Running toward her goal

The chilly February breeze blows against her cheeks and the sound of shoes kicking a soccer ball around makes the crowd buzz with anticipation. She runs through the dewy grass as she makes an attempt to steal the ball back. Her opponent sweeps her legs out and hits her on the knee. As she loses her balance, she falls onto the damp ground, clutching her leg.

The hit sent an all-too-familiar sharp pain across senior Emily Palmore’s leg. After a short drive to the hospital, a MRI confirmed a tear in her right ACL.

“The pain was immediate, as soon as she hit me, it popped and I just went down,” Palmore said. “I remember I could straighten it, but it still hurt and it was a sharp pain. It just scared me more because I already knew what it was. It was devastating to know I tore my ACL again.”

Despite tearing both ACLs in the past two years, Palmore signed to play soccer with Southern Nazarene University, a Christian liberal arts college located in Bethany, Oklahoma, three hours from home. The drive won’t be a problem for Palmore as she plans to visit her parents during the weekends.

“I am definitely going to miss home,” Palmore said. “Especially my mom. I’ll miss her the most, but we’ll see. It might be difficult, but I can do it.”

Palmore wants to stay on the right track this upcoming school year. Along with meeting new people, she can’t wait to walk onto the campus in August.

“They have this whole freshman program [where] you’re put in a group with sophomores, juniors and seniors at the school so you get to know everybody really quick,” Palmore said. “The coach and staff [are] really friendly there. It just seemed like a good school because I like small schools.”

Palmore’s love for animals has made her want to pursue a career in animal science, a study of the biology of animals. She has always loved being around animals and taking care of them.

“I always had cats growing up,” Palmore said. “I [have] two hamsters and a fish and now we have three cats. I just always loved animals and going to the zoo or to the petting zoo.”

Senior Amanda Peck has known Palmore since they were only 5 years old riding their bikes down the pavement and playing around their neighborhood. Peck and Palmore will find it difficult to separate come August as they both prepare to head off to college.

“It always sucks growing up and seeing friends move away,” Peck said. “But I think it’s really cool that she’s going to get to go to a college that’s still close enough that she can still be family-oriented. She gets to show more people her skills.”

In the years that Palmore has been playing, soccer coach Jamie Pulpaneck has noticed how motivated and passionate she is about the sport.

“[In] Emily’s first year, she started on junior varsity and right away [moved up to] varsity,” Pulpaneck said. “Her sophomore year she played at a center mid, which in a 6-5A district is pretty tough for a sophomore. Her junior year, she tore [her] ACL, and then came back this year. Pretty amazing, I mean she was the difference in our team from last year to this year.”

Pulpaneck believes this second ACL injury will not stop Palmore. She’s always at practice and as soccer captain, her motivation stems from not wanting to disappoint her coach and teammates.

“She’s the kid that’s going to recover from the second ACL surgery,” Pulpaneck said. “She will rehab until she’s able to play and then she’s going to make an impact at Southern Nazarene University. Then after, she’ll make her own little footprint in this world.”