Gammon Overcomes Injuries And Indecision

West Valley sprinter Cory Gammon has been at the eye of the hurricane from the outset of his high school career.

Despite his obvious talents, Gammon had trouble sticking with any sport, frustrating Eagle coaches, or staying in one school.

He spent last spring running track at Central Valley High School before returning to WV this year, which made coaches at CV unhappy as well.

When he was declared eligible to compete by a hearing board, coaches of opposing Frontier League schools weren’t pleased that Gammon was allowed to run against them.

As it turned out, he tore the plantar fascia tendon in his foot during an early season nonleague meet, and was unable to compete in all but one meet during the dual meet season. Thus opposition protestations were rendered moot.

Last Friday Gammon was able to salvage his season of dissapointment. With his foot trussed up by tape, he blew away the competition at 100 meters in a fast 10.7 to qualify for this weekend’s State AA track meet.

“When I got hurt it seemed like it was all down the drain,” said Gammon. “Hard work does pay off.”

Gammon ran track as a freshman at West Valley. The next year he switched to baseball because, he said, of an achilles tendon injury. He also gave up on football despite size (6-foot-1, 165 pounds) and speed that make coaches drool.

“He had incredible ability, but quit everything,” said WV Coach Jim McLachlan.

Midway through his junior season Gammon transferred to Central Valley where he ran a 10.9 100 and qualified for regionals.

“I went over there because of a couple of problems at West Valley,” Gammon said. “But the school was too big. It was not the same as WV which is like one big family.”

At his hearing he convinced the board that he had grown up and things that might have seemed bad then were not.

A winter of work that included three indoor meets gave way to a promising spring that started with a wind-aided 10.6 second 100 meters, 22.7 200 and 49.9 400 on a relay during a non-league meet.

The next week he was injured and Gammon thought it all had gone for naught. He ran only once over the next five weeks, a leg-dragging 100 victory against East Valley.

“About 25 yards I heard a pop and thought it was the tendon,” said Gammon.

The noise was more likely a failed tape job, but the foot swelled up and he was reduced to stationary bike riding and weight lifting.

Three weeks later, Gammon, his foot taped tightly to provide a surrogate plantar fascia, is a district champion.

“That’s on no training,” marveled McLachlan. “That’s how good he is.”

Slated to enter the Army after graduation, the injury is causing Gammon to re-think his decision.

Success, as well as failure, can make you do that.