Wrestler grapples with fate

Scrap leaves OSU freshman with career-ending injury

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, Jun 12, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (34 Reader comments)

COURTESY OF DAVID ROSENFIELD

After being hit on the side of the head and ear, former Oregon State freshman wrestler Cameron Rosenfield had surgery to repair a ruptured eardrum. Doctors say he could regain a maximum 40 percent of hearing in the ear.

CORVALLIS — Things were going pretty smoothly for Cameron Rosenfield until the afternoon of April 12.

The freshman wrestler from Madras High had enjoyed his transitional first year at Oregon State, redshirting with a chance to climb the ladder of success.

Then came the incident and its aftermath, that in the words of Rosenfield, “has rocked my world.”

Rosenfield’s wrestling career probably is over after suffering a severe head injury during an alleged fracas with another wrestler, Nick Simmons, on the FieldTurf at Reser Stadium.

Rosenfield, 19, has total hearing loss in his left ear after allegedly being punched by Simmons in a beef during a game of Ultimate Frisbee. The blow caused an 85 percent perforation of Rosenfield’s eardrum, severed its central nerve and left him with damage to his equilibrium and taste buds.

The injury caused Rosenfield to drop out of school for spring term and return to Madras. Following May 15 surgery to repair the eardrum, Rosenfield has made plans to transfer to the College of Southern Maryland for the 2008-09 academic year.

If not for the injury, “I would still be wrestling at Oregon State,” Rosenfield says. “I’ve dedicated my life to the sport. It’s been my passion since I was 4 years old. I could have wrestled the next four years at the place I loved. I loved everything about Oregon State wrestling. Now it’s just taken away from me.”

Rosenfield was a nonscholarship wrestler but signed a letter of intent after a stellar career at Madras, where he set a school record for most victories in a season and finished second in state as a junior and fifth as a senior at 135 pounds. He was wrestling at 141 at Oregon State.

Simmons, 25, had been in Corvallis training for the Olympic Games after a stellar career at Michigan State. Simmons, who represents the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has been affiliated with the Orange Crush Wrestling Club of Corvallis and practiced with Oregon State wrestlers last season. A four-time All-American, he was seeded fifth at 121 pounds going into the Olympic trials June 12 through June 15 at Las Vegas.

Rosenfield and Simmons were among about 30 wrestlers — some of them high school recruits — congregated at Reser Stadium on April 12 for an informal practice session that amounted to a pickup game of Ultimate Frisbee. Rosenfield says things got a little rough.

“We were all tackling each other,” Rosenfield says. At one point, “Nick took out the legs of me and another kid. I grabbed his leg to stop him and knocked his sunglasses off. He turned around and freaked out on me. ‘Do you want to get punched in the head?’ he said. I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ I turned around to keep playing, and he cold-cocked me on the side of head.”

Damage unknown at first

Rosenfield eventually got to his feet and, unaware of the extent of the damage, continued to play for a half-hour until the game was over. As he walked to his dormitory, Rosenfield noticed he was bleeding from the ear. “My head was swelling, and I started to get the worst headache I’ve ever had,” he says.

Rosenfield called his mother, Robyn, a pharmacist with experience as a nurse. She told him to go to an urgent-care facility.

The attending physician set up Rosenfield with an appointment with an ear, nose and throat specialist.

The specialist said, “ ‘Your ear is pretty badly ruptured, and the cochlea and nerve are damaged, too,’ ” Rosenfield said.

Rosenfield originally thought he would just stay away from wrestling for a few weeks and everything would get better. It didn’t. He said he has dealt with periodic nausea and constant tinnitus (ringing in the ear) and equilibrium loss, has had difficulty sleeping and concentrating and wound up dropping all 16 credits for spring term to return to Madras.

On May 15 in Bend, Dr. David Woods performed surgery on Rosenfield to repair the eardrum. Recovery comes over a six-month period, and Woods told Rosenfield there is a chance to regain a maximum 40 percent hearing in the ear.

Due to the injury, Rosenfield won’t return to the job he has held at Ace Hardware in Madras the past two summers. Woods has advised him to avoid swimming, heavy lifting or major activity.

“I have to be really careful,” Rosenfield says. “I can’t even mow the lawn. It’s going to be a crappy summer.”

Little legal recourse

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