SPORTS
Photo by Adrian Etheridge - Contributing Photographer
Senior swims despite spinal surgery
Ashika Rovol
araval@unca.edu - Staff Writer
UNC Asheville senior
Hallie Gillespie made her
comeback on the 200 yard re
lay after months of recovering
from major injuries.
Starting off with just mi
nor back pain in March, Gil
lespie continued to feel the
pain progress more and more
every day. She consulted two
therapists, a chiropractor, an
orthopedic surgeon and even
did dry needling. No one had
an answer and the pain con
tinued to grow.
"I continued to swim and
then I began to lose my mo
tor skills. One day I was
swimming at practice and my
right foot wasn’t kicking. 1
thought it was, but it wasn’t.
My coach was like, ’Oh my
god your right foot isn’t mov
ing.’ It was pretty scary, after
a year of being athletic and
swimming and just having
this thing happen,” said Gil
lespie.
Following her loss of mobil
ity. Gillespie felt like she had
no choice but to see a neuro
surgeon. who determined that
she had a bone spur growth in
a nerve tunnel that needed to
be removed.
“That week was horrible. I
don’t even want to remember
that week.
1 still have back pain, be
cause that problem wasn’t
really solved, I go see a mas
sage therapist every week,
but I’m definitely improving.
Last Saturday, Coach just an
chored me out for the relay,
and I mean I just dove in.”
Gillespie said.
Gillespie said her inspira
tion to fight through the pain
came from those closest to
her.
"Fm not going to say it
felt really great, because it
hurt obviously. But to be rac
ing with people cheering for
me, people who have been
supportive of me for so long
made it incredible,” Gillespie
Swimming is not
a just a sport,
but a lifestyle.”
— Hallie Gillespie
Senior, swim team member
said.
Coach Elizabeth Lykins
said Gillespie never left the
team because of her injury
and she always continued in
playing a vital role for every
one.
“Hallie never left the team.
She has been with the team
training, rehabbing after sur
gery, traveling, volunteering
and every other activity team
members have done the entire
year and always in a contrib
uting role,” said Lykins.
Gillespie earned her high
est ever collegiate GPA dur
ing the fall 2013 semester
and helped lead the team in
earning Scholar All-America
Team status for the third con
secutive semester.
“Hallie is one of only two
seniors on the swim team so
her role as a leader is huge.
We all look to her for advice,”
said Galen Broido, a sopho
more on the UNC A women’s
swim team.
In and out of the pool, Gil
lespie continues to strive to
make sure that not just her,
but everyone around her, gets
the best of her.
“I work hard and I try to
set a good example. Fm one
of the oldest on the team so
what 1 try to do is set an ex
ample for the other girls and
give them something that they
can look up to. I don’t know if
that’s what being a leader is,
but I just try to be the best for
them,” said Hallie.
According to Lykins, Gil
lespie brings encouragement
to her team.
“Her attitude and presence
at practices and meets is con
tagious: always encouraging,
supportive and helpful to her
teammates and coaches. Hall
ie is a staple of the inaugural
swimming program at UNC
Asheville,” Lykins said,
Broido said Gillespie never
once showed a negative at
titude during her injury and
continued to stay positive
about her situation, helping
the team in any way, shape or
form she could.
Gillespie, a graduating se
nior for the upcoming fall se
mester, said swimming for her
has become that puzzle piece
See SWIM on page 11