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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 49 - Friday October 03, 2003 |
Volleyball Player Hurt in Netball
 by Raymond Henderson
A National volleyball team player is injured and may not be available when Dominica defends its championship November 15th in Antigua. Magdalene Fergus, a promising setter for the women�s national volleyball team, badly twisted her left knee and fractured the kneecap in the process. She could be out of action for six weeks at least. Fergus was preparing for the OECS Volleyball Tournament less than six week away.
 A setter for the national volleyball team, she was participating in the Netball Business League staged at the Dominica Grammar School hard court at the time. �I was looking forward to bringing home gold.� She said. �But that seems unlikely now.� She conceded. Now she concentrates on getting well soon.
At the time of her injury she was holding the center position and building the momentum for goal attack. I was at the edge of the shooting circle receiving a simple looping pass from Zareena Xavier. I was alone and jumped to catch the ball.� She told the Sun. And down she went, surprising all who looked on.
She was rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital by the captain of the opposing team in a private vehicle. There, a general practitioner attended to her since there were no specialists available. The leg was placed in a cast that stretched from hip to ankle.
In our first interview after her injury, as she spoke she was removing the cast.
She explained that the cast was badly put and had slipped out of place, needing replacement. However, when she visited the Luis Pasteur Poly Clinic that morning, there were no doctors available to attend to her. Frustrated by the situation there, she went home and removed the cast herself.
This is not her first injury. In 1996 Ms. Fergus tore the ligament in her right ankle: this time it had nothing to do with sports but it did keep her away from the courts. Injury not withstanding, she has represented Dominica in netball competitions since 1988 and in volleyball tournaments since 1996. So she knows the risks involved in sports.
�Insurance for national sports players would be a good idea,� she suggested. �We play so hard for our country and get no benefits in return.�
Fortunately for her, she is on sick leave, so Social Security and her personal insurance will kick in to help her meet monthly commitments. She has also seen the specialist. He gave her some good news before our second interview: the kneecap has only a hairline fracture and will require a brace for the next two weeks. She also has scheduled visits with the physiotherapist to deal with the stiffness in the joint.
In the mean time, Ms Fergus said she expected more support from her teammates and sporting colleagues. She said suffering silently in the delayed summer heat would have been much easier with some visits. But none came. So Monday past, she showed up at a practice session of the women�s national volleyball team at the St. Mary�s Primary School grounds.
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