Sports Medicine

If you ask Bob Sing about his talent for two of his life's passions - medicine and javelin throwing - he will shrug and talk about discipline. Discipline is his mantra, and with it he invokes the blessing of the god of overachievers, if there is one. "Talent? I never thought I had it," said the 38-year-old physician and former U.S. Olympic team member. "But I believe perseverance can get you ahead. " Sing, the Springfield Hospital emergency room director who last month was named a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, will need to apply that philosophy with a vengeance in his newest big endeavor: training for a spot on the 1992 Olympic team.

Opening ceremonies were scheduled for last night, and the first round of the Holy Redeemer Sports Medicine Pro-Am Women's Racquetball Classic is scheduled to begin today. Held at Shawnee-at-Highpoint fitness center in Chalfont, the tournament brings together many of the top players from the Women's Professional Racquetball Association (WPRA) for singles and doubles competiton. Today's competition starts with a pro qualifying round this morning and concludes in the evening with the first round of singles play.

SOFT FOCUS. Regular work in front of a VDT screen may cause a premature loss in the eye's ability to focus, according to preliminary research on 153 patients by James Sheedy, associate clinical professor at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Optometry. He said it was not established that regular VDT use caused the damage, because there was no control group of non-VDT users for comparison. He recommended that those working regularly at a VDT have regular eye exams. RAGING BULLS.

Seniors Kate Barber and Christine DeBow have been teammates for the last three seasons on Unionville field hockey teams that have produced some phenomenal records. In that time, the Indians extended their stranglehold on Southern Chester County League championships to 17 years, reached the PIAA Class AAA finals in 1992 and the semifinals in 1993, and posted a record of 62-7-3. After they head off to separate colleges in the fall, DeBow and Barber - two of the finest field hockey players ever produced in Chester County - will be opponents.

The Temple University School of Medicine sent some of its star physicians to the Northeast to open the Temple Orthopedic Center on Aug. 31. The Calvanese Building at Roosevelt Boulevard and Welsh Road houses the center, which specializes in sports medicine, children's orthopedics, diagnosis and treatment of arthritic diseases, and general care of bone and joint problems. In charge of the staff is Michael Clancy, acting chairman of the School of Medicine's department of orthopedic surgery and team physician for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Call it a head start. When Megan Gibson arrives at the University of Rhode Island in the fall to begin her freshman pre-med curriculum, she figures to have an advantage over most of her classmates. That's what happens when you're allowed to watch your doctor perform arthroscopic surgery on other patients, and pick his brain afterward to feed a childhood fascination that never subsided. "Megan is very mentally gifted," said Gale House, her basketball coach at Girls High.

A couple of years ago, when Jasir Huff, now 6, suffered a concussion, all his mother was told to do was give him some ibuprofen and keep an eye on him. When Jasir's big brother, Jordan Goins, 12, fell and struck his head on the concrete basketball court at his school in September, it was a whole new ball game. Jordan's pediatrician, who is part of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's primary care network, ordered "cognitive rest" for his concussion. That meant no school, no homework, no computer, no texting, and no video games.

Downingtown High School point guard Tina Nicholson has given an oral commitment to attend Penn State University on a full basketball scholarship in the fall of 1992. Nicholson, The Inquirer's female player of the year last season, led the Whippets to the PIAA Class AAAA state title, averaging 21.3 points, 10.6 assists, and 6.5 steals per game in becoming the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,915 points. Nicholson, who is entering her senior year, said she chose Penn State - which was ranked nationally in the top five for most of last season - over Villanova, Rutgers, St. Joseph's and Virginia because Rene Portland, Penn State's coach, "treated me as a person, not just a basketball player.

Pittsburgh Penguins owner/center Mario Lemieux had arthroscopic hip surgery yesterday and is expected to miss three to four weeks. The Penguins announced that Lemieux was operated on as an outpatient at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine in Pittsburgh. Torn and damaged cartilage was removed from his hip. Lemieux first noticed the pain during a Sept. 22 exhibition game and missed three games because of the injury. The Penguins said his condition failed to respond to physical therapy and muscle-strengthening treatments.

According to Eagles coach Andy Reid, quarterback Michael Vick has a crack in his rib cartilage, and running back LeSean McCoy has a crack in a rib bone. Brian Sennett, chief of sports medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said the injuries are similar but different. "The last one inch of the distance from the rib to breast bone is cartilage," Sennett said. "It is different from the kind you'd have in a knee. It looks like a rib, but it's made of a cartilage material that allows you to have flexibility so your rib cage can get bigger.