During a practice in December 2020 before the Gophers’ 2021 gymnastics season started in January, sophomore Ella Sirjord was doing her routine series on beam at Peik Gymnasium, but then found herself lying on the mat, saying, ‘Oh, there’s something wrong.’

During her senior year at Andover High School in Minnesota, Sirjord tore her ACL. However, she recovered to prepare for her freshman season with the Gophers.

Fast forward to that day in December at Peik Gymnasium. Sirjord knew something was wrong with her right leg, which had the previous ACL tear, and was unsure what happened. It didn’t feel like an ACL tear, considering what the first one felt like during her senior year.

“I was going to do the intrasquad that day,” Sirjord said. “We were doing the huddle and going back and forth. [But] I felt so off, and I was like ‘I can’t [compete].’”

Quickly after the huddle, Sirjord went to the Gophers gymnastics trainer, Shanice Cheatham, to express her concern with her leg.

Cheatham, who joined the Gophers Athletic Medicine staff in 2018 as an Assistant Athletic Trainer, completed tests to see if anything was wrong. She did not find any significant issues in those tests, until later that day when she did the tests again and delivered heartbreaking news to Sirjord: she had torn her right ACL for a second consecutive year, as well as her meniscus.

“It’s been a journey,” Sirjord said. “My first ACL [injury], I had a great surgeon and it was great, but I just did not have the medical staff and resources to do rehab super well. So this one’s been different with Shanice. Our medical staff has been super great.”

Sirjord’s ACL tear marked a return to the lengthy recovery process and the end of her freshman campaign before the season had even started.

‘It was a freak accident’

As Minnesota’s 2021 season got underway with Sirjord sidelined, one of her sophomore counterparts Erin Fortman made her collegiate debut in the Gophers’ first meet of the season.

Fortman, originally from Blaine, Minn., put on a dazzling show in her debut on floor, producing a score of 9.850 to help Minnesota win over Iowa.

“I had been training floor that whole preseason and felt really good,” Fortman said. “Coming out of that first meet, I felt really strong and was excited to compete at Michigan again.”

With her performance from opening week, Gophers head coach Jenny Hansen decided to keep Fortman in the floor lineup against the Wolverines, the most recent Big Ten champions at the time.

Before the meet, Fortman experienced some tightness in her knee. She said she was not feeling 100%, but nothing severe enough to keep her from competing.

Like her debut, Fortman’s routine was smooth sailing leading into the final pass, and then things dramatically changed as she ran to complete it.

“In that last pass, I felt a pop in the middle of my pass and sat down,” Fortman said. “[I] was very unsure of what happened to my knee and very uneasy getting up to finish the routine.”

After Fortman’s routine, Cheatham found her and completed various tests, just as she did for Sirjord.

Cheatham knew after the tests that it was an ACL tear in Fortman’s right leg and waited until later that night to break the news, which came as a shock to both of them.

“It was very out of the blue,” Fortman said. “Even rewatching the videos, [Cheatham] didn’t notice anything had gone wrong. It was a freak accident. It was really a surprise.”

‘We can motivate each other’

Not even a month into the 2021 season, Minnesota lost both Sirjord and Fortman to season-ending ACL injuries.

Their injuries also came at a difficult time. The two spent countless hours preparing for their freshmen seasons while dealing with COVID-19, school and other responsibilities.

But for Sirjord, Fortman’s injury came as a light in the dark for her second rehab journey.

“Obviously, I would never wish anyone to get injured, ever. Erin called me the night she tore her ACL, and we had a heart-to-heart. It was so sad,” Sirjord said. “But deep down, I was like we can motivate each other. You see one person do something, you’re like, ‘I can do it too.’”

Fortman felt the same way. Her ACL tear was the first lower-body injury she has suffered. She felt that having Sirjord, who has experienced this rehab before, helped her through the process.

“Thank goodness I also had Ella going through this. Me and Ella got really close, and we were able to mentally support each other because we were going through the same thing,” Fortman said. “Me and Ella would just sit in the training room together and do our rehab. Just having someone with you makes it so much easier.”

Sirjord noted her second rehab went much better because she had Fortman and Cheatham to help her through everything, expressing that it was hard to motivate herself through the first one.

Throughout all the days full of pain, sweat and tears, they would pick each other up on bad days and act as each other’s motivators through every rehab session.

“We had so many tough days. She [Sirjord] noticed when I was struggling,” Fortman said. “Vice versa, I knew how she was feeling in those moments.”

