The Prince George Citizen -Thursday, June 25,1992 -1 3
Don Schaffer 562-2441 v S p o r t s Sports Editor Local 517
CFL Laum ann will h e a d s go to Gam es TORONTO (CP) — Sculler her and her ability to come back Silken Laumann says she will de from such a serious injury.” finitely compete at the Summer Two weeks ago, Rowing Cana Olympics. da’s medical direct^. Dr. Richard s o u t h “ I’m confident that by the Bar Backus said the Mississauga native was breaking barriers with her rate by DOUG SMITH celona Games, I’ll be at the Olym PORTLAND, Ore. (CP) — The pic level,” Laumann, who is reof recovery from the injury. CFL’s great expansion experiment, covering from a career-threateningWhen she finally got out of the hospital, before she even attempted where three-down football heads leg injury, said Wednesday. south of the 49th parallel in search “ Whether I’ll be a medalist or not, to walk, Laumann crawled into a shell June 12 and began testing of fame and fortune, kicked off in I don’t know. earnest Wednesday afternoon. “ I don’t know what I’m capable herself, looking for the miracle. “ I’m still not walking, although Copies of First and 10 From The of yet. I’ll have to race myself and I’m getting around on crutches,” Fifty-Five — a sort of primer ex hope it’s good enough to get me to said Laumann from her training plaining rouges, 12 men on a 65- the next stage.” base in Victoria. yard wide field and a mass of mo Laumann, 27, leaves Tuesday The boat was modified so the tion in the offensive backfield — for a training camp in France. She right leg wasn’t taking any load. greeted reporters, corporate spon has spent the past two weeks re She is now rowing 20 to 30 sors and interested spectators as gaining her rowing technique and kilometres a day. In full training, the Toronto Argonauts and Cal gradually putting weight on a right she has hit a maximum of 50 km a gary Stampeders took to the prac leg that was smashed in a freak day. tice field at Civic Stadium to get collision May 16. Last week, she stepped up her ready for tonight’s exhibition Laumann was hurt in the on-water training to two and three game. warmup area of a course at Essen,hours a day. “We’ll have some fun, it’ll be Germany. A German men’s pair, “I feel great and I’m excited second only to their own game — practicing starts, crashed into her about the progress,” . said NBA basketball,” said Toronto scull. The wooden splashboard ofLaumann, who before the accident running back Mike (Pinball) Cle the her boat was driven deep intowas favored to capture the single mons, basking in the 33 C heat her right leg and broke her tibia. sculls gold medal at Barcelona. which has enveloped this normally Laumann underwent four opera“I’ve been off in my own little wet and warm city of 550,000. tions: to clean out wood fragments,world, focused on what I’ve been “ People are going to see some to repair the bone, her calf muscle doing. wide open, run-and-gun, high-scor and some nerve damage, then a “ Some of the other sculls com ing football.” skin graft. She spent 10 days inpetitors wrote me notes saying Just how many people see the hospital in Germany before conhow bad they felt for me. They game — the first CFL exhibition tinuing her recuperation in hospitalmay not know I’m coming back.” : game outside Canada since 1958 in Victoria. The increased blood flow ^nd — is the key question organizers Doctors essentially ruled out thepressure during workouts still and league officials want an Barcelona Games and some leaves her right leg inflamed and swered. doubted whether she would eventhrobbing, but off the water, Commissioner Larry Smith, row again. Laumann always leftLaumann says she is usually pain completing round after round after the door open for a return to thefree. round of interviews explaining the water and said only five days after She said the fitness base was quirks of the Canadian version of