THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Dorton taking By Jocelyn Syrstad COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER For the past three weeks, every where Darcy Dorton has gone, Myrtle has gone. too. The freshman outside hitter on the Penn State WOMEN'S women's volley- VOLLEYBALL ball team, who will have surgery .. -- 111 next week on a ? ' torn anterior cru- : - .., ciate ligament , (ACL) in her left ,'- ,' , ' knee and medial ~:l t , (a meniscus, gets ! V from place to place via a motor- Dorton ized scooter. which she and her teammates elected to name "Myrtle." Although Dorton walks around her dorm room and Rec Hall with the help of a full-leg brace, she cruises around on the scooter to travel longer distances. While many people would be devastated about a serious injury that requires surgery Dorton is trying to find as many positives as possible. a main one being "The scooters the perks," Dorton said. This is faster. I feel like an idiot sometimes, but when people are walking on the side walk. I pass them." Coach Russ Rose talks to the team during a match last season Do TN have a memory from TM rff7] that you want to hold • on to 'IG3 The Daily Collegian now sells glossy prints of ANY page in the paper! *Check out the Can You Dig It? blog for more details about Darcy Dorton's left ON THE knee injury: BIOS psucollegian.com Dorton's teammates said the freshman, who still attends prac tices, has remained positive through everything. They said it is weird training without Dorton on the court, but she makes sure to stay as involved as possible. Assistant strength and condi tioning coach Kirk Adams said Dorton even attends weightlifting sessions with her team, participat ing in anything that doesn't involve using her injured knee. "She's a champ. She has her head up," freshman setter Marika Racibarskas said. "She's really been positive. She knows exactly what she needs to do, and she has really good spirits about it. She knows she'll be back better and stronger." The recovery process of a basic ACL tear is nothing new to Dorton. She tore the ACL in her right knee six years ago while playing for her club team in sev enth grade. Racibarskas said the injury has also allowed the team to learn how to deal with adversity. The Nittany Lions are confident Dorton will overcome the obstacle in front of S r (From August 2000 'til Present) knee injury in stride her, especially because the fresh man has experienced orthopedic surgery before. "She knows what she needs to do," freshman outside hitte Kristin Carpenter said. "Sh knows that she needs to wor hard. She's gonna come back so much stronger, so it's gonna be OK" Dorton appreciates her team mates' support, especially because the recovery process is going to be a bumpy road. She said there is going to be some days when she feels great and other days when she is in a lot of pain and doesn't want to get out of bed. Dorton said she might as well give her roommate, sophomore defensive specialist Megan Shifflett, a gold star now for all that she is going to have to put up with. "I'm going to be grumpy some times, and I'm really going to need their support, and they know that, - Dorton said. - We have that unspoken bond that we're there for each other all the time. We just know that I'll take care of my thing and they'll help me along." Dorton has learned quickly that as long as she is accompanied by "Myrtle," she will need to seek out help from time to time. As much fun as she has riding her scooter, she said it made her more aware of how inaccessible campus is to handicapped people. She said she often has to drive the whole way around buildings just to find the ramp. However, getting into her Thompson Hall room proves to be the most challenging. She and her roommate perform what they call a - drive-by" When Dorton wants to get into her dorm, she will drive down the hallway and knock on the door. Shifflett will then hold the door open while her roommate drives down the hall, turns around in the bathroom and turns in with the perfect angle to get inside. - The dorm is so hard to get into. It's quite the process," Dorton said. "It makes you realize how much you take other things for granted." While Dorton looks ahead to the recovery process, grimacing when she recalls the shots, pumps and blood bags she will have to deal with, she said it is something she has finally come to peace with. Dorton doesn't like that her legs will turn into "pudding," that she Abby Drey/Collegian SPORTS Pace University offers more than 500 courses this summer to help you get ahead and finish your degree faster. Choose from courses on both our New York City and Westchester campuses in such areas as: Accounting Anatomy Art Biology Chemistry Economics Finance Literature Managethent Physics Psychology • Summer Session I • begins Tuesday, June 1, 2010 Abby Drey/Collegian Katie Kabbes (2) spikes the ball during a match in November. With Darcy Dorton scheduled to have surgery, Kabbes may need to step up. will have to give up West dining what's in front of me," Dorton hall cookies and go on a "celery- said. "I can choo_:: to be upset for-lunch" diet and watch her about it or run with it, and I'm teammates as they practice and choosing to run with it improve. However. Dorton kmows it's only a matter of time before her routine gets back to normal. "It's something I have to do. It's Filling their shoes With Megan Hodge graduating and Darcy Dorton scheduled to have surgery on her ACL, the Nittany Lions need new outside hitters to step up. Madison Martin 6'2" Incoming freshman Martin won four straight state titles and recorded 390 kills with a .550 hitting percentage her senior Ariel Scott 6'5" Incoming freshman Scott had a .500 hitting percentage and recorded 366 kills in her senior year. Source: !oesus 1 orts com THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 I 9 Collegian staff reporter Bill Landis contributed to this story. To e-mail reporter: jess2lo@psu.edu Deja McClendon 6'o" Incoming freshman Kentucky's Miss Volleyball had 320 kills and 72 blocks her senior year. UNIVERSITY Work toward greatness. • Summer Session ii begins Wednesday * July lib 2010 Tiffanie Liaw/Collegian
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