Bowling Green State University Athletics
Taylor and Clapper Work Their Way Back
October 30, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 30, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - By the tone of their voices, you would think they were discussing the death of a family member. Words like pain, sadness and frustration are voiced repeatedly in the same solemn, reflective manner. While the physical wounds are mostly healed, memories of season ending injuries are fresh in the minds of BGSU women's basketball players Sarah Clapper and Whitney Taylor.
One season later, the duo's new sense of appreciation for the game has them hungry to continue the team's winning ways.
"Both of us just feel it's our turn to step up, like we never had an injury," Clapper said. "We just want our teammates to be able to trust we're going to do our jobs."
Taylor, a junior at the time, was the first to have an injury cut her season short. The day after Christmas, fresh off the teams' tournament in Cancun, Taylor sustained a knee injury in the closing minutes of practice.
"I came down wrong on my right knee on a jump stop," Taylor said. "When I went down I was very scared - I immediately knew something was wrong."
One month later it was freshman Sarah Clapper who went down.
"I went to the doctor the next day and they told me at was the right ACL," Clapper said. "It's terrible. No matter how well rehab goes, you know there's no chance at coming back before the season's over."
The two then began their grueling rehabilitation process, all the while supporting the team and each other. They came to practices early, stayed late and did everything short of sleeping in the training room to prepare their bodies for next season. They roomed together on road trips, sat next to each other on the bench and motivated one another through countless rehab sessions.
In a way, the timing of the two injuries turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
"It would have been hard to go through that by ourselves," Taylor said. "It was just nice to have Clapper there. We had fun in the end. Since we had to do it, at least we had each other."
Still, there were hard times. While the team enjoyed its most successful season in school history, Clapper and Taylor were relegated to the cheering section, trading in their uniforms and basketball shoes for dress cloths and high heels. As the Falcons clinched a birth in the Sweet 16, the pair could do nothing more than cheer and wonder what could have been.
"It was kind of bittersweet," Clapper said. "You're happy for the team but you don't get to put on your jersey."
"It's so hard because that's your dream and to not have played will always be like a little needle in my side," Taylor added.
That little needle in the side is what's motivating Clapper and Taylor to come back stronger than ever this season. They both wear knee braces, a visible reminder of a painful memory, but each of them refuses to let the injury be an excuse or topic of much discussion. Instead, the pair is focusing on overcoming mental obstacles keeping them from getting back to 100-percent.
"It's baby steps - each day it's something new," Taylor said. "You have to keep pushing yourself to try tougher things and then remind yourself you can do it.
"It's a nagging thing right now. I'm still a little insecure about it." Through all of the hardship, both agreed the greatest thing to come out of the injuries was a new appreciation for the game they love.
"It's just exciting to come to practice now," Taylor said. "You remember how much you love it and how much you'd give anything to be out there. It's a real positive mental experience."
