Saluki Sports05
Sponsored by 710 BookStore - - - http://www.seventen.com/SIU cheerleader hospitalized after fall
Sophomore suffers concussion, chipped vertebra
William Ford
Daily Egyptian
Elation from an eventual Saluki basketball victory was temporarily put aside Sunday as an SIU cheerleader was being loaded onto a stretcher following an accident during a cheer routine.
With 3:25 left in the Salukis' 59-46 victory over Bradley, Kristi Yamaoka fell head-first from about 10 feet in the air onto the Savvis Center floor during the SIU cheerleading squad's timeout routine.
Yamaoka, a sophomore, was treated by medical personnel and carted off on a stretcher to Saint Louis University Hospital to undergo tests on her head and neck.
As if a sign to let fans know she was fine, Yamaoka waved her arms and clapped her hands while being wheeled off the floor. All fans, SIU and Bradley alike, cheered as she performed the motions to the school song as she was carted off, even though the restraints of the stretcher limited her movement.
"That made me so much better that she was going off cheering," cheerleader Dani Davis said. "That's totally Kristi. It actually made me cry a little bit to see her still cheering."
Cheerleading coach Jennifer Graeff said doctors told her Yamaoka suffered a concussion and a chipped vertebra at the base of her neck. Graeff said doctors decided to keep her overnight for observation as protocol because of the concussion.
"They were less concerned about (the chipped vertebra) than the actual concussion," Graeff said. "There will be no long-term damage whatsoever from that."
Graeff said Yamaoka will wear a neck brace for six weeks and the concussion will heal itself.
The accident occurred, Graeff said, because Yamaoka was supposed to lean forward and dismount to the front during the routine but instead leaned backward where there was no one to support her.
"The guys went to the front to catch her and she lost her balance and went off the back," Graeff said. "There was only one guy back there and he wasn't able to catch her on the way down."
Yamaoka's teammate Keith Kelly said the team always focuses on safety first and foremost, but said accidents sometimes occur in cheerleading just as in any other sport.
"Things happen. Girls get dropped. We do our hardest to make sure the girls do not get hurt," Kelly said.
Graeff said Yamaoka was in high spirits in the hospital and was more concerned with the outcome of the game rather than her injury.
"She kept asking everybody, 'Who recorded the game?'" Graeff said. "We thought she was interested in seeing the fall. No, she was very interested in watching the last four minutes of the game."
The Daily Egyptian, the student-run newspaper of SIUC, is committed to being a trusted source of information, commentary and public discourse while helping readers understand the issues affecting their lives.
The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester. The Pulse, Carbondale Entertainment Guide, is published once a week on Thursday.Last update: Sunday, March 5, 2006 at 10:17:56 PM
Copyright 2009 Saluki Sports05