Sports
The Return of Kelly Karlis
By: Tajah Smith
Posted on:
When every athlete signs his or her letter of intent, there is a possibility of injury that comes along with it. Transitioning from high school to college athletics will take a toll on any given individual, considering the increase in the intensity and volume of practices.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a stress fracture is a, “small crack in any of the weight-bearing bones of the body, caused by the repetitive application of force, often times as a result of overuse.”
The repetitive running up and down the court, the impact from jumping whether from shooting or rebounding eventually had a negative impact on redshirt freshman Kelly Karlis. Eight games into the season, she had to hang up her jersey due to a stress fracture in her right shin.
The Sport Injury Clinic explains how, in order for a stress fracture to heal the individual must rest for at least eight weeks and avoid any high-impact weight bearing activities. In order to focus on her health, the only option was to redshirt. Because Karlis had not participated in over 20 percent of the season’s games, the window was still open.
Even though injury stopped her from stepping on the court, it didn’t stop her from being the team’s number one cheerleader on the sideline. She traveled to the games and was right beside them in Cleveland when they won the MAC Tournament.
Since she was cleared to practice, day-in and day-out she begins with the mentality to get better.
On December 29, 2015 in the convo against Middle Tennessee State, Bobcat fans were reminded why Coach Boldon recruited Karlis. She had her season high eight points and shot three of eight from the field.
This season Karlis has averaged 3.1 points per game, and 3.6 rebounds. Her stats are not as impressive as they were last year but Coach Boldon said, “ She’s doing a lot of things well and I think that she’ll be good for us.”