FORTY FORT — The news hit Isabel Sikora harder than a Mike Tyson uppercut.
The Holy Redeemer senior never expected to hear that her ACL was torn. She wasn’t mentally prepared to hear those words from her doctor.
Afterall, she knew what a torn ACL felt like, sustaining one in her younger days. That’s why those thoughts never crossed her mind. She thought it was a sprain, maybe even a meniscus.
Not an ACL.
“I can’t even explain the shock because an ACL was the last thing that I assumed,” she said. “I work out three times a week and I do strength and agility training. I was doing single-leg box jumps onto an 18-inch box with a bad leg. There was no possible way this was true. When my doctor told me it was an ACL, my jaw probably dropped to the floor. It was insane with me.”
Just like that, her senior year — one where she was hoping to reach the 50-career goal mark early in the season — was over.
“Knowing that I could have potentially reached that a few games into the season, it was really difficult. I was so insanely upset over it for months. But I felt that I had to accept it and get back into things. It was really hard at first, I won’t lie,” she said.
Sikora isn’t 100% sure what happened.
It was her junior year at Holy Redeemer, but she believes it happened in the Royals’ first scrimmage.
Like she’s done many times in her career, the prolific scorer was inside the box, getting ready to do what she’s does best: Rip the back of the net.
Instead of twisting her whole body toward the open net, she believes her knee just twisted.
“In my mind, I wasn’t thinking ACL since it was my second time. I already knew what it felt like,” she said. “The trainer did a bunch of tests and everyone assumed it was a sprain. I took some time off, and I ended up wearing a brace for the rest of the season. I would randomly feel it tweak up here and there, so I kind of figured that it might be the meniscus. I ended up getting the MRI, and it ended up being the ACL and meniscus. It was a huge shock to me.”
This isn’t where Sikora’s story ends.
Instead, the senior Royal decided to pen a new chapter.
Her surgery was at the end of March. That meant her career as a Redeemer player was cut short.
But she took a new road.
A road that led her to dabbling as a player-coach.
“Even though I can’t physically play on the team, I really wanted to be involved. This is my senior year and I wanted to do everything that I could,” she said. “I’m there for all of the underclassmen. A lot of them come up and ask me what they can do to fix certain things. It’s fulfilling.”
How much did the coaches and teammates respect what Sikora was doing?
They voted her as a team captain.
“It’s something that I never expected. I am very grateful for the opportunity, and I am so glad that my teammates and coaches still saw me in that light. For me, it was a great way to see the good in a bad situation.”
And she’s making the most of it.
She gives advice. She’s seeing the game like she’s never watched it before. She’s able to really break down the field in a way that’s even surprised her.
Basically, its shining a huge spotlight on her passion, but from a different angle.
“I think it’s different to have a player on the sidelines just because the player knows what its like to play on the field. Really, it’s good to provide that insight as a player. During halftime, it’s crazy how different the field is when you are just watching. I can confidently say that I have learned so much from just watching the game, and I’ve learned so much more about playing it. It’s come a lot easier to me to pick out where my team needs to work.
“My coach always gives time at halftime for the captains to speak, and I’ll always have something to say. It’s so rewarding to see the girls take my advice to heart and try to fix it.”
Her playing days aren’t done, yet.
Sikora just got cleared to begin running, and will see her surgeon at the end of the month to see how much progress she’s made in six months.
In a perfect world, she’ll be able to return back to the pitch in mid-December or January to join her club team.
Several college coaches have been in touch with her, and as of now, Drexel is her top option.
“I’ve sent him the film, and he said he liked what he saw and to keep him updated on everything. Once I’m able to play, they said they would come out and watch me, and hopefully, we can get the ball rolling a little more,” she said. “Seeing everyone out there, I am just so anxious to get out there for travel soccer. I will admit it wasn’t easy to have this mindset. There was so much on my mind, but I knew this is what I wanted to do for my teammates and coaches. There is no way I can stay away. I couldn’t just leave soccer for the nine months.”
And as for coaching in the future?
“Hey, you never know,” she laughed. “I never really thought about it. It does seem like an interesting thing. I feel like I am still in that player’s mindset. Down the road, I wouldn’t be opposed to it because I do enjoy like the coaching part of it. Knowing that the girls do listen, it’s so nice to see that you see something, you tell them and it gets fixed. It’s been rewarding.”
Originally Published:
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