Sports Medicine

Growing up, Mariel Marinelli played tennis in the summers, dabbled in horseback riding, and began cheerleading in kindergarten. By fifth grade, she had added field hockey to her hectic schedule. One by one, though, some interests faded. Now, for the first time that she can remember, Marinelli will concentrate on just one extracurricular activity: field hockey. "I didn't see a future for me in cheerleading," the soon-to-be junior at Villa Maria Academy in South Jersey said recently at a field hockey camp at St. Joseph's University - one of six she set out to participate in this summer.

For Mallori Malachi, a multisport athlete at Central High School with Division I potential, fatigue, like injuries, has never been much of a dilemma. Sports do present one collective question for the soccer goalie and varsity volleyball and basketball player, however: How many sports could or should she play while trying to maintain a social life, manageable schedule and a viable game plan for on-field success? "I stopped playing AAU basketball this summer because of the conflict it had with club soccer," said Malachi, who plays for West Chester United.

Dick Vermeil, considered one of the best Eagles coaches ever, walked away in 1982 after just seven NFL seasons because, he said, he was "burned out. " He was 45. Eddie Bond, a senior-to-be at Eastern High School, wants to walk away from a year-round life of basketball, because of burnout. "I definitely have it," Bond said. "I guess that's bad to say. " Especially if you're 17. Unlike Vermeil, though, Bond has not quit. His father told him that he either needed to play or, gulp, get a job. The 5-foot-9 guard from Berlin chose hoops.

Riding in a launch behind the men's varsity lightweight eight final Saturday in the Dad Vail Regatta, referee Michael Siconolfi saw tragedy and heroism unfolding in the Boston College boat that had just won the race. Siconolfi, a Jesuit priest who is an adjunct professor at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., was about 10 feet from the boat as Ned Borgman attempted to revive teammate Scott Laio, who had collapsed in the bow seat behind him. "He had his fingers down Scott's throat so he wouldn't swallow his tongue," Siconolfi said from Syracuse yesterday.

It is highly unlikely that Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens will be fit enough to play again this season, according to several Philadelphia orthopedic specialists. Not even in the Super Bowl - if the Eagles make it. The specialists said yesterday that Owens would need months to recover fully from the severe ankle injury he sustained Sunday in the Eagles' 12-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys. "This is a long recovery. It is a major injury," said Pekka Mooar, associate professor of orthopedics and sports medicine at Temple University, who hasn't personally evaluated Owens.

Courtney Gaston will remember her last high school soccer game forever. But not because she got to savor a state championship or a big win against a rival school. Instead, the senior from Clearview in Gloucester County will remember the Sept. 23 game as the one that crushed all her hopes of playing soccer in college. And all it took was a quick change of direction on the field. Gaston, like hundreds of high school girls in the New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania region, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee.

She is a portrait of potential, heartbreak and destiny. Even before she was old enough for middle school, she was projected to become a high school soccer standout. She had three knee operations before she reached the 10th grade, leaving her unable to play sports as a freshman and sophomore. Another knee injury, followed by a hand injury, cut short her athletic career. And now, after being injured so often, Alyssa Montemore, a senior at Gateway, has decided to make sports medicine a career.

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.

Erin Franklin completed laps or loops when she was running, circuits when she was weight-training, and rounds when she was working. The Wissahickon senior's busy summer has turned into a rewarding fall. In addition to running about 35 to 40 miles a week throughout the summer, Franklin continued weight-training and worked as an intern in a doctor's office in preparation for a possible career in sports medicine. "I was determined and worked really hard," Franklin said. "I love to run. I'm a lot stronger this year.

Summer heat is dangerous for any athlete, but the risk is especially great for football players because of their size, their uniforms, the intensity of their practices and the fact that they begin their workouts during the hottest part of the summer, sports medicine experts said yesterday. Nonetheless, it's relatively easy to recognize heat-related problems and to prevent them from killing players. "Deaths are completely preventable," said Steve Marshall, an injury epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina.