one
point or another, sophomore soccer
player Phoebe Hopp said. I think its
more demanding than people realize.
There are no pads. A couple of weeks
ago I got kicked in the face, but youve

just got to roll with it.

Varsity girls soccer coach Melissa
Schmidt knows how difficult an injury
can be. Her soccer career ended early,
at the age of 19, when she blew out her
knee playing in Sweden.
If youre really competitive, you
dont want to quit, Schmidt said. It
was hard to lose the sport.
Soccer players are not the only athletes who have experienced injury this

fall. Freshman wide receiver Anthony

Escobedo was confined to a wheelchair
after he cracked his spleen as a result of a
hard hit during a football game this past
September. He spent a week in the hospital, and then two and a half weeks at
home before he returned to school.
When Im in a wheelchair, you
know, I cant do a lot of things I used to.
I have to take it easy, Escobedo said.
Freshman Sisihangale Haunga, a running back and line backer, cracked his
tibia and fractured his fibula during a
tackling drill on Oct. 8.
When I went in to the hospital,
they said they would put screws in my
legs and then [shape] it back to place,
Haunga said. [The doctor] said my
leg [was] too fragile to go to school. He
[didnt] want it to hit things and shift
inside.
On Nov. 15, Haunga got his cast
off, and returned to school after over a
month of absence. However, his leg will
not be completely recovered for another
four to six months.
Despite the setbacks of being injured, Haunga, Escobedo and Aozasa all
maintain the hope of playing next year.
I dont think [my injury] will affect my
future, Aozasa said. If anything, Ill go
harder.

Giants sweep fans off their feet

victory.
said. They became a never say
In the weeks following the die ball club, they fought for
win, several factors have over- each other, and kept the same
shadowed the Giants triumph. goal throughout the postseaRioters in San Francisco over- son: win today.
turned and set fire to a Muni
Instead of getting caught up
Forget the rioting in San bus, which cost the city thou- in the controversy, some fans
Francisco after a World Series sands
of
are simply
victory. Forget the controversy dollars in
relising in the
What the team accomplished on
surrounding All-Star outfielder repairs.
World Series
the field is what we as fans should victory.
Melky Cabrera when he was
For some
convicted of using perfor- fans,
the celebrate
The GiSenior Connor Grossman ants should
mance enhancing drugs. For- world series
get last seasons failure to reach victory albe rememthe postseason. Forget all of ready seems
bered
for
the bandwagon fans the Gi- to be in the rear-view mirror, coming back and being the
ants have
and this most devoted team in MLB,
acquire d
arise of sophomore Jenette Masarie
over the
chaos is said.
past few
their main
Grossman agrees that fans
years.
f o c u s . should only focus on the game.
R e While
What the team accommember
this
is plished on the field is what
instead
definitely we as fans should celebrate,
the resila promi- Grossman said.
ience of
nent issue,
Rioters werent Giants fans,
your Gisome fans they were just looking for a reaants and
b e l i e v e son to go crazy, and unfortutheir reit should nately that became the World
fusal to
not cloud Series win, Grossman said.
give up.
over the
Again and again, the Giants
Rememvictory.
resilient attitude and unwillber the
What ingness to give in lead them
savory
should be to a World Series victory. The
smell of
r e m e m - Giants encaptured many stuPhoto courtesy of Albert Smith
garlic fries Fans celebrated the World Series win bered is how dents and faculty at Sequoia
as
you at the parade on Oct. 31.
such a differ- as well with their camaraderie,
walked up
ent, unique teamwork, and overall persothe steps
group of guys came together na.
of AT&T park. And remember when it really mattered and
It inspired me because I
your joy when Sergio Romo developed chemistry at the end play softball and it showed me
struck out Miguel Cabrera to of the season and then the play- that you can still come back afclinch the 2012 World Series offs, senior Conor Grossman ter bad games, said Masarie.

By JARRETT CROWELL
and DALIA JUDE
Page Editor and
Staff Reporter

Overall, the Giants had a

magical season, and the fact
that they won in such dramatic
fashion should be enough for
fans.
I think we all know and
believe that if you think some-

AVID from page 6

The percentage of AVID

students who are accepted to
a four-year college has now increased to 100 percent.
It is not easy being an AVID

thing is achievable as long as you

are willing to work hard enough
for it and believe it can happen
you can get it done, Giants
catcher Buster Posey said during
his speech at the 2012 World Series parade in San Francisco.
student. We have to fight for
what we want. It takes dedication and hard work. We make
sure our voices are heard, loud
and clear. And its something I
am extremely proud of.