With the season nearing and preparation time dwindling, the Penn State women's gymnastics team has been welcomed with something every team hopes to avoid -- injuries.
The latest injury occurred Saturday when senior Alexandra Brockway suffered a severe ankle sprain in the first practice following Thanksgiving break.
The 2009 All-American said the injury occurred during a routine warm-up she and her teammates do at the beginning of every practice.
Brockway said she was lucky her father happened to be there, and she went to the emergency room where the doctor told Brockway she had a small bone chip, some bone spurs and a severely sprained ankle, which she described as the size of a softball. Brockway said the doctor at the emergency room told her that her ankle will probably take six weeks to heal.
Brockway is not the only Nittany Lion battling injuries. Freshman Sharaya Musser suffered a hairline fracture on her right foot after falling off the beam and rolling her ankle at a recent practice and said she may be forced to miss the opening meet on Jan. 8.
Freshman Susan Martens is still recovering from shoulder surgery she had in the summer, but Penn State coach Steve Shephard said Martens will probably be back to 100 percent within the next month.
"Anytime you have injuries it's a negative, but hopefully all three are gonna bounce back and recover in time to be contributors," Shephard said. "I think obviously it's still an issue. Anytime you lose kids it's not a good thing, but I think we are fortunate in the fact that we do have some depth this year."
Penn State returns all of its gymnasts from last year's squad, which came within .200 of qualifying for the Super Six and the Lions have added three freshman.
Brockway said it's important for the team to keep its goals in mind and to stay focused even with the injuries so early in the year.
She stressed the importance of the upperclassmen helping to prepare the freshman and reminding them about the importance of being there to pick up their teammates.
"You're always going to have to kind of work in case somebody else is hurt or be there just in case so this is a good opportunity for them to learn that early in the season," Brockway said. "Some of them might have to step up early on and see what it's like to train those events and even compete them."
Musser is not worried about the team struggling to overcome the injuries.
"I think we have a great team this year and I know the other girls, everyone steps up and does their part," she said. "I feel like we'll still be able to get through and do well."
