Redemption One Leg at a Time

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Some things should only have to happen to a person once, like tearing an ACL, which can be a career ending injury for any athlete.

                Girls Varsity Soccer team capitan Emily Cameron tore her ACL on two different occasions while practicing for Albion’s 96 club team.

The first time Cameron tore her ACL was after her freshman year just as the club season was ending. What she felt was not what she was expecting.

“After getting injured at practice, I didn’t think it was anything serious,” Cameron said. “I wasn’t in excruciating pain like I imagined someone with a torn ACL would be.”

After tearing her left ACL, Cameron had to go through tedious rehab.

                “Total rehab/recovery time was six months,” Cameron said. “I had to play with an athletic brace and I did not feel I was playing at 100 percent of my potential until about nine months.”

                Rehab required a different kind of commitment for Cameron that she had not gone through before.

                “Rehab is tough and requires a lot of discipline mentally and physically,” Cameron said. “I went to PLEX, a rehab and sports performance gym geared towards athletes trying to return and compete at a high level. I worked with my physical therapist Dr. Luu to come back strong and prepared.”

                Cameron worked hard in and out of school to bring her ACL back to full health.

                “I went [to PLEX] three times a week for about two hours,” Cameron said. “Each session worked on gaining mobility, building back quad strength and doing sports-specific drills such as cutting and quick agility specific to soccer.”

                The second time Cameron tore her ACL was during Christmas break her junior year. The rehab did not take as long as the time before because Cameron knew what to expect.

                “Going into rehab this time around, I made it clear to Dr. Luu that I wanted to push hard,” Cameron said. “I was prepared to endure more pain if it meant coming back faster this time.”

                It only took five months for Cameron to bounce back into the game she loved. She was nervous to get back onto the field.

                “I think fear is a natural thing to feel,” Cameron said. “I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times that I was nervous and scared getting back on the field for those first couple times.”

                The loss of Cameron heavily affected the rest of the soccer team.

“We were all pretty devastated,”teammate Taylor Ray said. “She was one of our key players. We knew she was hurting really bad physically and emotionally.”

Girls Varsity soccer coach Amy Trocquet, helped hold the team through the loss of their capitan.

“[The team] pulled together and persevered, but it was a big loss to the team,” Trocquet said.

The injury to Cameron did not stop her from helping the team.

 “Instead I became a ‘third coach’,” Cameron said. “Coach Trocquet and Coach Prewitt took me under their wing on the sideline at each game and tournament.”

Cameron’s teammates never forgot about her during her time off the field.

“Last season as a team, we decided that not only were we going to play for ourselves, but we were going to play for Cameron,” Ray said. “Before every game, we would have a prayer and would say ‘We are also playing this for you Cam’.”

A lot of people helped Cameron through the injury, but three key figures in her life helped her most: her parents,former Varsity coach Lauren Prewitt, and the staff at PLEX.

 “I was the one that put in the hard work and time,” Cameron said, “but my parents provided me with the resources so I could get back on the field. Without their support, I really have no clue where I would be right now.”

Prewitt was a big help to Cameron because of the similar experiences they both went through.

“It really meant a lot to have someone who had gone through the same thing and really understood all that it entails,” Cameron said.

The staff at PLEX was also a big help to Cameron’s process of getting back onto the field.

“The mentality at PLEX was that injuries are not going to keep someone from doing what they love.” Cameron said.

Cameron is grateful for everybody that helped her through these injuries.

“I am so thankful for the support and continual encouragement form family, friends, and teammates who were there for me through both journeys,” Cameron said. “I truly consider myself blessed to have these people in my life.”

Cameron’s experiences through these injuries have made her stronger, and she feels as though she can be a role model to people going through the same injuries.

“I can look back on both of these experiences and realize that I didn’t go through everything for nothing,” Cameron said.  “I have really been able to be an encouragement to younger athletes who tear their ACL. Whether it’s meeting with them for lunch to see how the rehab is going or just sympathizing with their frustrations and reminding them it’s possible to return a stronger athlete regardless of what others say.”

Despite these two setbacks, Cameron has just committed to play division one soccer at Furman University.

“These injuries that I have gone through make this opportunity all the more exciting,” Cameron said. “It’s definitely been a different journey for me to get here than most, but I would not trade all that I have learned through the experiences.”