
DATE: Tuesday, September 23, 1997           TAG: 9709230382

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SUFFOLK                           LENGTH:  102 lines

``IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN, TOO'' THEY SAID SHE'D NEVER WALK. SO NOVA GLASS RUNS CROSS COUNTRY.

When Nova Glass was born at 2 pounds, 11 ounces, the doctors thought she wouldn't survive the night. And with her right leg severed at the knee, they were sure she would never walk.

Seventeen years later, the Nansemond River junior walks just fine, and this fall she is running.

Wearing a prosthetic leg, she competes on the most unforgiving of terrain for the Warriors. Glass runs on 3.1-mile cross country courses that wind through puddles, over rocks and into woods.

She always falls. But she always finishes.

``Finishing a race is a major thing for me,'' Glass says. ``I have to finish; that's just how I am. I never stop, but when I fall, I get discouraged sometimes. But I have to finish. I have to get up and go again.''

Glass was born with congenital constriction band syndrome, which at that time struck one in 100,000 babies. In utero, amniotic and placental bands formed around her right leg, possibly stemming from what might have been an identical twin. As the leg grew, the bands didn't, slowly severing it.

Glass is also minus her big left toe. Her left ring finger would have broken off as well had Glass been full term instead of seven weeks early. The bone protruding from the right stump damaged her left leg in the womb, enough that doctors initially weren't optimistic about her ever walking.

The news didn't faze Alicyn and Rick Glass, first-time parents who were unaware of any problems before Nova's birth. They had other concerns, mainly the survival of their 29-week preemie. That first night Nova was revived three times, and Alicyn says matter-of-factly, ``What was missing or not there simply was not a priority.''

Nova didn't walk at a year old - customary for many children - ``but she could outcrawl any child on the face of the earth,'' Alicyn recalls.

At 18 months, Nova was fitted with her first artificial leg, and at 21 months, she took her first step, captured on film by Alicyn, who followed Nova around with a camera.

Nova fell often as a kid, but Alicyn made it a point not to show too much sympathy.

``I knew Nova would have to be tough,'' she says.

Tough enough to endure more than a dozen surgeries every time a growth spurt necessitated a new prosthetic leg. Leading up to each surgery, Glass went without her prosthetic leg for as long as three months to shrink the swelling that the growth created. Crutches or a wheelchair became her mode of transportation.

``The kids in school would take turns pushing me around in a wheelchair,'' says Glass. ``And I'm a whiz on crutches.''

The crutches were helpful for another reason, too. Glass developed tremendous upper-body strength, the kind that made her a chin-up champ in elementary school. That would help later for high school cross country.

An observer would never guess that Glass, in pants and sneakers with only the hint of a limp, wears a prosthetic leg. In shorts it is more obvious, although most folks think her knee is bandaged. Looking closer, the tan of the prosthetic leg contrasts with Nova's pinkish white skin. She slips it on and off as easy as one puts on shoes and can go for hours balancing on her left leg.

Glass considered athletics for the first time last year after surviving a demanding physical education class that required extensive running. That, along with the encouragement of coach Arnice Monroe, made her consider track. The mile she learned to run earned her a cherished varsity letter.

``Nova started with a 13-minute mile and got it down to 10,'' her mother says.

``Actually, 9:11,'' Nova corrects.

Not wanting the track letter to be the lone one on her jacket, Glass spent the summer training at Sleepy Hole Park for this cross country season.

She has competed in three races, using a short stride that places heavy pressure on her left leg as she almost drags the right one. Dubbed ``River Girl'' by the area's cross country circle, Glass receives raucous support from opposing coaches and teams for the 40 or so minutes it takes her to complete each course. She is almost always last, but to her delight, a week ago, she finished second to last.

``What she's doing is truly amazing,'' says Cox boys coach Tim Webb.

Glass hopes it is also inspiring. Her motto is, ``If I can do it, you can do it, too.'' Realistic about the few things she can't do - skip as a kid, wear high heels to prom as a teen - Glass, who carries a 3.7 grade-point average and wants to be a veterinarian, is adamant about what she can do.

``I drive myself crazy,'' she admits.

Glass has two more meets to complete before receiving the letter. Though that sounds doable, both legs recently have become problematic. This week she will undergo a series of tests to determine why her left leg is turning purple and why numbness is increasing on the right side.

``I've been told I can get my letter by being a team manager or something, but I don't want to do that,'' Glass says firmly. ``Running is the whole purpose. I want to show people I can run. Not everyone can go out there and run 3 miles. I can.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Nova Glass, second from right, completes the 3.1 miles in about 40

minutes, using a short stride that places heavy pressure on her left

leg. She has run the mile in 9 minutes, 11 seconds.

Color photos

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot photos

Nansemond River junior Nova Glass runs with an artificial limb.

``What she's doing is truly amazing,'' says Cox coach Tim Webb.

Nova Glass, lower left, born with a partially severed right leg, is

an inspiration to teammates and opponents alike.