For Orono High School senior Sarah Opitz, the 1990-91 school year has been a special one.

It was special not just for the obvious reasons – the senior prom, graduation, and other special senior-class activities, but because it marked her first full season of pain-free competition in track and field in more than a year.

Opitz was hindered by back pain much of her junior indoor track season. Rather than subside after some rest and relaxation in the offseason, the pain got worse and caused her to cut short her spring track season after only the second meet.

The senior jumper-hurdler was suffering severe back pain due to sciatica, a painful condition in the hip or thigh area. The padding around the discs in her spine wore down, causing the discs to rub against each other and aggravate the sciatic nerve.

“It was very painful,” said Opitz. “I tried to stick it out my junior year, but it got to be too painful.”

The condition appeared so serious that Orono girls track coach Bill Meehan thought the injury might prove too serious for her to overcome.

“I never told her this, but I though it might be the end of her jumping career,” Meehan said.

Opitz consulted two specialists and both recommended that she rest up and avoid competing at least until her senior year. They also taught her special exercises to do before each competition.

After a long summer and fall of rehabilitation, Opitz felt she was ready to do indoor track again.

She had to ease herself back into competition however, as her doctors and coaches were careful not to rush her back and reaggravate her condition.

It was frustrating for the 1989-90 state indoor long-jump champ to sit on the sidelines and watch her teammates compete without her, but Opitz was careful not to rush it.

“I didn’t run or jump comfortably until early January,” Opitz said. “It took awhile, but the pain went away gradually.”

With no pain to hinder her, Opitz was almost unstoppable her senior indoor season. She won the long jump and was part of Orono’s fifth-place 880-meter relay team at the state meet.

This spring, she’s been even more impressive.

She has won the Penobscot Valley Conference, Eastern Maine Class C, and State Class C championship in the long jump and triple jump in the last three successive weeks.

She has also set school records in the long jump (17-0 at Easterns) and triple jump (34-9 at PVCs).

“She’s a great competitor… no question about it,” said Gerhard Skall, assistant track coach (hurdling and jumping) at Orono.

Skall, who also coached Opitz in gymnastics before she started high school, credits her physical ability, attitude and gymnastic training for her success.

“She has a great attitude and work ethic,” Skall said. “We’ll really miss her. You don’t have a Sarah Opitz come along very often.”

The honor roll student will concentrate on her academics next year as she will be attending Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., a school with no track and field programs.

“I didn’t plan to compete my freshman year anyway,” Opitz said. “But I may try and see if I can compete independently with another school later on.”

Whatever subject matter she studies, or sports she participates in at college, her place in Orono High history is assured.

She has the marks and the admirers to prove it.