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Oglesby leads in mere than basketball
BY TAYLOR HALLETT
Staff Writer
Gabby Oglesby, a junior on the
women's basketbdl team, proves to be a
leader on and off the court.
Head Women's Basketball Coach
Stephanie Flamini appreciates having
Oglesby as part of the team.
"She works very hard and she has
the right attitude," said Flamini. "She
definitely leads us in many ways."
Oglesby is still getting accustomed to
this new leadership role she has found
herself in.
"Now coach uses my name a lot in
the sense of me being a leader to the
underclassmen and to the whole,"
Oglesby said. "I'm adapting to that and
learning how to play that role this year."
Oglesby's teammates are also glad to
have her on the team and find her to be a
source for inspiration.
"She's one of everyone's favorites on
the team," said senior teammate Jaclyn
Nucci. "Even in practice when it's going
bad or we need a pick-me-up, she can
make a joke. Her sense of humor can pick
us up when we need it."
With the women's basketball team
off to a good start and considering their
high profile success last season, there are
certainly high expectations for what the
team will accomplish.
"We are really coming together as a
team," said Nucci. "I think we are only
going to go up from here."
While Oglesby looks forward to team
accomplishments, she is particularly
focused on her ability to contribute to the
team personally.
"One of my personal goals is to
reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Apparently I'm pretty close."
Last season, Oglesby won recognition
as the Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Player of the Year. She was a key player in
the team's success and led the Quakers in
scoring 14.7 points per game, 7.9 rebounds
per game, a field-goal percentage of .514
and had 66 blocked shots.
Despite these impressive statistics
which show her devotion to athletic
improvement, Oglesby engages in many
activities besides basketball.
Oglesby also finds enjoyment in
making music.
"I play bass guitar sometimes," said
Oglesby. "I just do it for fun; I've been
playing for three years now."
However, schoolwork and academics
are still a priority for Oglesby.
"School is obviously the reason why I
am here," said Oglesby. "School is first,
basketball comes second."
Oglesby is currently reading pro
basketball player Lisa Leslie's book
"Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You." She
cites Leslie as an inspiring figure, in her
achievements on and off the court.
"She has all these defining roles that
she plays in her life that people don't see
because they think she is just a basketball
player," said Oglesby. "I relate to that a
lot."
Last semester, Oglesby excelled in a
class called "The Female Athlete," taught
by Professor of Sports Studies Kathleen
Tritschler.
"It was really wonderful to have Gabby
as a member of last spring's class," said
Tritschler in an email interview. "In fact,
it was so great that I begged her to TA
for this spring's class, but unfortunately
she needs to take a course for her major
instead."
Oglesby also cites church and religion
as being an important aspect of her life.
"I try to go to church whenever I can,"
said Oglesby. "When I am home, I am
there every Sunday. God and family are
the two most important parts of my life."
Clearly, Oglesby has much to look
forward to, both as an incredible athlete
and as a diligent student.
"She is one of the best kids I've ever
coached," said Flamini. "More than
being a great player, she's an even better
person."
Catastrophic health inisurance: can you pay the price?
BRITTANY MURDOCK
Staff Writer
The average expense of a spinal cord injury in the first year
is $1,023,924. Could a Guilford College football player's family
afford such an expense?
Catastrophic insurance is a policy which covers expenses when
a student-athlete suffers catastrophic injuries. Fortunately here
at Guilfonl, the athletic department has an emergency action
plan and, the NCAA sponsors catastrophic insurance for every
Division III school.
In the world of high school football, catastrophic insurance isn't
always available.
E:60 is ESPN's prime-time news magazine that features
profiles, investigations and cutting-edge stories on emerging and
established sports. In the E:60 episode of "Busted Coverage," two
high school football players and their famili^ share stories of their
spinal cord injuries and the everyday struggle to fight sores and
infections and to maintain the will to survive.
