Girls Varsity Basketball player Emma Smith faced a huge challenge this winter after dislocating her knee, but she has been working hard off the court and is ready to dominate the rest of the season. Smith (Junior) has been a dedicated player since her freshman year when she started on varsity, however, early this season she injured her knee, and has been unable to play in recent games. Smith says she got injured going up for a rebound, “I was hit from the side causing my knee cap to dislocate” (Smith). However “Thankfully no ligaments were torn and everything was intact” (Smith). Smith has faced knee injuries before so this was nothing new, but the timing of it was especially challenging because she had to miss out on some of the highly anticipated first games of the season. “I worked really hard to prepare for the season so taking a step back was hard” (Smith).
The whole team has felt the impact of Smith’s absence, aside from her technical skills she has always been a team player and crucial to the intensity on the court. Talitha Faalevao, a Senior who has also been important to the team’s wins this season, says “I feel like if she (Smith) is not on the court we’re not talking as much” (Faalevao). However, Smith has tried her best to put a positive spin on the situation, taking advantage of being on the sideline to see the game from a different perspective and turn that into a positive feedback experience for her teammates. “She can see everything on the court, while we can only see one angle” (Faalevao). Smith confirmed this in a later interview, “I can see other aspects of the game I wouldn’t normally see” (Smith).
Smith’s positive attitude has been missed on the court, “She knows how to pick us up, even when we’re feeling down” (Faalevao), but there is much to look forward to as Smith recovers enough to begin playing in games once again. “I’m excited to be out on the court with my teammates having fun” (Smith). The student body is encouraged to show up and support our girls’ basketball team this season! It should be an exciting season with many close games. Some specific games to look out for include the Kelso and Evergreen games, “Those teams are tough to beat but I feel like we have a chance” (Faalevao).
