Weldon at peace with decision to transfer

By Andrew Wiebe

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The feelings were always there during Chakeitha Weldon’s up-and-down freshman season.

The young point guard missed Atlanta. She was almost 900 miles away from the family and friends she grew up with. And when she tore ligaments in her knee in February it got even harder.

So Weldon did what she thought she had to do to be happy. With no disrespect to coach Bonnie Henrickson and her teammates, she transferred to Appalachian State, about 300 miles north of Atlanta in Boone, N.C.

“I love coach Bonnie, all the girls, the KU staff and everything,” Weldon said. “But I felt I wanted to be closer to home.”

Boone is just that. The sleepy mountain town of 14,473 is a manageable four hours by car from Atlanta. Just as important is the presence of Weldon’s high school teammates, freshmen Sade and Charmene Means.

“They are like sisters to me,” she said. “We are real close.”

Weldon has enjoyed her time in North Carolina so far. She said her days have gone quickly. It helps having Sade and Charmene to keep her company.

Like any other transfer athlete, Weldon will have to sit out a year. That’s fine by her. It buys some time. She said her knee was about 75 percent as strong as it was before the injury.

“I’ve been sitting out six months so I think giving myself that year to prepare and to get stronger will really help me on the court,” Weldon said.

KU SOCCER DROPS OUT OF NATIONAL POLLS

After splitting games with Nebraska and Iowa State last weekend, Kansas (7-3, 1-1) finds itself out of the top 25 for the first time since the second week of the season. Despite Kansas’ absence from the poll, the Big 12 counts four teams (Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado and Oklahoma State) among the nation’s best.

The Jayhawks take on Texas Tech and Colorado this weekend at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

A MINOR ROYALS

MIRACLE

Peeking though the smoldering wreckage of another losing season was a little ray of hope for the Kansas City Royals and their long-suffering fans. Sure, the boys in blue were 12 games under .500 in 2008. They were thirteen games behind the division leaders. But Trey Hillman’s team won 75 games, and for the first time in four years they finished somewhere other than dead last in the American League Central.

No, Kansas City isn’t making drastic steps forward. But for fans of a franchise with zero playoff appearances since its World Series Championship in 1985, just about anything can be interpreted as progress.

— — Edited by Scott R. Toland

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