THE HURON EMERY | ISSUE 5: MAY 14 | SPORTS
Overcoming an ACL injury: Huron’s Maya Hester ALLISON MI COPY EDITOR Molly Hester sat cozily on her home’s umber Lawson couch, watching the livestream of her daughter’s basketball game (Huron v. Ypsilanti) on her MacBook when she saw it all happen. It was at the 20-minute mark when her daughter, Huron senior Maya Hester, misstepped and heard the tell-tale pop from her knee. Dressed in the white tank top uniform with a bold forest green 5, Maya rolled onto the gymnasium floor, immediately grabbing her knee. “It was just a lot at once and I was overwhelmed,” Maya recalled. “I was freaking out and just kind of hysterical. I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t know what it was, but I felt like I was pretty sure it was my ACL.” ` As a soccer player with over a dozen years of experience under her belt, witnessing ACL injuries was not uncommon to her. In fact, each year, 120,000 athletes in the United States suffer from
an ACL injury. However, Maya never imagined she would be numbered among that group. As Maya hobbled off the court with the help of her trainers, her mother was already in her GMC Terrain, on her way to Huron. Ten minutes later, while the trainer was asking Maya for her mother’s contact information, Maya felt a pair of hands gently rest on her shoulders, and turned her head to that familiar violet NorthFace fleece. It was Molly. “Seeing her really calmed me down,” Maya said. While the basketball game continued, Maya stood behind the benches, practicing with the crutches the trainer handed her. “My trainer said to me, ‘It’ll be okay and it’s not the end of the world,’ but at that moment, it just felt like it,” Maya said. Later that week, it was confirmed through an MRI that Maya had the dreaded ACL injury. Her injury was no longer just a lingering fear. It was for real. She was
Maya is a multi-sport athlete and plays basketball in the winter, and soccer in the spring. COURTESY OF MAYA HESTER
Senior Maya Hester watches her teammates take on the Skyline Eagles on April 14 with her crutches beside her. Hester tore her ACL during basketball season. Her surgery was held on April 7. As she continues her rehabilitation, she hopes to play soccer at the next level at Kalamazoo College. SARA BADALAMENTE now one out of that 120,000. “The first week was really rough,” she admitted. “I just remember crying every day and just being so sad. It all happened so fast.” A full recovery from this injury is predicted to take six to nine months. This means that Maya will be unable to return to play soccer in the fall for Kalamazoo College as she had planned. “I feel like at first I was in such a denial, and I still haven’t completely accepted it,” she said. “Sometimes I think I’ll be back soon, but it’s really not that soon.” Maya’s surgery was on April 7. “Now I’m just kindof scared,” she said. “It’s a really long road ahead.” Despite being unable
to play, Maya still attended Over the weeks, every game, sitting on the Maya realized that life was benches and cheering her not actually that different. teammates on. “My life is going to go on like normal,” “I really she said. “It feels wanted like a huge deal to finish but it’s not going out the to last forever. season,” I’m just on she said. crutches now.” “For me personally, Remembering j u s t the exact date because and time of it is my this notorious s e n i o r incident? For year, I Maya that’s wanted to a free throw: be a part Friday, March MAYA HESTER, 12 of Huron as 5, after 6 p.m. much as I With a laugh can before I have to go. And she said, “I will remember then I just wanted to still feel that moment forever.” part of the team, even though I couldn’t be on the court.”
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My trainer said to me, ‘It’ll be okay and it’s not the end of the world,’ but at the moment, it just felt like it.”
Mandatory antigen testing implemented for Huron spring sports teams VISH GONDESI ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Of the 400 antigen tests distributed to spring sports athletes per week, athletic director Tony Whiren goes through each one. He’s in charge of procuring the tests in a work order and ensuring the proper paperwork is filled out correctly, along with his numerous other tasks in running spring sports. While regularly testing athletes is helping reduce the spread and allowing them to keep playing, mandatory antigen testing isn’t an easy endeavor. “If it was optional we probably wouldn’t do it,” Whiren said. “If it was optional we probably wouldn’t be testing 400 athletes a week, that’s for sure. I don’t know how many athletes would want to get tested because it wouldn’t be a
priority. Making it mandatory makes it a priority.” According to the CDC, “Antigen tests are immunoassays that detect the presence of a specific viral antigen,” from the surface molecules of the virus. The antigen tests use lower nasal swab samples, and is less sensitive than the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Therefore, a positive result means likely infection, yet at the same time, false negatives are more common. To account for this, people who register positive tests are confirmed with a PCR test. A COVID-19 tracking sheet, listing people in close contact with the person, is given to the county in order for them to call other people who need to follow quarantine protocols. “It’s been stressful at time,” Whiren said. “I’m struggling with everything else
I have to do administrative where they would test. that everyone is getting it wise. Everything else with “They’re mandatory done, doing it right and that teams, making sure everyone’s because they want to open everyone is accountable,” doing it right, making sure things up and they want to Whiren said. “And you’re everyone is being accounted stop the spread,” Whiren said. always constantly reminding for -- over 400 athletes -- Testing usually [teams] to record and send making sure everyone is takes about 45 minutes for data. It’s a lot of legwork, getting it done. There’s a lot each team. a lot of indirect reminders of trust; you gotta trust your “You always hope and a lot of texting.” coaches.” Antigen tests were also delivered to winter sports about halfway into their seasons. However, in comparison to the winter, testing became mandatory, with spring sport coaches having more time to set up the logistics Women’s Junior Varsity soccer coach, Sara Badalamente, sets up her antiof how and gen testing station. JESSICA TAI