{"id":6466,"date":"2022-08-24T11:05:51","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6466"},"modified":"2022-08-24T11:05:54","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:05:54","slug":"captain-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=6466","title":{"rendered":"Captain Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1st Place, Sports News Story<\/strong>
2021-22, Division 1, News Writing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Josh Pohl<\/strong>
The West Ottawan
West Ottawa HS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming into the final turn of the mile, Jr. Carston Cole was in the lead. With just 70 meters left, Cole had the win in his hands. Out of nowhere, he started limping and his foot went sideways on the track. His ankle hit the ground followed by the rest of his body. Cole had broken his leg and his season was over. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Photo by Laura Veldhof<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

   Running has played a big role in Cole\u2019s life. He is very committed and involved in the sport, running both cross country and track. Cole, now a senior, has been on the cross country and track team consistently since he was in 6th grade. \u201cI love running. It\u2019s the part of the day I look forward to the most,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Cole dominates the course with his fast pace in both sports. Prior to the injury, Cole had been on track to be one of West Ottawa\u2019s best runners ever. Cole currently holds the second fastest 5k in WO cross-country history with an impressive 16:04. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Cole definitely had a bright future running for WO. He had high goals for himself for the track and cross country season. However, on April 24 while running the mile at Grand Rapids Christian, everything changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   \u201cAt the time I did not know my bones were broken, I thought it was just my ankle that broke,\u201d Cole said. \u201cThe adrenaline was still coursing through me so I didn\u2019t feel the extent of the pain until later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   \u201cIt was heartbreaking to see someone who we\u2019ve always seen as pretty much at the top of his game all the time come to a halt and be set back for that long, especially knowing the huge goals he had for both track and cross country the next year,\u201d Jr. Connor Wooley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Due to the injury, Cole had to get surgery in his leg. He had a titanium rod put into his tibia to keep his leg stable. Recovery from his injury was a long and slow process. For about a month, he was on crutches, putting little weight on his foot. As the weeks went on, Cole was able to put more and more weight on his leg until he could walk again. Once Cole was able to walk, he went through physical therapy to strengthen his leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   The team certainly felt Cole\u2019s injury. Competing became a challenge in meets without their best runner. \u201cI, along with the other distance runners, knew we had to step it up and fill in the hole that was left in the team to be able to stay competitive in our tough conference,\u201d Wooley said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Although their best runner was out, the team stepped up during the season to try to fill the hole Cole had left. \u201cWithout Carston, we had a disadvantage when it came to meets but that didn\u2019t stop us from trying our best,\u201d Jr. Ben Monger said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Running was limited, but slowly increased as the season went on. However, coming back to the sport wasn\u2019t easy. Running was challenging at times. \u201cThere was one time where I thought my fibula was going to have a stress reaction. A lot of tightness in my muscles,\u201d Cole said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   It wasn\u2019t until October 14 that Cole truly returned to his fast form in a workout. The return to speed coincided with a return to his typically fun approach to the sport. As the runners were starting a cool down after a hard workout, Carston went out of his way to splash in a mud puddle. \u201cThat was the moment I knew he was physically and mentally ready to truly race again,\u201d Coach Chris Knoll said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   \u201cCarston jumps in puddles on rainy days in front of everyone, which is pretty funny,\u201d Jr. Owen Foster said. Cole\u2019s humorous attitude towards the sport certainly has an effect on his teammates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   \u201cCarston is very hard working and very competitive, yet he finds joy in all of the running and racing. He has a very relaxed and fun attitude,\u201d Knoll said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Photo by Laura Veldhof<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

  \u201cI remember at some practices thinking he was still doing his recovery training or at the trainer\u2019s office and then all of a sudden he pops up right next to me with his signature \u2018Oh, hey Connor\u2019 and starts forcing me to go way faster than I wanted to,\u201d Jr. Connor Wooley said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Due to recovering from his broken leg, Carston was only able to race four races before qualifying for the state finals. He ran an 18:00 on September 11, a 17:39 in the mud on October 16, a 16:44 in the conference final on October 21, and then a 16:37 at the state regional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

   Carston Cole has come a long way since his injury on April 24. On Saturday, November 6, Cole ran a 16:35.73 at the MHSAA Division I finals at Michigan International Speedway finishing 78th. \u201cThe team felt relieved and excited that their number one runner was back on the line and ready to win and pass people,\u201d Monger said. \u201cI thought it was really inspiring to see him come so far after what happened. After all of that time not being able to run and still keeping that speed really stuck out to me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Cole is certainly an inspiration not only to his teammates but to all athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NW-21. Sports News Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sports news stories may include general sports news or sports events and are constructed in news style. Submit a PDF of the print page(s) on which the story was published or the URL to the story on an online news site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JUDGING CRITERIA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  • Lead features interesting, important angle<\/li>
  • Uses colorful, lively style<\/li>
  • Avoids cliches, editorializing<\/li>
  • Displays knowledge of sports; uses understandable terms<\/li>
  • Shows research\/interviewing skills; emphasizes how & why<\/li>
  • Effective use of facts\/quotes<\/li>
  • Proper diction\/grammar; use of the third person<\/li>
  • Unity\/coherence<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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