Happy Sunday everybody! I would like to apologize for my inactiveness on my blog last week; I was battling the sickness that is going around school. However, with an unhealthy amount of hand sanitizer and NyQuil, I was able to play our volleyball game on Tuesday against Sanger. Our team was battling sickness, and we were all nervous about this game. As we entered the second set, the game was neck-and-neck with the margin for error to a minimum. Tragically, disaster struck: Tori Jones, senior middle blocker, went up to hit a ball and fell to the ground. Because I wasn’t in the rotation at the time, I was able to see it all play out. Tori went up for the ball, hit it, and as she was coming down, she either stepped on the opponent’s foot or landed wrong (Despite hours of watching the film, I was never able to see what happened clearly). I sat there as she slowly collapsed to the ground, I remember looking at her face as she went towards the ground. It was silent. She wasn’t getting up, and I knew that was a terrible sign. As trainers approached her, she was sitting there, holding her ankle, eyes wide with fear. My heart instantly sank. My fellow senior, friend, and teammate had to get carried off the field.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time our team had felt this pain. It seems like our team is cursed with broken ankles.  Last year, my best friend Caitlyn Sullivan went up in the pursuit of the ball and landed on a foot of the opposing team. She went to the hospital shaking pain to be informed that she had broken her ankle and needed surgery. Sadly, we hadn’t even entered district when Caitlyn got hurt, and the improper healing of her ankle after surgery ultimately made her end her volleyball career as a junior.

In contrast, Tori was able to play one district game her senior season before she broke her ankle in two places. Tears were shed from every player, upset that her senior year had ended so unexpectedly. However, I knew that we had to put the mourning aside, it wasn’t helping Tori cope with it. Instead, we looked at the bright side. At least we got all of this time with Tori, and by no means did we lose her as a friend or teammate. She encourages us during the games, cheers us on during practice, and even goes up before the game as one of our captains. We finally understood while this may not be what we wanted as we started district, it was all part of God’s plan. As we looked back on the injury, players on the court mentioned how the only thing she said when she broke her ankle was, “Oh fudge!” Put yourself in Tori’s shoes and imagine what you would say if you broke your ankle… I think no one would be calm enough only to say, “Oh fudge.”

I never hesitated about my topic this week: Tori and the curse of broken ankles. Although Tori is hurt for the season, I know she will serve our team as a leader, a friend, and still a teammate. The laughs she brought to the team, the memories we made surprising her with a sleepover and decorated room her birthday, the AMAZING hits and blocks she did, and her constant positive attitude will never be forgotten. She took the risk all volleyball players take with injuries and took it head on. Tori, thank you for kicking our senior season off to a fantastic start. Now, your team will finish for you.

JOIN US FOR OUR HOME GAME TUESDAY AS WE TAKE ON PONDER AND FRIDAY AS WE GO AGAINST S&S.

With lots of love,

Kimberly Burns (#8)