Recently by Taylor Bern

Angel Goodrich is seated so far down Kansas' bench that sometimes a teammate's high-five won't make it to her. That's okay. Goodrich is often so lost in thought, most of the time dreaming about getting back on the court, that she doesn't notice anyone around her.

In Kansas' season-opening triumph of Sacred Heart on Nov. 14, Goodrich was yanked out of her spell by teammate Sade Morris. An elbow cut bloodied Morris' jersey earlier in the game, so she had to put on a new one.

No. 23. Angel's jersey.

Morris poked Goodrich and flashed her new threads. The pair chuckled. Then Morris went into the game, while Goodrich stayed right where she sat and drifted back into thought.

Bloody injuries marred the Jayhawk victory that night. In addition to Morris' elbow, sophomore forward Nicollette Smith's nose cushioned an elbow. The result left James Naismith Court a bloody mess and dealt Smith a deviated septum.

But the worst Kansas injury this season occurred two days after Late Night in the Phog and didn't involve a drop of blood. That was when Angel Goodrich, a true freshman, tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee.

Reports as early as 1982 suggest that ACL tears, and knee injuries in general, are more common for females than males. Countless studies since have proved that fact, and added that female athletes are four to six times more likely to suffer a knee injury than a male athlete. The most discouraging part about the situation is that none of the research or studies has led to better knee protection for female athletes.

In the last 10 months, two KU guards and one forward signee suffered ACL injuries. None of them knew any way to prevent it and all will push through at least six months of rehab before playing again.

 

KNEE SCIENCE

Kansas basketball fans owe a lot of gratitude to Dr. Jeff Randall. That's because Randall is the team orthopedist for the men's and women's basketball teams.

When guard Brandon Rush injured his knee playing pickup basketball, thus forcing him out of the NBA draft, it was Randall who performed the procedure. Rush returned to the court and helped the men win their fifth national championship.

Rush's injury was the same as all three women: torn ACL. Also, all four suffered non-contact injuries.

"A lot of people assume that knee injuries come from a hit," Randall said. "In reality, almost all of the ligament tears that I see occurred when the person's knee just gave out."

Coach Bonnie Henrickson has been around women's college basketball since 1982. She said she can't remember how many ACL tears she's seen, but she knows how many involved contact.

"One," she said. "When our point guard my junior year crashed into her defender and landed awkwardly. Every other time the player has been all alone and just come down wrong."

The ACL is one of four ligaments that hold the knee together. Its placement in the center of the knee makes it the most susceptible to athletic injuries. The ACL is crucial for movements such as pivots, cuts and jukes.

According to Athletes Acceleration, a company that studies strength and athletic training, women are more likely to suffer ACL because they "have a delay in muscle recruitment, poor hamstring recruitment patterns and less joint stiffness."

What that means is the female knee can't brace as well as a males. Thus, normal landings will more often turn into season-ending catastrophes.

 

PREVENTION

In sports, the way to prevent an injury is also the way to become a better athlete. Simply make yourself bigger, faster and stronger. The more fit you are, the better you perform and the less likely you are to suffer an injury.

When it comes to the knee, that's simply not the case.

"There are some stretches that you can do, which focus on keeping the muscles all around your knee loose," Randall said. "But really, we haven't found much proof that those work."

Athletes Acceleration says that female athletes face another disadvantage because they have slower muscle reaction times. Thus, not all joints arrive at the same place at the same time.

"In order to keep the body in the right place at the right time, nervous system adaptations must occur," said Patrick Beith, writer for Athletes Acceleration.

Randall agrees, but adds that it's not as simple as that sounds. For starters, how does one adapt their nervous system? Don't ask Henrickson.

"I have no idea," she said. "But if you figure it out, let me know."

"Repetition is key," Randall said. "Forcing muscles to react just how you want them to. That's the idea, but some people's bodies simply don't react the way they want them to."

Randall pointed out that the prevention tactics are equally questionable for men, but their bodies make up for most missteps.

Knee braces are a common suggestion for injury prevention. Like everything else with the knee, though, it's not that simple.

A plethora of ligament-support knee braces are available, but players refuse to wear them. The two most common responses were 1. They limit my mobility and 2. If you think you need one, then you're too concerned about getting injured.

Pride and toughness.

The answer to a full brace is a knee strap, which is commonplace in men's basketball. A knee strap goes just below the kneecap and helps stabilize the knee without the resistance of a full brace.

Still, no one on Kansas' women's basketball team wears anything on their knees. Only one player, guard LaChelda Jacobs, said she ever wore knee straps of her own will.

"I thought they'd make me feel more secure, but I always ended up taking them off during the game," she said.

