Kailua’s Jacobs Learns Positive Side Of Sports Injury

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Surfrider Ashley Jacobs is happy to be on the basketball court again. Photo by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Ashley Jacobs can relate to the gut-wrenching uncertainty a parent has when watching their offspring play sports. When she broke her wrist in a freak accident in P.E. class the day Kailua was to begin its playoff run, her stellar four-year basketball career came to an abrupt halt.

She was left to play the role of a spectator herself.

“I tried to distract myself at practice by shooting off to the side, but it was really, really tough. It hurt just to watch them,” she recalled.

Kailua went on to post victories over Radford, Mililani and Moanalua in the OIA Tournament and earn one of the league’s six berths in the Division I State Tournament.

In her hour of disappointment, Jacobs composed a poem that summed up her feelings.“She’s not always able to express herself through talking - that’s the reason she writes the way she does,” explained her mother, Wannita. “Her outlet was to write poems. It’s not something she’ll pursue, but she’s always done it.”

To help her daughter understand her misfortune, Wannita pointed to some examples close to home, notably Kailua quarterback Kenny Ellis, who suffered a season-ending injury in his team’s first scrimmage last August.For his part,Ellis came back to help lead the Surfriders to a DII state title under Tim Harrison in February.

“I used examples when I talked to her. We don’t know why these things happen,” Wannita said, “but she was strong. She’s more mature than me.”

Although Jacobs didn’t have the finish to her career she had wanted at Kailua, she is at peace. “I thought I had a really good four years there at Kailua,” she said. “I’m proud to have been a part of them moving up to Division I. There’s nothing I regret. I tried my best.”

The Surfriders flourished in Division II during Jacobs’first three years before earning a promotion to DI last summer. Jacobs was a three-time All-Conference selection at Kailua.

Her rehabilitation has been the focus of her attention lately. She receives therapy for her wrist three days a week and has been shooting baskets (without a cast on, that is) every other day for the last month. Ironically, she credits her time in a cast with improving her shooting,as she had only the use of her shooting hand.

“I think it made my shot a little better,“she said.“My shot is different now, but I think I benefited from it.”

She also will play in a Sunday league in the near future and in the fall will attend Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where she hopes to continue her basketball career. Pacific is a Division III school that does-n’t offer scholarships. The Boxers are in a rebuilding mode at present, having finished 4-20 under second-year coach Sharon Rissmiller last season.

At Pacific, Jacobs hopes to play point guard, meaning she’ll be handling the ball a lot more.“They’re all taller (at that level), so I’ll have to work on my dribbling and my driving as well as continue working on my shooting.”

For a natural athlete like Jacobs, the bigger adjustment could come off of the court. While she will have family in the area, it will be her first time living away from home. “I’m really excited, but I’m also nervous. I’m so family-oriented, I think I’ll be homesick at first. I’m ready for a new challenge and to learn to be on my own.

“My uncle just moved up there,” she added,“and there are a lot of local kids, which will make it more comfortable.”

Below is the poem Jacobs wrote following her accident.

Broken By Ashley Jacobs No. 23

Feb. 11, 2009

Yesterday I broke my wrist; the first thing I thought was my game.

I knew I shouldn’t have participated, but no one is to blame.

Things happen for a reason, some things are meant to be.

I don’t understand god’s ways, but I guess yesterday he chose me.

I’m gonna take this as a challenge and keep my head up high.

Yes it hurt, but it was the thought of not playing with my team that made me cry.

When I went to the hospital I kept asking how long they will take.

I told the doctor I have a game at five and they said give me a break.