Back in action, Bessie Walstad unloads her fury on Cedarcrest. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Whether she wants to admit it or not, Bessie Walstad is arguably the best female athlete at Coupeville High School.
Getting the Wolf senior, a three-sport star, to admit that in public is next to impossible, however, as she has spent the last three plus years being modest and doing her best to deflect praise to her teammates.
Walstad is the consummate team player, revered by younger CHS athletes, a leader by example — and that example is her generally crushing foes left and right, be it on the volleyball and basketball court or on the softball diamond.
Now she just needs to stay healthy.
The only thing that has slowed her reign of glory has been a handful of injuries, ranging from a busted hand that knocked her out of last year’s softball season to a badly sprained ankle that curtailed a chunk of this year’s volleyball season. She just returned to action Thursday, a day before being voted Homecoming Queen, subbing in off the bench in a hard-fought loss to Cedarcrest.
She hurt the ankle by playing fearlessly, and having the misfortune of coming back to Earth at the wrong moment.
“I hurt it when me and a teammate were both going up for a block,” Walstad said. “I landed on her foot with my left foot, then over compensated with my right, and rolled my right foot really bad.”
The injury sent her to the sidelines for a string of games, but she stayed deeply involved with the team while she rehabbed, often leading the huddle in street clothes, an unpaid but very effective assistant for Wolf coach Toni Crebbin.
The battle to get better wasn’t an easy one and required a fair amount of work.
“I used crutches for a week. Then I got a boot for a few days, which helped me put pressure on my heel, where it hurt the worst,” Walstad said. “Now I just wear a brace when I’m walking around, just to be safe. All this, along with lots of icing and elevation.”
In her return, she was inserted in the back line, to give her time to get used to playing on the leg again, before moving her up front, where her booming spikes and ferocious stuff blocks complement the similar style of sophomore slugger Hailey Hammer.
At least that was the plan. Mere moments into her return she was already unloading on Cedarcrest, even though she still had some mental issues to get past.
“At first I was afraid to jump or to injure it again, so I played timid,” Walstad said. “Then when I started missing my hits, and not playing to the best of my ability, I stopped focusing on my ankle and started focusing on the game.”
And, while she plans to wear a brace for the rest of volleyball season and into the basketball campaign, she is confident that the extra equipment won’t slow her down.
“I’m hoping that in a week or so I will forget all about it when I play.”
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