Lake Country This Month

By Eric Oliver Enterprise Staff OCONOMOWOC — Oconomowoc High School graduate Chris Schick has a dream; he wants to play col- legiate basketball. He was set to accomplish that dream earlier in the year, but when he went up for a layup during the 2015 high school all-star game he came down and felt a pop, putting his dreams on hold. It wasn't the first time he had to put his health before basketball either. When Schick was a fresh- man at OHS, he had to have a knee surgery that saw Dr. Gerald Adler, an orthopedic surgeon at the Aurora Med- ical Center Summit, insert five screws into his knee cartilage to hold it in place. Adler said when he first saw Schick he was hoping taking time off could possi- bly heal that, but that was- n't occurring, so the only option was to go in and per- form surgery. After the surgery, Schick went on to excel. He recov- ered and came into his sophomore year on the junior varsity team. His junior and senior years he played two varsity seasons earning the all-star game recognition. At the game, he felt pain in his knee dur- ing warm-ups. He said "landing on it hurt a lot more than it ever had before." After the game it contin- ued to feel off, so Schick and his family went back to Dr. Adler. Adler took MRIs and X- rays and determined he needed more work. He rec- ommended a cartilage transplant — a procedure where he would stimulate the growth of new cartilage that restores normal func- tion in the knee. Schick had a decision to make and he thought he could make it through. "I wanted to push through it," Schick said. First steps on long road Schick planned to play basketball for Carroll Uni- versity, make it through the season and then get the surgery in the offseason and come back ready for fall 2017. During the preseason, he said he was in the best shape of his life, but his knee was dragging behind. The pain got too intense and he couldn't take it anymore. "That was probably the hardest decision (I made)," Schick said. "Saying 'I need to take a step back from bas- ketball to get this fixed first if I ever want to have a future in basketball.'" Adler performed the oper- ation. He is one of the only orthopedic surgeons in Waukesha County doing this surgery, and the end results were fantastic, Schick said. Schick has been in recov- ery ever since, getting stronger and better every day. After deciding to have the surgery he transferred to the University of Wiscon- sin-Whitewater to focus on his studies. "(My knee) really does feel good," Schick said. "I'm excited for the next couple of months when I can get back. I just feel 100 percent better." The way forward Schick still has to be med- ically cleared to start per- forming more strenuous activities, but he has a plan on how to make his dream a reality. He is debating tak- ing one more season off and getting into intramurals while ramping up his work- out routine. He knows the competition he'll face at Whitewater will make him step his game up, but he's not afraid of the challenge. "Next season I want to get my studies done, play bas- ketball with as many people as I can and as much as I can," Schick said. "... I know the bar where I have to be and I feel like I can reach it, if not exceed it with the new knee I've got." Adler thinks he can follow the dream of his. "It has been tough for Chris because he has been off the court and hasn't been able to play," Adler said. "He'll be cleared in July and hopefully the fol- lowing season he'll be able to play at that collegiate level. That is a dream of his." Email: eoliver@conleynet.com Page 4A • FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY May 2016 POWER CENTER Bill's 13885 W. Capitol Drive Brookfield 262.781.6400 Mon. & Thurs. 8-8 Tues., Wed. & Fri. 8-6 Sat. 8-3 www.billspowercenter.com www.kubota.com Optional equipment may be shown. ©Kubota Tractor Corporation 2016 249852005 They are what we feed them By Chris Bennett Special to The Freeman HARTLAND — The revo- lution against kibble is upon us, and pets every- where should finally rejoice. Standard thinking in the pet food industry for years stated that animals must be fed the same dry, boring kib- ble day after day, with no variation or creativity introduced in the diet. Those days are over and that thinking is disavowed. The trends in pet diets call for meat, protein and some- thing close to what might be consumed in a natural habi- tat. "What's really taken over the pet food industry is mix- ing freeze-dried meats with the kibble, or adding freeze- dried meats as a meal top- ping," said veterinarian Dr. Chris Bessent. Bessent owns Herbsmith, 455 E. Industrial Drive in Hart- land. Herbsmith — www.herbsmithinc.com — produces natural food and supplements for dogs, cats and horses. Bessent acknowledges how ridiculous it is to feed a pet one type of food for the duration of its life. "When you think about it, it's kind of crazy," Bessent said. "Would you only eat one food for your entire life?" Variety is spice of life for pets, too It was thought that feed- ing one food for an extended period eliminated digestive issues and other health problems. Contemporary thinking now advocates the opposite. "The common thinking today is for cats and dogs to get variety," Bessent said. "Anything we can do to sim- ulate the diet they have in the wild is most appropriate for the species." Dogs are scavengers in the wild that might eat a rabbit one day and the carcass of a bird the next day. Cats hunt and eat whatever they kill. The perfect diet for either is meat-based and rich in vari- ety and protein. Ideally, we should cook for our pets as we cook for ourselves. Such an occurrence is likely not going to happen. Bessent said we live in a world where pet food needs to be shelf-stable, easy to store and ready to serve. Like it or not, kibble is here to stay — it is shelf-sta- ble, easy to store and ready to serve. Ways to enhance the kibble experience are now popular. "The wave of the future in the pet industry is to be adding different types of toppers," Bessent said. "A great way to raise the pro- tein is to use freeze-dried meats of different sources in pellet size." Herbsmith sells a line of kibble toppers, and similar products are available in specialty pet stores. A con- versation with your pet is best before considering any changes regarding your pet's diet. "Definitely consult with your vet," said Heather Gehrke, executive director at the Elmbrook Humane Society in Brookfield. "You certainly have some choic- es, but they can definitely guide you to the right one." Elmbrook serves the Lake Country communities of Chenequa, Nashotah and the Town of Delafield. Gehrke said a pet's diet can be pared to a simple con- cept: what is the best food for your pet, given any sort of medical needs? Does your pet suffer from kidney disease? If so, there is special food for that con- dition. A special diet might be recommended for a pet with diabetes, or a heart condition. Diets also exist for pets that need to go on a diet. Gehrke said such diets help reduce weight, over time, and continue to provide the nutrition necessary to satis- fy a pet's hunger. Your veterinarian might also tell you your pet is fine and advise a conventional diet. Protein is among the most important considera- tions, especially for natural scavengers like dogs and natural hunters like cats. "Cats, probably more so than dogs, but both definite- ly should have a good amount of meat in their diet," Gehrke said. "Making sure their foods are suffi- cient in protein is incredi- bly important." Changing ideas, components of pet diets coming to fore Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Fancy feasts on his dinner. Injured athlete on the rebound After knee cartilage transplant, Schick aims for college bas- ketball career "I know the bar where I have to be and I feel like I can reach it, if not exceed it with the new knee I've got." Chris Schick Basketball player File photo Chris Schick in a 2015 basket- ball game against Beloit.

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