THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 19, 1995 TAG: 9504180109
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Profile
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
THE LETTERS ACL can strike fear into the hearts of athletes. They stand for anterior cruciate ligament, a strand of tissue that holds the top and bottom of the knee joint together.
Injuries to the ACL usually result from impact, the kind of blows football players sustain, but not always, said Dr. Lawrence Shall, a local sports physician/surgeon.
And the injuries often end an athlete's career. Just ask John Lee.
Lee doesn't play football and never did. But three ACL injuries did end his career as a promising pole vaulter at Norfolk State University.
Lee vaulted for Bayside High School for three years. His talent earned a track scholarship.
He started out fulfilling, even exceeding, expectations.
Lee won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association indoor and outdoor pole vaulting championships as a freshman at Norfolk State University in 1990-91. He no longer vaults. He hasn't stopped clearing obstacles though.
Dr. Shall's scalpel and Lee's left knee have come together on three occasions: Jan. 28, 1992; May 4, 1993; Nov. 19, 1993.
Three freak accidents. Three surgeries. The end of Lee's vaulting career.
``The first happened during practice at Kellam High School after my freshman year,'' said Lee. ``I just landed wrong.
``The second time, I stepped off a curb, heard the pop and knew what happened.
``And the third time, I was asleep. My leg got tangled in the sheet and . .
Dr. Shall performed arthroscopic surgery on each occasion: two allografts on the damaged joint, using tissue from Lifenet to replace the torn ligament; the third, to clean out the knee, remove bone chips and do repair work.
After the first two surgeries, Lee went through the painful grind of rehabilitation. He planned to continue vaulting for the Spartans.
He did leg extensions and flexions on an exercise machine and went to physical therapy.
``I remember one exercise they made me do,'' he said. ``I would lie on my stomach and the therapist would bend my knee as far as possible toward my butt.''
NSU picked up the medical bills for their incident-prone, promising young pole vaulter. But the track program couldn't wait forever.
Unable to compete, Lee lost his track scholarship.
``The coaches weren't mad at me or anything. It wasn't personal. They just said I was accident-prone. It was a financial decision,'' he said. ``The scholarship's renewable each year.''
Lee lost his first love, vaulting, but he didn't lose his perspective. He realized that he wanted to get a degree if he couldn't pursue his track dream.
So, he has earned academic scholarships and has worked in the library archives for four years.
``Very interesting job,'' he said. ``Filing articles, old and rare books, obits of NSU graduates, anything relevant to the school.''
His boss, Dr. Tommy Bogger, university archivist, praised Lee's work, and particularly his perseverance in the face of adversity.
``He's an outstanding young man with a good attitude,'' said Bogger. ``He has not only done a fine job in his work with the archives, he pitched in and helped with some work when we relocated to a new facility last November. He put up some shelves, for instance.''
He has held other jobs since his sophomore year in high school. He currently works for an inventory company 20 to 30 hours a week from 5 p.m. until midnight.
He carries a full academic load and a 3.30 grade-point-average. Lee has now decided to become an art teacher. He has two years of college remaining to obtain his degree.
``I started out in biology, thought about pre-med, switched to graphic design,'' he said. ``I want to teach in an elementary school. I enjoy kids. My mom's a teacher's assistant and I've been to her class a few times.''
He works out at a Virginia Beach gym regularly. He looks fit and lean, 6-foot-2, 175 pounds.
He gets a nostalgic look in his eye when he talks about vaulting.
``I remember my first vault was about 9 feet 6 inches. You rock back and it feels like you're going to fall on your back. You're upside down, looking straight up at the sky. Then the pole thrusts you up. You pull, twist your body around, push off, let go of the pole and twist over the bar.
``I didn't really notice the bar at first, but after a while, I could see every aspect of the vault as I was doing it. Could watch myself.
``You know, it's funny I guess, but I still would like to run track, maybe events up and down the coast after I finish school.
``I think about that a lot.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
John Lee continues to strengthen the injured knee that cost him his
track scholarship at Norfolk State. He is still pursuing his degree
there.
by CNB