Return to action

As Fortman and Sirjord came back after making full recoveries, they still had mental barriers they needed to overcome.

Fortman was apprehensive about returning to gymnastics and the team she grew up adoring just a short drive away from her hometown.

“My knee didn’t feel strong. I wasn’t sure if I should be doing stuff and wasn’t trusting my body anymore,” Fortman said. “At first, I was like, ‘Do I even want to get back? Am I strong enough? Am I mentally prepared to do this?’”

As she got back into practice, Fortman began on bars completing simple swings and handstands, and her fire quickly reignited from there. Once she got the little things back, she realized how badly she wanted to be back in the floor lineup and eventually compete on bars.

Sirjord was nervous about completing her first-hand-lay on beam, the skill that caused her to tear her ACL. Once she did it, she said it was ‘a big accomplishment.’

On Jan. 7, Fortman and Sirjord made their returns at the Gophers’ intrasquad meet, donning their maroon and gold leotards. Fortman competed on bars, while Sirjord competed on bars and beam.

“Being able to hit my bar routine when I needed to just gave me the confidence to continue to push it through the season. I’m just so excited to be out there with the team,” Fortman said. “I would love to make a floor and a bar lineup at some point, but my goal this season is just to be available when the team needs me.”

“It was my first time out there in two years, so that was big for me,” Sirjord said. “I just want to keep progressing. I feel like I’m getting there. The time off allowed me to do a lot of visualization.”

Minnesota (1-0) defeated Iowa and UCLA on Monday in their season opener after scoring 196.900 points in front of a record-breaking crowd. While Fortman and Sirjord did not compete, they will be important to the Gophers’ success as the season progresses.

“We want to pick up from where we left off from last year. We had such a great season last year, and we all know what we’re capable of,” Sirjord said. “We want to make it to nationals and get those 197s.”

As of Jan.15, Mayor Michelle Wu’s B Together policy — a mandate requiring proof of one COVID-19 vaccine dose to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston — came into effect.

s.overton@dailyutahchronicle.com

@SeanOverton3

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The University has partnered with HEB Pharmacy to provide COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, free of charge, to all faculty, staff and students.

The vaccines and boosters will be given out on Jan. 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the M.D Anderson Library.

“To keep yourself and others safe and healthy, I encourage you to take advantage of this convenient opportunity to get vaccinated here on campus,” said assistant vice president for student affairs Suzy Harrington.

This partnership with HEB pharmacy is not the first of its kind, with other vaccination events hosted alongside the school last year.

She encourages everyone who is interested in this clinic to take advantage of this opportunity and to schedule the appointment through the portal.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH, H-E-B Pharmacy partner for COVID-19 vaccine clinic” was originally posted on The Cougar

Former UCLA assistant coach Jane Alukonis has been named as women’s soccer head coach for the upcoming season, USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn announced in a media release Thursday. Replacing former head coach Keidane McAlpine following his eight years with the Trojans, Alukonis joins as  the team’s fifth head coach in 29 years.

After winning back-to-back Pac-12 titles with the Bruins and finishing undefeated in last season’s conference play, Alukonis aims to help the Trojans win the eventual season in a competitive conference. 

“As a talented athlete and coach, Jane brings a winning pedigree and the highest level of competitiveness to our program,” said  Bohn in the media release Thursday. “Her familiarity with both the Pac-12 Conference and the California recruiting landscape is a tremendous asset as we aim to return to the podium as national champions.” 

Hailing from Cocoa Beach, Fla., Alukonis’ experience and soccer expertise dates back to collegiate play. Playing as a defender/midfielder for Duke’s women’s soccer program, Alukonis started 76 of her 84 total matches from 2006-2009, finishing her last season as first-team captain and a four-time ACC Honor Roll nominee. 

Prior to joining UCLA’s program, Alukonis served as the head coach of the Space Coast United U-10, U-11 and U-16 girls club teams and earned an UEFA B Coaching License. 

During Alukonis’ UCLA’s coaching staff tenure last season, the Bruins reached an undefeated Pac-12 record of 8-0-3 that featured All-Pac-12 First-Team members then-junior forward Mia Fishel and then-freshman defender Lilly Reale. The two were among seven Bruins who received Pac-12 honors last season. 

“I am deeply grateful to USC Athletics for bringing me into the Trojan Family,” said Alukonis in a statement. “I have had the pleasure of watching USC soccer over the years and love how the players play the game — fearlessly, aggressively, and with never-ending fight. I can’t wait to be a part of this!” 

