Adam Karon karon@media.ucla.edu
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Christina Murphy might have been the only athlete at UCLA in
1998 with a legitimate handicap parking placard. Then again,
according to the athletic department, she ceased to be an athlete
somewhere between her second and third quarters at UCLA.
Murphy arrived in Westwood during the fall of 1998 slated to
swim as a Bruin. Though no Olympian, the senior from Mission Viejo
was a four-time all-CIF competitor in freestyle and backstroke.
Her high school’s relay team was all-American in three
different events: the 4 X 50, the 4 X 100 and the 6 X 50.
Murphy’s swimming successes helped land her a scholarship
at Pepperdine, but she opted for the large-school atmosphere of
UCLA as a recruited walk-on. Like other athletes, she applied
through the athletic department, receiving preferential
treatment.
“I probably would not have been admitted as a regular
student,” Murphy said, citing the superior caliber of
students at UCLA.
But school officials promised that tutors and priority
enrollment would help her get through one of the tougher
curriculums in the nation, and, she enthusiastically enrolled.
That’s when disaster struck.
In a devastating accident, Murphy slipped off a run-down
starting block during meet in April, tearing cartilage in her left
hip. Though she finished the race, teammates and coaches had to
hoist her out of the pool and into an ambulance, touching off
months of medical attention.
As her life became filled with doctor’s visits and empty
diagnoses, Murphy began to realize her dream of swimming at UCLA
was growing dim.
“Like any athlete I did not believe them when they said I
was finished,” Murphy said. “I thought to myself,
“˜I’ll be back.'”
She was wrong.
The good news was that her admittance to UCLA still stood, and
life without swimming would go on.
But it did not go smoothly. Murphy felt overwhelmed academically
without the aid of tutors and academic counselors. She could not
keep up with the other students and frequently grew frustrated.
When she approached the athletic department about getting tutorial
help, she was told that she was no longer an athlete and ineligible
for help. Though she had priority enrollment her first two quarters
at UCLA, the pass disappeared without warning spring quarter of her
freshman year.
“Once the coaches realized I could not swim, I lost all
the athlete privileges,” said Murphy. “I was really out
of place. “
It got so bad that she considered transferring to Pepperdine and
its easier workload. Instead, Murphy buckled down, determined to
undermine the “dumb jock” stereotype.
Murphy is set to graduate in the spring with a degree in
sociology, a mere four years after enrolling at UCLA. Few swimmers
who came in with her class can say the same.
“Losing swimming taught me that there were other
things,” she said. “Besides, I was able to take four
classes a quarter so I can graduate on time.”
In addition to her studies, Murphy joined a sorority, and
traveled to Australia ““ activities that are difficult to do
as a full-time athlete.
Still, it is agonizing for her to walk past the pool, and she
has not attended a swim meet since her freshman year. When asked if
she felt mistreated by the athletic department Murphy is hesitant
to point fingers.
“I don’t feel like they owe me something, I always
looked at it as a privilege,” she said of athletic benefits.
“I probably learned so much more as a result (of the
accident).”
But there are still some bitter memories from her early college
career when she found herself stranded in the deep end at a school
she never would have attended as a regular student.
“They should look into it,” she said regarding the
treatment of athletes who suffer career-ending injuries.
“Freshman year kicked my butt. When we are admitted as an
athlete, it is like a contract. Being an athlete here is like a
job, but with a job you get worker’s compensation. I did not
quit, I was injured.”
Murphy’s case is not unique. Athletes enter school under
different standards than the majority of students. Though they may
initially meet a minimum requirement, what happens when they can no
longer perform outside on the fields or in the pool? For most,
losing their athletic careers and the academic assistance mean a
quick exit from Westwood.
For Christina Murphy, it became a reason to succeed.