Mitchell High School senior Avery Hobbs suffered a severe concussion during a basketball game in January that caused her to have constant headaches, blurry vision, frequent dizziness, and pain in her neck for about five months. At one point, she wondered if she would ever get to play sports again, go to school again, or even enjoy life again. Fortunately, she was able to recover, and now she’s back doing the things she’s always enjoyed doing, like competing in volleyball, basketball and rodeo. She said the adversity she faced has made her realize how fast one’s life can change, ‘so you really need to make the most of every moment.’
JEFF FIELDER Editor
MITCHELL – Just a couple minutes into the Mitchell High School girls varsity basketball team’s home game against Scottsbluff on Jan. 11, Tiger starting guard Avery Hobbs was boxing out a player on a Bearcat 3-point shot attempt.
The shot missed, bouncing hard against the back of the rim. The ball sailed out into the field of play about 15 feet, right where Hobbs was positioned. She leaped high into the air to grab the ball before landing swiftly on her feet.
At about that same time, one of Hobbs’ teammates, who had also attempted to grab the rebound, accidentally bumped into the front part of Hobbs’ body, causing Hobbs to lose her balance and fall backward.
Hobbs knew she was headed toward a hard landing, but there wasn’t anything she could do to stop her momentum. Her head struck the gymnasium floor hard as her legs drifted into the air.
“I’m kind of surprised it didn’t knock me out,” she said.
Amazingly, Hobbs popped right back up and got ready to play again. Her coaches, though, wanted to make sure she felt OK, so they briefly pulled her out of the game.
“The coaches kept asking me, ‘Are you OK?’” Hobbs said. “I told them, ‘Yes, I feel fine. I’ll be OK.’ So then I was able to go back into the game.”
Hobbs played the rest of that contest, and even after she went home following the game, she said she still felt fine.
“I didn’t think what had happened was that big of a deal,” she said.
You can read the entire story in the September issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $15. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865.
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