While the entire Okanagan Sun roster continues its off season training in preparation for the 2014 season, a pair of Winnipegers are at home rehabbing injuries as well.
Quarterback Theo Deezar (St. Pauls) may have appeared 100% healthy to outsiders this past season but was in reality playing with a foot that had a broken bone that was actually suffered the previous February while at home training in Winnipeg.
Deezar says he discovered the issue of a “sore foot” was more serious than he though during Sun practice in August and that the 5th metatarsal bone in his foot had been broken for some time;
“During practice someone stepped on my foot and it just wasn’t getting better like it should, it felt weird. The Sun training staff sent me to the team doctor for x-rays and they told me what I had done. When I hurt it back in February it didn’t heal properly because I kept walking on it.”
Deezar was given two options by the doctor, put the foot in a walking boot for six weeks, essentially ending his season or continue to play with the risk being further damage that could require off season surgery.
Deezar chose the latter and played through discomfort the remainder of the campaign.
The good news is the potential damage didn’t materialize and after 6 weeks in the boot post season Deezar says he is “100% ready to train when he arrives back in Kelowna in January.”
Defensive back Jamie Turek (Maples Collegiate) as everyone knows, wasn’t so fortunate when his season ended in the first quarter of game one. A devastating start to the year saw a completely torn ACL and partially tore MCL with surgery in October the result.
Turek continues his rehab at home in Winnipeg with a return to the Okanagan slated for February. While the nature of his injury has him still requiring plenty of work ahead of him, he says he is right on schedule.
“I think spring camp will be a game time decision (regarding contact) but I will be 100% ready for conditioning and footwork stuff.”
Turek and Deezar along with their Sun teammates will be on the field for spring camp May 31st
