Ashlei Baker had to pop her shoulder back into place prior to practice, during practice and after practice.

After joining the Hornets, Baker said she had to pop her shoulder back into place often and so, along with coaches, she decided to red shirt and undergo surgery.

She had the surgery on Jan. 4 and her arm had been held by a sling, which was removed on Feb. 4.

“I couldn’t lift my arm higher than 90 degrees,” she said.

Baker is a freshman on the Sacramento State gymnastics team. She competes in the all-around event, but was recruited for vault, and joined the Hornets with an existing shoulder injury.

Other gymnasts on the Sac State team have been placed on the injured list and missed competitions due to surgeries and minor injuries.

Some are ready to get back to doing what they do best – helping the Hornets defend their Western Athletic Conference title.

Gymnastics athletic trainer Lindsey McEuen said that gymnastics is a unique sport and a gymnast can get a number of different injuries.

She said there are acute and chronic injuries. Sprains, strains, and fractures are examples of acute injuries, where chronic injuries are tendinis and overuse. Baker said she tore her labrum in her shoulder about a year and half ago while competing for her high school and instead of undergoing surgery, she decided to bear the pain and compete. “I was taking a hit for the team,” she said. “I was being strong and working through the pain.”

Baker said she felt like she had to compete through her pain since the team had made it to state.

Baker is slowly working to get back in shape, but she said she isn’t even able to run.

Baker wishes she could be there for the team, but understands she’ll be a better asset to the team now that she’s gone through surgery.

“Next year, I’ll be healthier,” she said. Some of the injured girls were pledged to sit on the sidelines prior to the start of the season, but after speedy recoveries, some are ready to compete.

Nicole Giao, a junior who sprained her ankle just before the Alaska double-meet was forced to sit on the sidelines for roughly four weeks.

She competed for the first time in four weeks on beam and vault during the Seattle Pacific game on Feb. 9, where the Hornets took home a 191.9-191.550 victory.

“It feels good to be getting back out there,” she said. “It sucked to be on the sidelines.”

Her ankle hasn’t fully healed and she feels a bit of pain, but not enough to continue sitting out.

“There’s always going to be some pain, but (I) work through it,” she said. Coach Kim Hughes said Giao is trying to get back her floor spot.

“There is a lot more pressure on the ankle (during a floor routine because of the) three tumbling passes,” he said.

Freshman Lauren Dyson was out for a week after her handgrip ripped, forcing her to the ground while practicing her bar routine on Feb. 7.

Dyson and Hughes said doctors classified her injury as a back sprain, also known as bruising to the backbones.

She missed the Seattle Pacific meet and returned to practice Tuesday.

Dyson said Wednesday she had some back pain during practice, but it was OK.

Hughes said she has been doing full sets on the bars since returning to practice, but won’t compete on other events for a while.

Junior Alexis Tsurumoto fractured her finger before the season started, leaving Sac State without its No. 1 bars competitor.

Tsurumoto said she has been cleared for “modified workouts” and went in for a check-up on Tuesday.

Hughes said Tsurumoto is able to do every skill on the bars and should be ready to compete against San Jose State on Friday. Tsurumoto isn’t worried about returning to competition.

“Once you have been competing for a while you get back into the groove,” she said. Junior Tiffany Bass injured her knee while competing on the beam event in Alaska, assistant coach Randy Solorio said.

Hughes said an MRI showed no damage to her knee and that she has been cleared to train.

Hughes said the extent of her knee injury was a deep bruising.

Bass is hoping to be back within two to three weeks to compete on the bars. She said it was frustrating to sit out since she just started competing in the all-around event this season.

Three gymnasts have had or will be having surgery, which has forced them out for the season.

Senior Courtney Hibler fractured her right knee last year when Sac State was competing against San Jose State in San Jose on March 10. Sac State lost 193.55-193.35.

She is training as much as she can with the goal to be able to compete during the senior meet on March 18.

“We are very confident she can do (at least) exhibition,” Hughes said.

She competes on the floor and the beam, but may only be able to compete on beam. Junior Amber Basgall recently recovered from knee surgery, but will be having back surgery for a herniated disc. She will be out the rest of this season and some of the next season.

“It’s frustrating, but I try to make the best of it,” she said.

Her surgery is scheduled for Feb. 28. If she has to miss school because of the surgery it will be postponed to spring break.

Basgall said there are two possible surgeries that will determine how long she will miss, but it is unknown which surgery she will go through.

Sophomore Hava McCarter-Ribakoff is in the same boat as Hilbar and Basgall.

She competed as a freshman in 2005 and red shirted in 2006 after she tore anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus. This season she is a medical red shirt while she is recovering from the surgery.

She said since she is graduating, next year will be her final season and her goal is to be able to compete for Sac State.

“You learn a lot about your teammates and life outside of gymnastics,” she said.

McCarter-Ribakoff has been working on the beam, but can’t do any dismounts. Karyn Gilbert can be reached at [email protected]