While in Westwood, the Bruins never finished lower than second in conference standings, making four straight NCAA postseason appearances between 2018 and 2021. 

Crowned Pac-12 champions after beating the Trojans at home in a 3-1 performance last season, the win eventually propelled UCLA to finish one point over second-place USC. 

Alukonis looks to continue McAlpine’s successful tenure and build on previous season to help the Trojans return to the top of the Pac-12 standings. 

The post Jane Alukonis appointed as women’s soccer head coach appeared first on Daily Trojan.

Hiding the reality of adolescent life from teenagers doesn’t encourage them to live better. It only prolongs the inevitable. 

Though the second day of the spring semester was canceled halfway through the day at Colorado State University due to intense winter weather conditions, the CSU men’s basketball team (14 wins, 1 loss) showed up in Moby Arena tonight to take on the University of New Mexico Lobos (7-11). 

The theme was ‘State Pride’ for tonight’s matchup, and the Rams came out with their deep blue warmups on, and the student sections filled to the max for the first game back from winter break. 

The Rams started a little rocky after tipoff with the Lobos’ first points coming from a fast-break layup followed by David Roddy getting CSU on the board with a free throw at the opposite end. However, Dischon Thomas got the Rams to a tie with a nice three, 4-4. 

With just over 15 minutes left in the first half, a much needed timeout was called by the Rams. They got a breather, as it seemed they needed a moment to gather themselves. The Rams accounted for two turnovers thus far while the Lobos came off the bus ready to play and doubled the Rams for points, 6-12.

Fresh off the bench, Jalen Lake got himself on the board early with a quick fast-break layup assisted by Isaiah Stevens to try to get momentum for the Colorado team. 

Stevens kept up the energy with a few floaters, keeping the Rams lead at 19-18. Stevens wasn’t the only one trying to take it into the paint; Isaiah Rivera pushed through the defense and got himself on the free throw line to make 1-1, keeping the Rams up 26-21.

With just under four minutes left in the half, CSU stayed strong and tried to get to the basket. Roddy added another layup, leading the Rams in points with nine.

Tonje added some spice with a dunk soon after, maintaining the Rams’ momentum.” 

Lobo Jaelen House tried silencing the crowd with a deep three, but Stevens took control in the next possession, holding the ball as long as he could. With the clock ticking down for the half, Stevens threw it right to John Tonje, who was wide open in the corner and whirl-pooled the perfect three, keeping the Rams’ lead at the half, 37-32. 

Coming out after halftime Roddy still led the Rams in points at 10 closely followed by Tonje with eight. Roddy and Stevens were both tied at 3 for assists while Chandler Jacobs led in rebounds with a total of five. 

The Rams looked warmed up to start the second half as they seemed ahead on defense and powerful on the other side of the court. Thomas woke up the crowd, throwing up two shots that were split by a layup from Adam Thistlewood, getting the Rams up 46-36. 

K.J. Jenkins from the Lobos tried closing the gap after getting fouled by Stevens on a 3-pointer, making it 46-43 with 14:37 to go. The Lobos soon got the lead they wanted with a jumper from Jamal Mashburn, making it 49-48.

Lake got the Rams to a tie at 52 with a floater that was followed by a shot clock violation on the Lobos. The Rams took advantage of the next possession as Roddy powered through two bigs to get a strong layup and the lead, 54-52. 

Both teams stayed within several points of each other as Roddy drained a three from the left side to keep the lead 65-61. It was shortly followed by a basket from Stevens with just over five minutes left in the game.

With the fans louder than ever, Roddy dished it to Stevens, who was wide open right under the net and scored, pushing the lead to 73-66 with 2:18 left in the game. Tonje added some spice with a dunk soon after, maintaining the Rams’ momentum. 

The Rams finished out the game at the free throw line, which isn’t foreign to CSU. They finished the last 45 seconds of the game 5-1 at the line from Lake, Jacobs and Roddy. They cut it close but came out with a win against the Lobos, 80-74. 

With a new student attendance record of 3,844, the Rams put on a show and will have their next opportunity to hit the court when they travel to the United States Air Force Academy this Saturday at noon.

Reach Taylor Paumen at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @TayTayPau.

On Dec. 28, after Emory University announced a remote start to the spring semester, the accompanying Instagram post garnered 160 comments from students voicing their opinions about the decision. Most posts receive only a handful of comments. Increased engagement, but at what cost?

