Phoenix sharpshooter ends career
Justin Hite
/ Sports Editor
No longer will the high arcing shot of junior guard Robyn
Shipley rain down on the Alumni Gym basketball court. A shot,
which seemed to be a mainstay every time down the court, will
never again wisp through the netting.
Shipley has been forced to end her career due to nagging leg
injuries. She has played through her first two years at Elon
with multiple leg injuries and was still able to be one of
the scoring leaders on the team. Even through her injuries
last season, Shipley did not miss a game, starting in all 28
of the Phoenix’s contests.
In her sophomore year, Shipley ranked in the top-10 in
Elon’s history in three different scoring categories
for a single season. She ranked third in field goals made,
third in field goals attempted and eighth in field goal
percentage. She finished second on the team in scoring,
averaged 9.1 points per game and finished second in the
conference with 2.46 three-point field goals made per
game.
Not only was last year painful for Shipley, but her whole
career has been a battle.
“She played on a broken foot her first year,”
coach Brenda Paul said. “Last year she had mono and
this year she developed a dead leg. Literally the tops of her
thighs would go numb.”
During her senior year of high school, Shipley suffered from
bone chips in her knee and since she was young she has had
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is currently in
remission. Her right foot has a pin in it after breaking
twice during freshman year. For the second half of last
season, Shipley was unable to run sprints with the team and
instead did sit-ups while her teammates ran.
In the last three years Shipley has had three surgeries, two
on her foot and one on her knee.
Her basketball career, which started in third grade, ended
this summer after a string of doctors couldn’t pin
point what was wrong with her knee but knew she had to stop
playing.
“I went to several orthopedists and went back to my
hematologist,” Shipley said. “I went back to the
same doctor who worked on my foot, as well as several
therapists and massage therapists. The last doctor I went to
has known me since I was 10 and knows all of my knee
history.”
From that doctor, Shipley finally heard that she had to stop
playing. He explained to her that she would have to stop
playing or she would risk severe knee problems in the
future.
Shipley had been living with the pain for the last few years
and although it was a dramatic experience for her, even
Shipley knows that it affected her parents just as
much.
“My parents were disappointed that they weren’t
going to be able to watch me play basketball anymore,”
Shipley said. “Basketball was not only a big part of my
life but it was a big part of theirs as well. They completely
supported me in my decision and they realize that my health
comes first before anything else.”
The injury has left a hole in Shipley’s life and hours
of free time are now in her hands. She plans to continue her
academic career at Elon, but there are still many questions
ahead of her.
“I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to
spend the extra time I’m going to have now,”
Shipley said. “It’s different, but I’m
looking into a few different things.”
While Shipley has taken a hard hit in life, Coach Paul, a
person who knows her very well, knows that she will still
succeed.
“It’s sad for her to lose that, but at the same
time I know that she will put her energies into her career
plans with every bit of effort into playing her game,”
Paul said.
Along with Shipley, the women’s volleyball team also
lost leading scorer and All-SoCon performer, Kitara McMoore,
for the season with an ACL injury. McMoore will have a bone
graph around Christmas and plans on returning next year.
McMoore notified the team about her injury only a week before
Shipley and the Phoenix’s high hopes for the season
took a hard hit, losing their top two scorers from last
season.
“They are warriors,” Paul said.
“Robyn’s very quiet but has always been a player
that is accountable. She’s a blue-collar worker.
Someone who just does it and never complains. She does it by
example Both are kids who are reliable and
accountable.”
Contact Justin Hite at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247. | 
