Fans of Lady Vees basketball are now familiar with the sight of a tall lanky Christi Bauck wearing number 21 in the Laurentian blue and gold. However, this was not always the case.
What most fans do not realize is Bauck actually just finished
her third season with the Lady Vees basketball program,
spending the majority of her first two seasons on the sidelines
due to major injuries.  
During the 2003-04 season, her rookie year, Bauck suffered a
torn ACL in the second game of the season against Waterloo. "I
switched on a screen and was guarding a player on the perimeter
as I went to shuffle to the right I felt my knee just give and
I crumbled to the ground," she said.
The 2004-05 season was not much better, with Bauck missing
three quarters of what was suppose to be her second season with
the Vees.  Prior to the season Bauck suffered a left tibia
fracture while playing summer basketball.  
"I was posting up and just pivoted and felt a pop," Bauck
described.  
Despite the lump on her calf and the pain radiating from that
area Bauck was extremely worried that she had blown her other
knee out.  
"Not to worry though, it was just a spiral fracture in my
tibia," she said.
These two major injuries in consecutive years could have
defined Bauck's university career. But Bauck was determined not
let that happen, deciding instead to make the fight back the
defining moment.  
Over the two years, Bauck underwent countless hours of athletic
therapy and rehabilitation to get her back to the court and
credits the positive support she received as a major reason for
overcoming these setbacks.
"The positive support fueled my motivation to stay dedicated
and overcome these setbacks," said Bauck.  
"My teammates, coach, family members, athletic therapy staff
and staff at Laurentian encouraged me and had faith that I
could still achieve my court goals.  I felt if they
believed in me, why waste my time and theirs with doubts!"
Her rehab did not just provide her with insight into the
commitment and ability needed to come back from serious
injuries, but also into the importance of proper training and
the benefits of dedication that she has carried into her
training regiment this past year.  
It was this dedication that saw Bauck come back in the best
shape she has been in and play a complete season with the Vees
during the 2005-06 season.  
"I felt like a real teammate this season," she said.
"I think my role was to be a leader and an example to the
younger players but in all honesty I was learning about the
game, my teammates, my ability and where I fit in the game
plan. In a lot of ways this was my rookie season.  
Finishing a complete season has really wet my appetite. I'm
very happy about our accomplishments and growth as a team this
past season and leading to the anticipation and excitement of
next season."
At the end of the season Christi was rewarded for her hard work
by earning the title of Lady Vees basketball fitness champion
for 2005-06 and a nomination for the Tracy MacLeod Award, which
is given to the CIS women's basketball comeback player of the
year.
Story provided by the Laurentian University Athletic
Department.
