By Marin Murray.
From the sidelines to a state berth in only the span of three months; all it took to complete this extraordinary comeback for junior Zoe Vann was determination and a few too many hours on the stationary bike.
During the area track meet in April, Zoe sustained a severe neck injury that eventually required surgery and left her sidelined from all athletic activities until late August. Zoe finished in 17th place at the Region 1-5A cross country meet on Oct. 23, earning the last individual qualifying spot for the state meet on Nov. 3.
“Considering the circumstances and everything I’ve been through, I’d say the season has gone pretty well,” Zoe said.
Zoe underwent surgery in July to correct the C4-C5 flexion distraction injury she experienced during a pole vaulting incident. She was confined to a neck brace for much of the summer and was unable to participate in sports and other activities until she was medically cleared in late August.
“She’s a competitor,” girls’ cross country coach RoseMary Martin said. “It really broke her heart not being able to be with her teammates and compete with them.”
Zoe returned to training with the team in late August and her first meet back was the McMurry University Big Country Festival on Sept. 1. She finished in first place in the two mile race with a time of 13:55.
“Because of my neck injury, I had to sit out,” Zoe said. “It was just hard watching my teammates be able to practice, knowing that when I finally did get to join them that I would be at a severe disadvantage because I missed out on three months of training.”
To keep her cardiovascular fitness at a high level while she was unable to run, Zoe passed time by riding the stationary bike, among other activities. Although this did help to keep her in shape, her quick return to intense running played the largest part in improving her fitness.
“When I finally got back to training, I hit the ground running,” Zoe said. “Right away I was clocking in 30 to 35 miles per week, so my fitness improved drastically over the course of a few weeks.”
Not only did her immediate return to intense training help her improve her fitness, but the determination she displayed in practices and races helped her get to where she is now.
“Cross country is a long distance sport and involves a lot of endurance training,” Martin said. “So, she did lack in that part, however, her determination and heart pretty much got her through our season.”
Although Zoe did face setbacks in the form of shin splints, she did not let this injury prevent her from her goals, rather she got back on the stationary bike and learned to keep trusting the process.
“I learned that you can’t force anything to happen,” Zoe said. “You just have to trust the process and keep going. You have to remind yourself that everything is going to work out and you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
