For April Polito, pain has simply become a part of the normal routine.

Be it black and blue marks, bruises, broken bones or blisters, the injury bug has continued its vengeful grip upon Penn State's junior all-arounder.

Yet through it all, Polito has continued to bite right back, unrestful in her retaliation.

"I've always had little nagging injuries," the Pittsburgh native admitted. "It might just be stupid things that I do."

She suffered her latest bite at the Cat Classic earlier this season, when she severely sprained her ankle on the floor exercise.

But in typical Polito style, she finished that meet anyway.

"She's a tough one," Coach Steve Shephard said. "She makes everyone else realize that they can overcome similar problems."

The former All-American missed the season's next two meets before edging her way back into the lineup. Two weeks ago, she came .025 points away from defending her Northeast Regional all-around title.

It was just another routinely remarkable comeback for Polito, who returned from a broken foot last season to score a 39.025 at last year's regional meet.

For April Polito, rest is a four-letter word.

"She's always been one of the hardest-working athletes we have," Shephard said.

But why does this overpowering gymnast, with an iron frame and nerves of steel, continue to be bothered by one ailment after another?

"I think she's the kind of athlete that is more prone to injury," Shephard said. "Stronger athletes like that do have a lot of problems with injuries."

Polito points the finger at her notoriously weak ankles for this season's wound. "A lot of times I would hurt it just walking," she smiled.

And because she had sprained the inside of her ankle, the pain emanating from Polito's lower leg was even more excruciating. "It was just a little more sensitive, and harder to push myself back in," she said.

But in this powerful redhead's mind, pain is simply not a factor --especially when regionals and nationals roll around.

"It wasn't too bad in competition," she said. "If you're in competition you feel the adrenaline pumping. (The pain) wasn't enough to stop me from what I was going to do."

Polito's ankle is now "97 to 98 percent healed" as the Lady Lions head to the NCAA Championships Thursday through Saturday in Corvallis, Ore. And despite wavering health, her goals are undiminished.

"I'm about as healthy as I can be right now. Lately I've been feeling so much better," she said. "Personally, I would like to hit four for four (at nationals) and hit them the best of all year."

All-America status is also not a pipe dream for Polito, who won the honor on vault as a freshman. In addition, she was 10th in the all-around last season.

"She's capable of making the top 10 in the all-around (again)," Shephard said. "I think she's more ready for this meet than she has been for a meet up to this point."

In fact, the only thing holding back April Polito is, well, April Polito. She admits that lately, she's been "thinking too much."

"I think about it too much and don't just let it happen," she said of her routines. "Instead of doing my cues I analyze them. I've been fighting that battle."

It's just one more battle in the ongoing war that April Polito has waged against her own physical and mental states.

Next year, Polito will have one more chance to journey through a season free of bites from the injury bug -- and if it happens, the possibilities are endless.

"April's capable of what April wants to do," Shephard said. "If she sets her goals high, she's going to reach those heights."

And then she can finally rest.