Last week I had the privilege to interview a very courageous Guilford College student. Her name is Kelly Berger. Her sport, now, is tennis.
During Kelly’s freshman year, she was told she could not play basketball, her original sport, due to problems with her kidney. The specific problem is unknown, but the symptoms include loss of weight, afternoon sickness, and headaches.
During the off-season of 2002, Berger told doctors that she was rapidly losing weight and feeling sick after practice. She complained of drowsiness. After a checkup, the doctors told Berger she could no longer play collegiate basketball due to the condition.
The news unsettled Kelly, now a sophomore, but she did not let that stop her from participating in athletics.
Since it was during the off-season when the problems were assessed, they had not really hit Kelly hard. But she and her teammates were still in shock at what they had been told.
“I’m lucky, they told me up front,” Berger said. “This gave me a chance to tell the coach and my teammates.”
Even in the worst cases, Berger looks at the positive. She saw this as an opportunity to try another sport.
“It was sad to see her have to leave the sport she loves,” said former teammate A.J. Robertson.
After a year of not playing basketball, Berger chose to pursue another sport, one that did not require vigorous workouts or quite as much running. She chose tennis.
Unlike basketball, which required year-round activities, tennis only takes up two months. “This gives my body a time to rest,” said Berger.
Berger has left basketball behind, and now focuses her attention towards tennis. She feels really good about the squad and looks forward to a great season.