My life consumed by soccer. My life was soccer. Everyday for as long as I could remember there was always practice to go to after school or an early morning training session. I played the game for 15 years. I had dreams of playing in college. I would spend hours working on my game to perfect every skill, every movement. All this work was for one goal. That goal was to play college soccer. After many days spent meeting with coaches and days spent at college combines I thought this was it, my goal has been met! However, during late January in my junior year I tore my MCL. In my head I thought, its okay I still have plenty of time to recover, its just a minor set back. As the days past going through physical therapy, I noticed that I was not recovering as fast as I hoped. I eventually got frustrated and returned to the game anyways. Not even a month later and I was back in the Emergency Department with yet another torn MCL. This time I heard something I never thought I would hear. The doctor walked in, head down, refusing eye contact, I knew something was up. He sat down and explained to me that returning to the game was not an option. If I were to return to the game and tear it again I would need a whole knee reconstruction surgery at the age of 17. This was, what I thought be to the worst day of my life.
The days past and it truly hit me that I would never play again. I watched from the sidelines teammates practice and play numerous games without me. I watched them celebrate the many wins and I couldn’t help but be envious of them. They got to do the one thing I loved, the only thing that had been ripped from me, the one thing I considered to be my life at the time.
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Months went on and I realized that it wasn’t so bad after all. I realized there is life after the game. I realized that there was another side to me than just soccer. I realized I am not just a soccer player; I am whomever I want to be. Once I got to college I wasn’t quite sure where I would fit in. Throughout my life I had always had my teammates, now I was left without them. After some thinking, I decided I wanted to partake in Greek life. My sisters had now become my teammates. I realized that everything happens for a reason. The tearing of my MCL closed one door but opened another. It allowed me to see there are other aspects of life and aspects that I am just as good at, if not better at than soccer.
Yes, at the moment of the news of never playing again I was devastated and often thought, why did this happen to me. However not everything makes sense right when it happens. This injury has allowed me to explore another side of me. A side of me that I may like just as much. A side that I would have never been able to explore.
I realized there is life after the game.
