Young athlete almost has career ended by shark attack

By Allysa McMahon
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Alysa Whetro was looking forward to spending Memorial Day at the beach, but a shark attack cut the weekend short.

The 13-year-old Orlando resident had gone to Cocoa Beach on May 22 with family and friends for what she hoped was going to be a break from her training for the AAU Junior Olympic Games.

Whetro had been training for two years with the Central Florida Gliders for the August 2016 Junior Olympics and was confident her hard work would translate into a good showing at the Houston games.

But all of that training – and almost her entire dream – came to a dead stop that day in May.

Almost immediately after she and her friends ran into the water to go swimming, Whetro noticed something swimming toward her.

“I felt something grab my leg, so I kicked it and pulled it up,” Whetro said. “I saw it was bleeding and started to freak out.”

Whetro called for her mom but was unable to get her attention. Instead, she reached out to a guy close to her on the beach.

“I didn’t think it was a shark at first, I was in shock,” Whetro said. “I saw a lot of blood and immediately didn’t know if I had my foot or not.”

Whetro survived the attack and has since made a full recovery. She has resumed her training and has high hopes for her future. But she is very aware of how lucky she was on the fateful day.

According to the International Shark Attack File from the Florida Museum of National History, Florida is the location of many shark attacks each year.

George Burgess, the curator of the shark attack file, said 51 percent of all unprovoked shark attacks in the United States and 30.6 percent of unprovoked attacks in the world occur in Florida.

Maryland should not be concerned when it comes to sharks.

According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, the sharks found in the Chesapeake rarely pose a threat to human safety, although the website cautions that all sharks are wild creatures and should be treated with caution.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources had not recorded any shark attacks in the Chesapeake Bay or in any Maryland waters, the Chesapeake Bay website said.

The most common shark found in the Chesapeake Bay is the sandbar shark. Because this species preys on bottom fishes, it does not normally pose a threat to humans, the website said. Other sharks that visit the bay, the website said, are sand tiger sharks, smooth dogfish sharks, and spiny dogfish sharks.  There have not been any recorded attacks on humans in the bay, the website said.

That’s not the case in Florida.

Mindy Whetro, Alysa Whetro’s mother, said she wasn’t worried about the weekend away in Cocoa Beach.

Ironically, Mindy Whetro was having a conversation with her friend about sharks before the incident occurred.

“The friend ran up to get us,” Mindy Whetro said. “We could tell something happened based on the look on her face.”

Whetro said she saw a man carrying her daughter out of the water towards them. She began to worry, remembering there were no lifeguards on the private beach.

“Her foot was still attached so that was a good sign,” Whetro said. “There was so much blood on her so we couldn’t tell how bad the wound was.”

The top of the shark’s mouth bit the side of the leg, Whetro said. The bottom part of the mouth bit through the Achilles Heel, severing it partially. Whetro had to have an Achilles tendon repair.

“I was worried because we know some adults who had tendon ruptures,” Whetro said. “I was wondering if she were to be able to walk correctly.”

Alysa Whetro recovered with the use of a Clarix Regenerative Matrix, which is an umbilical cord provided by Amniox Medical. According to Amniox Medical’s site, the umbilical cords are donated by mothers and used for a surgical covering, wrap or barrier.

“They laid it on top of the tendon inside of her ankle” Whetro said. “They also laid it on top of her skin when they sewed it together.”

The Whetro family believes this was one of the contributing factors for her recovery.

“Right now I am training for cross country at my school,” Alysa Whetro said. “I have track practices competitively and training for the upcoming season.”

Whetro follows a rigorous training schedule four days a week at home and with her team. She wants to perfect her high jump. Her highest record is 4 feet, 11 inches.

“I do a lot of upper body training such as pushups and pullups,”Whetro said. “I also do hurdles and leg exercises.”

Mindy Whetro passed down her running genes to both of her daughters. She ran competitive track in college for seven years. Her other daughter, 10-year-old Amari Whetro, also runs track in the family.

“We are all focused on supporting everyone else,” Mindy Whetro said. “I teach them to be a good team player and show support for other runners.”

Whetro said her daughters have to place top in five meets to progress. Overall, they have participated in over 50 track meets. This year’s event is a 10-day period and will be held in Texas and California, Whetro said.

“Alysa is a very dedicated athlete, she has a good head on her shoulders,” Whetro said. “She sets a lot of goals for herself, which is very impressive.”

Alysa qualified for the Junior Olympics last year in the 100-meter hurdle, high jump and the triathlon.

Whetro is pleased with how far along she came after surgery. She said that as far as she knows, she is the only one in her area who was attacked by a shark.

“My goal is to make it to the Junior Olympics and do well in it,” Whetro said. “There are a lot of girls who are good. I want to make sure I better myself to reach their potential.”