Diondre Proton was a starting quarterback at Molina High
School in Dallas. He was a Division I prospect, receiving 30
recruiting letters a week. Two years ago, he suffered a helmet-to-
helmet hit and fractured two vertebrae in his spinal cord, leaving
him paralyzed from the neck down.
Preston's high school is one of the few high schools in Dallas to
actually have a catastrophic insurance policy. This polity should
insure him $6 million dollars in coverage over a 10 year time span.
Phone calls have gone unanswered since he graduated, which
was over a year ago.
"The school helped us out in the beginning by paying for
supplies, equipment, medical bills and even donated their van for
him," said Preston's mother Maya Preston in an interview with
E:60. "Every time I try to call I get the run around."
What happens if a high school athlete is catastrophically injured
in the state of North Carolina?
During a phone interview, Gary Cavanaugh, business manager
of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, told The
Guilfordian that it is mandatory that all members of the association
have a catastrophic insurance policy in place.
"Catastrophic policy is used when the total claim of an injury is
over $25,000," said Cavanaugh. "We don't want any athlete who
has suffered a catastrophic injury to have their family get crippled
with bills."
In the state of North Carolina, the limit is $1 million. What is
one to do after the policy has maxed out?
The other football player in the video was Rocky Qark, who
was paralyzed during a tackle 12 years ago at Eisenhower High
School in the Chicago suburbs. Fortunately for Qark, his school
had catastrophic insurance.
However, 10 years after his injury, the policy had maxed out,
and the benefits were cut off. He was soon hospitalized as his
physical condition worsened and his systems started failing him.
A year and five months after the insurance polity had maxed
out, Qark passed away at the age of 27.
Where does one turn to after the money comes to a sudden halt?
Two himdred and sixty five high school football players have
been paralyzed from spinal cord injuries since 1977 and that
number keeps growing.
"My mom would let my brothers play football when they were
little, but not when they got older," said sophomore Logan Hardin.
"The sport got more aggressive, and my mom didn't want them
playing because of all ffie injuries that could potentially happen."
Guilford has an emergency action plan that is updated every
year by Head Athletic Trainer Gary Rizza, which includes what
to do with specific injuries and who is responsible and emergency
numbers. The NCAA sponsors a catastrophic injury insurance
program for every Division III school which covers a student-
athlete who is catastrophically injured while participating in a
covered intercollegiate athletic activity.
The NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook states, 'The policy has
a $90,000 deductible and provides benefits in excess of any other
valid and collectible insurance."
When asked if the fear of a potential catastrophic injury ever
restricted one from playing football, senior Trey Billian answered,
"The fear of a serious injury never stopped me from playing
because it's a risk when you play the game and everyone knows
it. If you think or worry about it too much and you play scared,
thatis when people get hurt."
This a condensed version of the article.To read
the full version online, visit
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SPORTS
^®^Whats Going On
^^^in Guilford Sports
[last week^s games and MATCHESjI
Basketball
Men’s Basketball
Nov. 16 vs. Southern Va. [W 71-
67]
Nov. 17 vs. William Peace [W
93-56]
Nov. 20 @ Averett [L 71-67]
Nov. 28 vs. Eastern Mennonite
[W 67-64]
Women’s Basketball
Nov. 17 vs. N.C. Wesleyan [W
70-54]
Nov. 18 vs. York (Pa.) [L 55-51]
Nov. 20 @ Averett [W 75-42]
Nov. 26 vs. Meredith [W 71-56]
Nov. 28 vs. Eastern Mennonite
[L 57-44]
Upcoming games and matches j|
Basketball
Men's Basketball
Dec. 1 vs. Randolph-Macon
Dec. 5 vs. Greensboro
Women's Basketball
Dec. 1 @ Washington and Lee
Dec. 5 vs. William Peace
Track and Field
Dec. 1 Classic Kick-Off @
Winston-Salem, JDL
Swimming
Dec. 1-2 @ Randolph-Macon
Invitational
Signifies an away
GAME
vs. Signifies a; home
GAME