Some disgruntled students demanded refunds and accused the University of “virtue signaling. One comment that received 235 likes reads: “instead of ‘as conditions permit’ it should be ‘whatever harvard decides to do we’ll follow.’” Others expressed confusion at the online backlash from students.

Among the latter group was Julius Pugh (24C), who experienced remote learning at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic during his first year at Emory. He said the initial remote-start announcement sounded “reasonable” to him.

“They’re not telling us, ‘You can’t move in,’” Pugh said. “They’re not telling you, ‘You can’t see your friends.’”

 

 

 

 

 

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Andrew Wei (22C) was one of those who returned to campus to see his friends. As a senior in his last semester of college, he wanted to take Zoom classes in a college environment.

But many students have yet to return to campus, leaving some wondering where the funds from absent students’ room and board are being used.

In the comment section of the Instagram post, Rebecca Schwartz (24C) voiced a suggestion to reallocate unused funds toward helping students cover pandemic-related costs such as PCR tests.

“If Emory is going to collect those funds and then not use it to house and dine certain students, I think it just makes sense to put those funds back into the community that is meant to be served in the first place,” Schwartz said.

While some students offer suggestions and critiques, others complain. Pugh said many students made nonconstructive complaints about the remote start rather than suggesting alternatives, which he said was “frustrating.”

“I’m pretty sure that Emory would be open to listening to [suggestions] because, at the end of the day, they still cater to us,” Pugh said.

Ada Demling (25C) tried just that. Her comment on the post asked why the University had not mandated testing before deciding to begin the semester online. She spoke to administrators about mandating weekly testing during the September surge.

“From talking to peers, there’s definitely people who think it’s unnecessary or a waste of money to do that [weekly testing],” Demling said. “But … I think most people are willing to have the inconvenience [of weekly testing] in order to avoid going online.”

Demling feels that testing protocols are not enough, though, despite close-contact and pre-entry testing requirements. She is back on campus, isolating in the Emory Conference Center Hotel. Demling tested negative for COVID-19 a few hours before she boarded a flight to campus but tested positive when she arrived on campus.

“Of my own volition, I decided to get a test when I got back on campus, but there’s no requirement to do that,” she said. “If I didn’t do that, then I would be walking around with COVID.”

Demling said her own experience makes a case for the necessity of mandated on-campus testing for vaccinated students. According to a Jan. 13 email from Emory Forward, only “unvaccinated students, faculty, and staff are required to conduct weekly screening tests.”

Demling agreed with the University’s decision to begin the semester online but voiced concerns about inconsistencies in testing protocol.

“I just wish that they were at least explaining why they aren’t taking it more seriously,” she said.

Wei expressed a similar frustration. 

“Something I definitely hear a lot is that it’s just arbitrary virtue signaling,” he said. “I feel like if they really wanted to keep us safe, they’d do things like have mandatory testing, not having giant campus concerts and stuff like that.”

Whether or not the remote start was necessary, Wei said the online format brought down his overall mood.

“It sucked the soul and the life out of me the moment I got on Zoom,” Wei said.

Schwartz chose to stay home for the online start and faces challenges like background noise, Wi-Fi issues and feeling distant from the Emory community. She said her friends are thousands of miles away.

Demling also finds it difficult to focus on Zoom.

“No one is participating. No one has their camera on,” she said. “The activities and class are not that engaging, and you just feel like, ‘Why am I paying so much money?’”

Wei said while he understands some of the university’s pandemic policies, he struggles to grasp other seemingly contradictory decisions.

“I can justify some, but I can’t justify others,” Wei said. “A lot of it is virtue signaling, but also a lot of it is genuine efforts and attempts to do what is right.”

Pugh is adamant that it is important for students to “speak up” and “offer suggestions,” although he acknowledges another perspective from one of his peers: that students should not have to find solutions for the University’s problems.

“This is unprecedented,” he said. “We’re paying for our education, so we have a say.”

The post Remote start announcement leaves students with questions, suggestions appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Quiz: Which ‘Euphoria’ character are you?

IMDB/Courtesy

“Euphoria” is back for another season, and everyone is talking about which character they relate to the most. People say they’re the Maddy of their friend group or have the style of Jules. However, wanting to be a character isn’t the same as actually embodying them. Grab your glitter and take this quiz to determine your “Euphoria” counterpart based on your traits, style and personality.

Nicholas Clark is a deputy blog editor. Contact him at nclark@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

Difficulties in finding all-gender bathrooms on campus have made transgender students feel unsafe in the past.