Archbishop Mitty All-American Girls Basketball Star striker McKenna Woliczko has had per week that no athlete would ever need to endure.
It began last Saturday when She tore her right anterior cruciate ligament against Ontario Christian through the Sabrina Ionescu SI20 Showcase at Carondelet High School in Concord. Things continued as she faced her recent reality on Monday with an MRI that confirmed the torn ligaments.
After a visit to renowned orthopedist Christopher Lehman, who also works for the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries, Woliczko now has a path forward in mind. It will take a protracted time as she has suffered a whole cruciate ligament tear.
“It was torn,” Woliczko’s father, Aaron, told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. “So no crack if it’s partial. It was (completely) torn. So they're going to take a portion of the tendon, most likely at the top of their knee, toward their quadriceps and basically place that where the anterior cruciate ligament was.”
But first, Woliczko has to alleviate the swelling in her knee. The operation is scheduled for late January or early February depending on progress.
Before her anterior cruciate ligament is reconstructed, Woliczko needs to enhance mobility in her right knee and increase blood flow to the affected area. This slow, arduous work has already begun.
“She started treatment with Mitty on Tuesday,” Aaron Woliczko said. “The nice thing about Mitty is that her athletic trainer and her strength coach are nearly as good as anyone. If essential, they might undertake a school program. And so on Tuesday, when school began again, she was already working on getting surgery.
“I do the stuff, the ice and the stimulation and try to get the blood flow to the area. I'm actually getting ready for surgery, if you can believe it. Plus some other stretches, flexibility and even some quadriceps strengthening. She is in good hands with the Mitty trainers.”
The injury has affected far more than simply Woliczko's basketball routine. Small on a regular basis tasks like driving to highschool have develop into more complex.
“This is the new norm,” Aaron said. “So the sooner everyone, including our family, figures out what the new norm is, the better off we will be. The hardest thing right now is that it's a right leg, and she (used to) drive herself to Mitty from where we live at the San Francisco airport. Suddenly we're trying to convey them again, whether it's me or my wife or my family, my father-in-law. We have to clarify that again.”
Woliczko is attempting to stay positive despite the turmoil, nevertheless it's taking its toll. She supported her teammates in her first game without them, an 84-26 win over Valley Christian that opened West Catholic Athletic League play on Tuesday.
“She was still out with the team, on the bus, eating before the game and so on,” Aaron said. “And she sat on the bench, high-fived her teammates and told them they did a very good job.
“I think she knew there was time to reflect too because she's still trying to process what just happened. On days like today, when we got back from orthopedics, she started reading a book and doing homework and then when I knew it, she was sleeping for four hours. There’s a certain amount of emotional strain that comes with it.”
The road ahead might be made up of all of the small victories won day after day within the recovery process. It might be a protracted journey, likely lasting into October before full functionality is achieved.
After the surgery, Woliczko could have to attend 4 to 5 months before she will be able to start running again. In the meantime, she plans to start concrete court work in the summertime.
In August and September there may be the chance to play non-contact basketball with high-level strength training. Woliczko ought to be able to begin her senior basketball season by October.
But it’ll take loads of patience, and the Woliczkos haven’t any reason to beat back McKenna with a lot potential in her profession.
“You talk about certain things, like small goals,” Aaron said. “Just having the ability to have a good time the little things, because loads of those little things are going so as to add up over the course of the subsequent nine months.
“It may sound trivial to someone who doesn’t understand it or hasn’t been through it. But the very fact that you can regain a straight leg when the time comes is something to be celebrated and you need to be around people like athletic trainers and physical therapists who understand that. Even if it's something small really, just make some small goals and keep achieving them and you'll be back stronger than ever.”
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