North Carolina State University Athletics
Panton Cited by News and Observer
10/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Oct. 1, 2002
Raleigh, N.C. - For the next few Monday's, NC State's Department of Athletics and Newspapers in Education will focus on character traits. Each week the Raleigh News and Observer will spotlight a different trait and an NC State student-athlete who has exhibited that trait. Senior gymnast Aimee Panton was featured in the article on Monday, September 30.
Week 1- Perseverance: Perseverance is pursuing worthy objectives in spite of difficulty, opposition, or discouragement; it is showing patience and having the fortitude to try again when confronted with delays, mistakes, or failures.
Aimee Panton, this week's highlighted student-athlete, certainly demonstrates perseverance. A fifth-year senior gymnast from Naugatuck, Connecticut, Panton has bounced back from injuries many would consider "career-ending" to become one of the most determined student-athletes NC State has seen.
At 14, Panton fractured her vertebrae during a vault. With rehabilitation and determination, she was able to return to gymnastics. During her senior year in high school, Panton tore her ACL and broke a bone in her knee, but determined to compete at the college level, Panton fought to come back again.
Then, while competing in the third meet of her collegiate career at NC State, Panton broke the thickest bone in her right ankle and tore one-third of her ACL and meniscus. Still, Panton persevered and returned to competition.
But her troubles weren't over. Panton's most grueling injury occurred early in her junior year when her handgrip locked on the uneven bars. While completing a full circle around the bar with her body, her hand stuck in one place. Panton was left hanging from the bar with a compound fracture in her arm. This type of injury requires a great deal of rehabilitation even to regain movement, yet two plates, 13 screws and eight months of rehab later, Panton started training again.
Panton's hard work and perseverance finally paid off. Last season, Panton qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships, where she competed as an individual on the vault and uneven bars. Panton is currently in her final year of eligibility and is studying counselor education in graduate school.
