The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 7
Beckwith's journey through the unexpecte
Sophomore endures
recovery path after
season-ending
wrist surgery
By BRAD WHIPPLE
Daily Sports Writer
On a rainy Wednesday,
Canham Natatorium - an old,
bricked building - is a retreat
to find warmth from the cold
Ann Arbor morning. To many,
this place is a sight for winning
championships and shattering
records. For others, it's home.
The lane lines are set, and
twenty-some maize-capped
athletes are swimming laps as
part of their daily routine, the
block 'M' bobbing up and down
in the water. The Michigan
water polo team looks healthy
and full of energy at first glance,
and it should - the Wolverines
have won their last 12 games.
But one player stands out
among the rest.
Bryce Beckwith's goggles
rest upon her head as she hangs
splint, which gradually rotates
her hand upward as if she were
reading a book. With roughly
55 degrees of rotation left, she
doesn't have full mobility.
But Beckwith is able to get
through the pain and make a
running joke about her "giant
and kind of embarrassing"
brace.
"Now the term is my Robocop
arm," she said. "I love it. I
Instagrammed a picture of it
saying 'I am Robocop,' with
'#Robocop,' which I thought
was funny. I don't know why I
didn't get more likes on it."
"I think in total, you really
have to expect the unexpected."
Beckwith expected to make
a strong entrance into her
sophomore season, but instead
watched it fly by while she sat on
the bench. With her whiteboard
and marker in hand, she wanted
nothing more than to be in
the water. to find twine and to
rightftully earn a win.
The entire injuryinitiallytook
a toll on her mentally, leaving
her without her dominant hand
for months.
Though her teammates were
largely involved in leading the
way through adversity, it was
mostly a matter of Beckwith
changing herownperspective.
"Having a positive outlook is
something I would recommend
to anyone that has anything
unexpected
PAULhSHERMAN/
Sophomore two-meter Bryce Beckwith was supposed to be one of the Michigan water polo team's stars until an injury sidelined her for longer than anticipated.
onto the pool gutte
for what assistant
Castle wants to se
few minutes of p
sophomore two-me
goes right into a fre
- nothing about h
looks out of place.
Minutes after p
Beckwith sits in a c
side of the pool
overlooking the
waters that she
swims in every
day.
It's rare for an
athlete to keep
such a positive
attitude after
sustaining a
season-ending
injury that limits
participating in p
with Beckwith, the
a moment when
smile or laugh.1
positivity, masking
of disappointment.
Water polo has
naturally for Becks
talent came to fru
freshman season. S
in all 34 of Michiga
2013 and ended the
for first among fre
38 goals, and wast
of the Collegiate
Association's West
Rookie of the Year Y
Michigan co
Anderson said the
was going to be pra
around Beckwith.
until October.
During a scr
r and listens practice, Beckwith made a
coach Ryan strong side turn with the ball
e in the last and felt a pop in her wrist. She
ractice. The asked the athletic trainer to
ter nods and tape it up, but when she jumped
'estyle stroke back in the pool, something
er technique wasn't right.
After a series of X-rays and
ractice ends, MRI's, her doctors assumed it
hair near the had something to do with the
cartilage.
Beckwith
went in for
"I thought I was surgery in
November
going to come to clean out
,,damaged
back and play." dasse r
tissue from
the right side
of her wrist,
but what the
her to only doctors found was that three-
ractice. But fourths of her ligament had torn.
ere is hardly To be exact, it was a
she doesn't degenerative tear to the
She radiates triangular fibrocartilage
five months complex. The type 2 tear usually
resultsfromchronic overloading
of the joint. In water polo, the
wrist performs every function
from passing to rotating the ball
always come before taking a shot, so overuse
rith, and her can occur progressively.
ition in her When the doctors found the
he appeared tear, they performed surgery
n's games in to replace the ligament with
e season tied a tendon from another part of
shmen with her arm, a procedure similar to
the recipient Tommy John surgery.
Water Polo "This was not howI expected
ern Division my sophomore season to go,"
honor. Beckwith said.
the words Beckwith woke
up to from the doctor. What
was originally thought to be a
four-week recovery from scar
tissue turned into a much more
arduous journey.
"I didn't expect that,"
Beckwith said. "I thought I was
going to come back and play the
season, but you've just got to roll
with the punches, I guess."
Coming out of surgery,
Beckwith had to wear a series
of different splints for her right
arm: first a soft splint, then a
hard one and then a plastic one,
the latter of which limited her
mobility the most.
She spent the fall semester
with one hand, making easy
tasks like opening a door or
taking notes in class dreadful.
Things that she did without
thinking twice left her
distraught by the end of the day.
Beckwith has always had
her teammates by her side to
buoy her spirits. They made a
heartwarming video for her
to watch after surgery and
sent "get-well" postcards,
sophomore two-meter Barbara
Lanier helped Beckwith scoop
ice cream onto a cone even
though it took almost an hour.
It was the little things that
made a positive difference
for Beckwith. It was the little
things that pushed her away
from the breaking point. And
the push was forceful enough to
keep her smiling.
"Having a positive mentality
and being able to accept the
reality of it was something I did
really quickly," she said.
"Win the game."
Beckwith stands near the
outside of a team huddle during
a timeout. Those words are
writitten in dry-erase marker
on the whiteboard she carries
during games.
According to Anderson, she's
the Mitch McGary of the team.
"Now I get a more different,
more special role on the team,"
Beckwith said.
Even though her only
The injury ma
fromplaying, but
Beckwith with
learning experie
sees the games f
perspective.
