HART HIGH PLAYER IS COOKING AGAIN; POPULAR SETTER IS BACK FROM ANKLE INJURY.Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer A new tradition began with the Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
This season, a group of about 10 would attend matches and sit atop the bleachers with banners that say: ``Go Wendy,'' ``Go 22,'' or ``I love Wendy.'' Indians first-year coach Becky Martin said the bunch cheers for the whole team but particularly loudly for Cook, the only returning starter from last year's league-championship team. ``Some of my friends come and cheer for me and make banners, and my teammates say, `Oh, it's the fan club coming,' '' Cook said with a laugh. ``It wasn't really a surprise because they told me they would be doing do it, (but) at first I thought they were lying.'' Unfortunately, the fan club didn't have much opportunity in the last month to root for its favorite player. After spraining her ankle in a scrimmage against L.A. Baptist three weeks ago, Cook missed four matches and two tournaments. She made her comeback just last week, in Tuesday's win against Village Christian. The injury was Cook's first significant setback in four years of volleyball. It occurred when Cook and middle blocker Emily Neeley both jumped up for a block, and Neeley landed on Cook's foot. ``I heard it pop, and I thought it was going to be broken,'' Cook said. ``Then it just swelled up, and I thought it was broken for sure.'' The doctor's diagnosis of a sprain sprain, stretching or wrenching of the ligaments and tendons of a joint, often with rupture of the tissues but without dislocation. Sprains occur most commonly at the ankle, knee, or wrist joints, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty in moving the involved joint. was a relief although the recovery period was still a little tough. Cook was on crutches for four days with her ankle encased en·case tr.v. en·cased, en·cas·ing, en·cas·es To enclose in or as if in a case. en·case  ment n. in a brace brace: see drill. (character) brace - left brace or right brace. . Her first match back, Cook said, was marked by pregame jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics . She thought she would not be able to play, that she would end up asking Martin to take her out of the match. ``I was a little sore, and I babied it a little (during the match),'' she said. ``It was really hard because it's my senior year, and I got hurt, and I just wanted to go back and play. My teammates said to take it easy until league starts, but I was able to go back Tuesday, and I was happy with the way I did. I just had to adjust to new hitters and new hitting. But it came along easily.'' Cook, a two-time letter winner, brings more to the court than physical abilities. As team captain, her leadership skills also make a significant impact. ``She's not loud where everyone in the gym is going to hear her,'' Martin said. ``But when you're on the court, she's a vocal player, calling sets on or off. She's a smart setter setter: see sporting dog. setter Any of three breeds derived from a medieval hunting dog that would set (lie down) when it found birds so that it and the birds could be covered with a net. Setters have long hair on the ears, chest, legs, and tail. - her hitters know what to expect.'' Cook, who aspires to play volleyball in college, began playing the sport just four years ago. In the eighth grade, when a high school coach talked to her class about trying out for the team the following year, she decided to give it a try. Before then, she was strictly a softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' player. After her freshman year with the junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. program, Cook decided to quit softball - after seven years in the sport - to concentrate on volleyball. Since then she has played two seasons with the Northridge Juniors club team, traveling throughout California, Nevada and Arizona to compete in tournaments. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Hart setter Wendy Cook, popular with the fans, is back from an ankle injury. John Lazar John Lazar was Mayor of Adelaide from 1855 to 1858. John LaZar (born May 22, 1946) is a classically trained American actor of both stage and screen. / Special to the Daily News |
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