With no confirmed way to prevent a knee injury, the oft-questioned tactics are viewed as a crutch. Kansas' players, for better or worse, choose to walk on their own despite three season-ending injuries in the last 10 months.

 

ANGEL

Though they had little time together, Goodrich and departed guard Chakeitha Weldon were fast friends.

In February, Weldon became Kansas' first knee victim. Since then, the Atlanta native transferred to Appalachian State to continue her recovery and career closer to home.

On the day Goodrich crumpled to the court, she received a text message from Weldon.

"I was like, 'How'd you hear so fast,'" Goodrich said. "And she said, 'Hear what?'"

The irony of a well-wishing message from Weldon on the day Goodrich tore her ACL wasn't lost on the freshman.

"I think her knee could tell that I was hurting," Goodrich joked.

Either way, Goodrich found a kindred knee closer to home less than two weeks after her injury. That's when Tania Jackson, a Lawrence High senior who has since signed to play at KU, tore her ACL playing pickup basketball.

"I still don't know what happened," Jackson said. "One second I'm fine, and the next I can't stand up."

Jackson broke away for a lay-up and, like Rush before her, landed awkwardly. She's had surgery and is now working through the same rehabilitation plan as Goodrich. The only think that makes it easier is their ability to rely on each other.

"I told her, we're going to have four years together," Goodrich said. "That's what we think of anytime rehab gets tough."

The future still shines for them, but once they return to the court it could be a different story. Randall said it's impossible to predict how an individual will respond once they are cleared to play.

"Some players can jump right back into it," he said. "But for others there's a mental block that won't let them cut and pivot like they once did."

Sitting at the end of the bench, Goodrich said she dreams about coming back bigger, faster and stronger. But when asked if she'll really be able to make the same lightning-quick moves that made her a highly-touted recruit, reality streaks across her face.

"I don't know," she said.

By Taylor Bern

 

Almost 5,000 miles away from Lawrence, in northern Germany, is a place that feels like home.

That is the location of Eutin, Germany, one of Lawrence's two sister cities - along with Hiratsuka, Japan - in the Sister Cities International program.

Maintaining a relationship with cities across the world is one of the most overlooked jobs of the Lawrence city government. Still, City Commissioner Dennis "Boog" Highberger said it can also be one of the most rewarding parts of his job.

"You realize that we're not so different," Highberger said. "And when that happens, the world gets a little smaller and people feel more comfortable in it."

In 1989, Eutin officially became Lawrence's first sister city. Since then, Lawrence has started sistering relationships with Hiratsuka in 1990 and with El Papaturro, El Salvador, through the US-Salvador Sister Cities program, in 1994.

The University of Kansas plays a major role in the burgeoning relationships between Lawrence and all three of these cities. The University has created a strong relationship with Eutin through its study abroad program, and that support has helped the communities keep in touch through the current economic crisis.

While other towns have lost touch with their abroad sister cities, Highberger said he's proud to say that the title still means something in Lawrence.

"It means a lot to us that Lawrence knows it has something in common with people from all over the world," Highberger said.

In June 2007, nearly 50 residents - including students, delegates and citizens - helped Eutin celebrate its 750^th.

That kind of bond is rare for sister cities, but it's just one of the fun things for the Lawrence government.

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"We have a special relationship with our sisters, and it's something that has continued to persevere," City Commissioner Sue Hack said.

In September 2007, Highberger missed a council meeting because he was representing the city in Eutin. Highberger said it was one of many goodwill trips that city delegates from both towns have made throughout the years.

The only problem with that is now there are fewer funds available for such journeys. That's where the University's study abroad program has helped out, keeping the bridge of communication open.

It has required a little more work and fundraising, but Kansas' study abroad program is still doing well. That's helped to keep a strong sister relationship between the two cities, which isn't the case everywhere.

The town of Waverly, Iowa, has a sister city relationship through Sister Cities International with Eisenbach, Germany. The difference is that representatives from Waverly and Eisenbach have almost no involvement with each other and are sisters in name only.

"We realize how lucky we are to still have such a bond with cities that are so far away," Hack said. "With the economy the way it is, I know that some towns just lose touch because they have more pressing issues."

For example, Waverly's Wartburg College doesn't offer study abroad in Eisenbach. On the other hand, KU students can spend six weeks in Eutin, and people there actually know about Lawrence.

"I met a lot of Jayhawk fans," said junior Peyton Marek, who spent last semester in Eutin. "It's pretty cool to go that far away and still feel like you're at home."

Dan Van Orsdel laces up his Adidas training shoes, carefully bringing the two ends together in a tightly bound knot. He's about to start a 6-mile run, one of a countless number of training runs he's taken as a member of the Kansas cross country and track and field teams.