"Ifyou'reswim
pool and you're n,
high gear, that c
kill the pace o
Beckwith
said, trying
to improve
Michigan's
counter-
attack. "It has
definitely been
really helpful
to watch that
and see where
the intensity
needs to be picke
and defense."
As an outside
Beckwith's analy
her return nex
much stronger.
A month ago,
back in the poo
practice after1
to weightlift, sh.
Ever since, he
erupt in cheers
she throws.
"As a waterl
swismmer or an
spent a large port
in water, they k
it feels to get b
Beckwith said.
Though she w
water, Beckwith
fast of a track t
as she originally
weeks ago, she sw
ay prevent her
it has provided
a valuable
nce. She now
from a coach's
rningdolnrtire
xot kicking into
ran completely
f the game,"
happen
to them,"
"You've just got Beckwith said.
oroll with the "It's a matter
to of staying
,, positive and
punches, I guess. really not
internalizing
your anger and
frustrations."
d up on offense Tie wrist injury was
unexpected, and the
er looking in, rehabilitation has been a
sis could make prolonged and painful process.
t season that As an athlete, an injury is
sometimes expected - the road
to recovery is not only definedby
** laboring through it physically,
but also by the outlook taken on
Beckwith got such circumstances.
l for her first To Beckwith, being a
being cleared Division I athlete comes along
oot and swim. with sacrifice, and learning
r teammates to embrace it is just one of the
after each ball many ways to grow.
Beckwith says she will
polo player, a definitely play her junior season
yone that has and the idea of comingback full-
ion of their life strength excites her more than
now how good anything.
MAk in there," Until thsen, you can find
her by the pool holding that
as back in the whiteboard in the air.
wasn't on as
full recovery We cover all 27 sports
planned. Two Check Mi higae~aily.com
itched to a JAS throughout the week for more
helping even
in her more
uncomfortable
moments.
"I tried
to put oni my
T-shirt, and I
could not get
it on for the
life of me,"
she said. "I
was in the
contribution
is from
"Having a the bench,
Beckwith
positive outlook is is quick to
give her
something I would counterparts,
Lanier and
recommend." freshman
two-meter
Allison Skaggs,
advice nix
ach Matt
2014 team
ctically built
That was,
immage in
"Four to six months."
The surgery had no
complications, yet these were
locker room and they just
helped me out. They were very
accommodating and supportive
of me having a hard time."
Another time, her housemate,
where to position themselves
by imxaginirrg herself in that
)articular situCation, aid she
cheers ui her teammates when
they aren't having a strong game.
Hutchins irked by early kinks rcyTalks
By KELLY HALL Hutchins wasn't surprised by
Daily Sports Writer Wagner's slow start, despite the
junior being named the Big Ten
Michigan softball coach Carol Pitcher of the Week twice already
Hutchins didn't have very many this season.
complaints this weekend after "Playing at home has always
her team overwhelmed Indiana historically been difficult the first
in three mercy-rule victories. time out, because the kids are
But like all experienced just over-amped to be on Alumni
coaches, she found an area Field," Hutchins said.
of improvement, expressing After the Wolverines settled
concern over the sixth-ranked down, though, they collected
Wolverines' sluggish starts - eight runs in the next six innings
particularly in the very first to end the game ina mercy rule.
inning. In the back end of the
"I didn't like our first inning doubleheader, the Hoosiers
either game," Hutchins said after started off quickly again in the
Friday's doubleheader. "We got in first inning. Junior right-hander
trouble in the first inning in game Sara Driesenga allowed a single
one. We got in trouble right off of and hit a batter to put two on.
the bat in game two. I didn't like Her infield and outfield protected
that at all." her from allowing any runs, with
In the first half of the freshman second baseman Abby
doubleheader, Indiana's leadoff Ramirez fielding a grounder
hitter, Breanna Saucedo, singled and senior center fielder Lynday
up the middle off of junior Doyle catching a fly ball.
southpaw Haylie Wagner. The Once again, Hutchins blamed
next Hoosier up to bat, Brianna the slow start on nerves.
Meyer, laid down a sacrifice bunt, "She just needs to relax,"
and Saucedo advanced to second. Hutchins said of Driesenga.
The following hitter, Jenna Sunday, freshman right-hander
Abraham, reached on a single. Megan Betsa walked Saucedo
Wagner finally struck one out during the top of the first. Betsa
after she settled in and escaped struck out the next hitter, but
the first inning unscathed after a then Abraham reached on a
ground out to second. fielding error by freshman third
baseman Lindsay Montemarano.
The next batter was walked,
and then Hoosier Natalie Lalich
struck one up the center. All of
a sudden, the Wolverines were
down 2-0 to a team they had
mercied twice the day before.
The problem was that the
Wolverines gave Indiana three
free bases early - two by walk,
one by error. The Hoosiers got
the hit they needed, giving them
a quick lead.
"Megan did not come out
with the game she had in the
bullpen," Hutchins said. "I
know she's frustrated. She
doesn't know why her bullpen
isn't carrying over. She's not
throwing with confidence."
Wagner was put in for Betsa
after the freshman allowed
a homer to left field in the
second. Once again, Michigan
had to adjust following an
uncharacteristic start, and it did.
The Hoosiers allowed 12 runs
over the next five innings and
were subject to the mercy rule for
the final time that weekend.
"I've seen (the nerves) in other
games as well," Hutchins said.
"It's most important that you
finish strong, but you like your
pitching to come out and settle in
and sometimes it's tough."
I