It's Been a Long Road

So this is it….
Tomorrow is the true test. Has Liz’s work paid off?

The girl rehabbed herself into a frenzy (and by my girl, I mean me at times - but the point is, she did it.)

At the beginning, she was all for it. She never complained about workouts or not wanting to go do the exercises. And then she was released. In August, she was allowed to do "soccer-controlled motions." NO CONTACT. I set up a lesson with Coach #4 and she barely made it through the 45 minute session.

A couple weeks and lessons after that, I set her up to go practice with a younger team. She knew what her boundaries were. She knew what she was allowed to do and she knew what she wasn’t. I left the fields for 25 minutes tops, to go find some special school supply she needed the next day. Upon my return, she was scrimmaging.

I started walking out to the fields, to drag her off by her ponytail, but practice was over. She walked over and said, “I kinda hurt my knee. I sort of stepped too hard and it just hurt for a second.”

Me Thinking: “DO NOT PANIC. DO NOT START SCREAMING. Wait until we get in the car.”

But when I got in the car I asked her why she scrimmaged when she knew she shouldn’t have. Her response: “He gave me the opportunity, I wanted to play, so I took it.” Absolutely no remorse.

So, I had no remorse when I told her, that she wouldn’t be going back to practice until she was fully released, so I hoped she missed the elliptical.

She began working out twice a week with Coach #4 and hit the “Y” four times a week until she was fully released by Dr. Elrod. Then we went back with the younger team. She did better at every practice but I still worry about her speed and endurance….and footskills….and….

She is not worried at all. (Or so she says.) She just wants to play. She wants a team again. Evidently, I am not a good workout partner. (Incidently, I don’t work out while she’s there. I hold a timer and count.)

She’s definitely strong enough. I am excited for her return. She is ready to play.

When this first happened, someone told me that the rehab will go by so quickly. I haven’t felt that yet. It’s been a long,tedious, anxiety-driven road. And she, for the most part, was really accepting of it.

But tomorrow is a new beginning. New coach, new team, new uniform. We’ll see how it goes. It’s what she’s been working for. Fingers crossed. Toes crossed.