Prep golf -- Overcoming over and over

YAKIMA -- In the opening minute of what would be one of the biggest victories in the history of West Valley's girls basketball program, Liz Tikriti was forced to do something which for her was unthinkable.

She sat.

Inside her right knee was so much ligament damage that it would ultimately end her basketball career -- devastating for someone who loved the sport so much. But as she was carried off the floor on the final day of the 3A state tournament a year ago, Tikriti's only concern was the outcome of the game.

"It just didn't seem that important right then because I was more concerned about us winning," the West Valley junior said. "For the kind of season we had, we were having a great tournament and we were all just swept up in it."

Rising up from a dispiriting
9-11 regular season, the unheralded Rams stunned the 3A state field with a third-place trophy, a run punctuated with a memorable win -- despite Tikriti's early exit -- over second-ranked Meadowdale, a perennial power with 26 wins.

Her ominous injury aside, Tikriti celebrated as joyously as anyone that day following the Rams' thrilling upset victory, the unexpected trophy finish and the resiliency her team had shown. This is a girl who not only admires such resiliency but defines it, a girl who, as a first-grader, once asked a question no parent should ever hear.

"Mom," she whispered to Sarah Tikriti from a hospital bed, "am I going to die?"

* * *

It was a life-threatening battle with E. coli poisoning that caused a 6-year-old child to ask such a heart-wrenching question. Flu-like symptoms escalated into acute pain, and by the time she was flown to Children's Hospital in Seattle her kidneys had shut down.

It's the diabolical nature of E. coli treatment that the bacteria must run its course through the body, and pain medication only slows the process. Liz went nine days without sleeping, both because of the relentless pain and her fear of not waking up.

And it got worse. Liz's lungs filled with fluid and she spent five days in a pediatric intensive care unit. The potent toxins of her extreme case caused hallucinations and convulsions.

But after a nearly month-long fight, Liz's extraordinary strength prevailed. Once she was able to sleep, her condition improved and she survived the attack -- that is particularly unmerciful for children.

Overwhelmingly grateful and motivated, Liz and her family became active in helping others handle and understand the disease. Liz has been to Washington, D.C., to speak on behalf of STOP (Safe Tables Our Priority) and has participated in numerous awareness events with Children's Hospital and the Children's Miracle Network.

"I guess I grew up real quick," Liz said. "Getting out and telling my story made me feel good and maybe helped other people. So many kids have died from it and I was a survivor. There has to be some purpose in that."

* * *

Liz's arrival in the West Valley basketball program was eagerly anticipated, even though there were reservations about a freshman being ready for the varsity level. But all she did was score 20 points in her fourth game.

Playing in the backcourt opposite ace point guard Cassidy Murrillo, Liz was the only ninth-grader to earn all-league honors in the Mid-Valley in the 2005-06 season. She was a first-team pick in the CBL 3A during her sophomore season, the final minutes of which she watched with an ice bag on her knee.

The initial injury at the state tournament was a ruptured lateral meniscus. She had surgery, worked through rehab optimistically and was cleared to play summer ball. But it was soon painfully clear things were not right.

"It just didn't feel stable," Liz said. "It felt real loose."

Back into surgery she went in August and this time it was a full reconstruction of her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and LCL (lateral collateral ligament). And that's not all.

Directly after the surgery Liz lost feeling in her right foot, so doctors opened up the knee again to try and deal with an affected nerve.

The physical damage was bad enough. But what would the emotional impact be for someone who played since the age of 5 and dreamed of playing in college?

"When it became clear she shouldn't play basketball anymore, I thought it would be more than she could bear," Sarah said. "But she said, 'You know mom, it's hard to believe I won't play anymore. But I got to play as a freshman and I got to go to state as a sophomore.'

"That's so like her -- she sees the good in things."

Liz attended games this past season and found herself near tears from time to time. She's still involved in the sport, coaching a boys middle school team.

"If there was any way I could play, I would. But I just can't take the risk," she said. "It was such a huge part of my life and I absolutely loved it."

Given what she overcame as a child, Liz was better equipped than most to deal with having her young life's passion stolen by an injury that can't be fully fixed.

"I'm not the type of person that thinks, 'oh, why me?,'" she said. "I try to make the best of it. The way I see it, a lot of people have been through way worse than me."

In that attitude lies the medicine. And she has found further remedy in another sport -- one she has moved from second fiddle to front and center.

* * *

As Liz sees it, athletes don't become non-athletes just because of an injury. Golf, she has discovered, is something you can still excel at even with 1 1/2 knees.

There's plenty of background here -- Liz is no newcomer on the greens. She was the Mid-Valley League's player of the year as a freshman and, with time for only one round of competition following her first knee surgery, she came within a stroke of qualifying for state last year.

But now, without basketball in her future, golf is where all her attention is focused.

"I'm so competitive and golf is a great way to channel that. Plus I love being part of a team and we have a good one," she said brightly. "It's a different challenge -- less physical than basketball but you have to be mentally strong. I'm excited to see how far I can take it."

Pretty far already.

West Valley's girls are unbeaten in four all-CBL 3A meets and Liz has won three of them heading into Thursday's finale at Apple Tree Golf Course. On Monday the Rams compete for state berths at the regional meet at Kennewick's Canyon Lakes Golf Course.

"When Liz found out that she would not be able to play basketball, it was a difficult time and she called me," said West Valley girls golf coach Laurie Miller. "We talked about how she could focus on her golf. I have known since I first saw her swing that she was meant to play golf."

Miller has concerns about Monday's regional meet, which requires 36 holes in one day. Liz has a medical allowance to ride in a cart, but in her mind -- and in her expression when the question is asked -- that's a last option.

Considerations like that, though, are the reminders she often faces. Liz still deals with kidney issues from the E. coli poisoning, and she still doesn't have full feeling in her right foot.

"I never thought golf would be my main choice, but that's what it's come down to and I'm totally fine with that," said Liz, showing that ever-present optimism. "To be honest, through all this, I've met some really cool people, and it's got me interested in an orthopedic profession.

"In a lot of ways, I feel lucky."

* Sports reporter Scott Spruill can be reached at 577-7686 or at sspruill@yakimaherald.com