Tameka McKelton
Florida A&M guard Tameka McKelton pulled off a rare feat last season on her way to leading the Rattlers in scoring.
However, hardly anyone knew the circumstances she had been playing under until after her junior campaign ended.
According to a recent report by WCTV- Tallahassee (see video below), McKelton played several months of the 2010-11 season while pregnant — news only revealed to single trusted teammate out of fear she might be restricted from playing if word got out to the coaching staff.
“I basically just gritted my teeth, went to practice every morning even though I was sick, flew on the planes and just played as hard as I could, but carefully, because I knew what was going on inside,” McKelton said.
Pregnancy is rarely discussed throughout the collegiate and professional sports landscape unless the athlete is a well-known figure like current WNBA star Candace Parker.
Nonetheless, there have been recent situations of young women playing the role of mom and student-athlete.
University of Southern California basketball player Brynn Cameron gave birth to baby in 2006 and then sat out the following season. Fantasia Goodwin at Syracuse played while pregnant for nearly the entire 2007 season. Waltiea Rolle of North Carolina had her season delayed due to a pregnancy. All three women eventually returned to the floor.
The obvious question that immediately comes to the forefront is the female compromising the safety of the fetus by participating in athletic competition?
Well, according to an article published by the IDEA Health Fitness Association “Medical evidence suggests that healthy pregnant women (with normal pregnancies) can participate in sports without affecting the course or outcome of the pregnancy.”
In fact, the piece goes onto to say that the baby can be protected from blows to the stomach during the first three months of the pregnancy, and that the risk of abdomen injuries during sporting events is relatively low.
It is recommended that pregnant athletes consult a doctor prior to participating in any activity.
McKelton gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Auria last summer, and currently is second on the team in scoring (14.1 per game) through 22 games this year.
[...] A Florida A&M basketball player played while pregnant. Wow. [...]