Spring Break
The Daily OrangeSB | Freak injury makes shortstop Kelling's arm even stronger
By Michael Bonner
Posted: 4/17/08, 10:48 PM EST Section: Sports
Only a few outs were needed to conclude the simulated game during practice. Syracuse associate head coach Kyle Jamieson tossed the ball in the air with one hand and then immediately met it with the bat he had already started to swing.
The follow-through led to a hot shot ground ball in the hole between shortstop and third. Jamie Kelling dove, arms fully extended, creating a small dust storm to make the stop and from her knees threw across the diamond almost effortlessly.
The play comes easily now for Kelling, but a year ago after shoulder surgery, the junior transfer could only dream of making those types of Web gems.
"They tightened it so tight so I couldn't even move my arm," Kelling said. "…For the first two or three months it was just slowly moving it to get my mobility back and my extension back. And I couldn't throw for three of four months after that."
After seven months of rehabilitation the only side effect Kelling noticed was her arm was actually stronger. Kelling and Syracuse square off against St. John's today in a doubleheader set to begin at 2 p.m. On Sunday Seton Hall makes the trip to Syracuse for a doubleheader at noon.
Kelling's shoulder had been nagging her since she was a sophomore in high school. The doctors couldn't do anything unless she had surgery to find out exactly what was wrong.
During the surgery the doctors found that Kelling's bicep tendon was stuck under her collarbone. At the same time, once finding the problem, they shaved off half her collar bone and had to tighten the ligaments in her arm. Kelling had no idea until she woke from the surgery.
"It was OK with me, it doesn't hurt," Kelling said. "You can cut off whatever you want."
The surgery would keep Kelling sidelined for about seven months, but it also affected her off the field. Kelling was unhappy at Northern Iowa after a coaching change and wanted to transfer.
She started looking at schools in February but wouldn't find out if her medical redshirt would be accepted until July, so Kelling had no way of knowing if she had one or two years of eligibility left.
The follow-through led to a hot shot ground ball in the hole between shortstop and third. Jamie Kelling dove, arms fully extended, creating a small dust storm to make the stop and from her knees threw across the diamond almost effortlessly.
The play comes easily now for Kelling, but a year ago after shoulder surgery, the junior transfer could only dream of making those types of Web gems.
"They tightened it so tight so I couldn't even move my arm," Kelling said. "…For the first two or three months it was just slowly moving it to get my mobility back and my extension back. And I couldn't throw for three of four months after that."
After seven months of rehabilitation the only side effect Kelling noticed was her arm was actually stronger. Kelling and Syracuse square off against St. John's today in a doubleheader set to begin at 2 p.m. On Sunday Seton Hall makes the trip to Syracuse for a doubleheader at noon.
Kelling's shoulder had been nagging her since she was a sophomore in high school. The doctors couldn't do anything unless she had surgery to find out exactly what was wrong.
During the surgery the doctors found that Kelling's bicep tendon was stuck under her collarbone. At the same time, once finding the problem, they shaved off half her collar bone and had to tighten the ligaments in her arm. Kelling had no idea until she woke from the surgery.
"It was OK with me, it doesn't hurt," Kelling said. "You can cut off whatever you want."
The surgery would keep Kelling sidelined for about seven months, but it also affected her off the field. Kelling was unhappy at Northern Iowa after a coaching change and wanted to transfer.
She started looking at schools in February but wouldn't find out if her medical redshirt would be accepted until July, so Kelling had no way of knowing if she had one or two years of eligibility left.
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