Miracles in sports have become so clichéd, the word usually attracts more eye-rolls than believers.
But Canadian gymnast Brittany Rogers doesn’t shy away from the term when describing her improbable return to gymnastics.
Rogers broke her inner ankle bone at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships
in Australia on a faulty double pike dismount from the balance beam.
The 18-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C. thought her gymnastics career was over.
“Not being able to do gymnastics is something I can’t explain, it was
like losing someone I love,” said Rogers. “But it was a good lesson I
learned. When it was taken away from me, I realized how much I really
love the sport.”
Rogers saw two different surgeons, who both advised a cast on her ankle to allow it to heal over a two-month period.
But the bone did not heal.
Rogers sought a third opinion from Dr. Dory Boyer, an orthopedic surgeon
based in New Westminster, B.C., who was also the medical services
manager for the Vancouver Organizing Committee during the 2010 Winter
Games.
Dr. Boyer got Rogers into surgery and put a pin in her ankle bone to
keep it together. He also removed bone chips that had been floating
around her ankle and preventing her from moving it.
That Christmas, eight months after sustaining the injury that had threatened to end her career, Rogers started to walk again.
“It was my Christmas miracle,” she said. “[My ankle] was sore and a
little weak, but I could deal with that, because I knew I was on my way
back to gymnastics.”
Rogers credits Dr. Boyer for her recovery, who she says has become a
good friend. The two still keep regular appointments to monitor her
ankle, but Rogers says she also visits Dr. Boyer for mental support.
“He’s the only one who knows what it’s really like, because he’s
actually been inside my ankle,” said Rogers. “I honestly wouldn’t be
here without him and his surgery.”
Rogers returned to competition at the 2011 Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous,” said Rogers. “I felt like I was a novice again.”
She ended up placing fourth in the all-around competition.
“I didn’t have any expectations for myself,” she added. “It was nice to
just go out there and do it for myself and come back from such a big
injury.”
Rogers has come a long way since making her big comeback. She helped the
Canadian team to an Olympic berth at the Test Event in January, and now
has her sights set on making the women’s artistic gymnastics Olympic
team.
She has reached the podium in almost every event in which she has
competed this year; most notably with three apparatus gold medals: two
for uneven bars, one on floor. She is currently ranked eighth in the
world on vault by gymnastics’ international governing body, FIG.
Most recently, Rogers added to an impressive season by taking home a
silver medal on vault and finishing sixth all-around at the 2012
Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Regina last week.
The results of the competition make up 40 per cent of the Olympic
selection committee’s decision when selecting members of the national
team. The remaining 60 per cent is based on the Olympic selection camp
in Gatineau, Que. at the end of June, with results from other meets
throughout the year also taken into account.
“Even if I don’t make the team, I did help qualify the team for the
Olympics. Whatever happens, I’m just happy that I’ve contributed this
much, this far,” said Rogers. “I’m in love with gymnastics, and it’s
kind of hard to explain love, whether it’s in relationships or sports.
“It’s been such a struggle, I think it’s kind of made me who I am today. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
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