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11/05/2014 11:00 PMShe suffered one of the most devastating injuries in sports, but Kelly Nizolek fought her way back to the turf behind a steady dose of perseverance and a harness of support.
The Hand field hockey senior utility player tore her right ACL and meniscus while clearing a ball during her sophomore lacrosse season with the Tigers. After missing her junior field hockey campaign, Kelly returned for Hand this fall and has contributed to one of the best seasons in Tigers' history as they earned their first SCC crown since 2010.
"I was nervous because I'm not the strongest field hockey player, but the people around me helped boost my energy," says Kelly, who has scored three goals this year, including the one that put Hand ahead 1-0 in its SCC final 2-1 overtime win over Lauralton Hall on Oct. 29. "My teammates and coaches were so supportive. I got a cortisone shot and had to sit out the first two weeks this year, yet it's been a great season for us and a great feeling to be back. I just kept thinking to myself that this is the last time I'll be a part of Hand field hockey and I wanted to improve everything I could've to help my team. I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls and coaches to share this amazing achievement."
Given the severity of her injuries, Kelly knew she had an uphill battle with her rehabilitation. Although she experienced some setbacks along the way, Kelly climbed past them all to reach her goal of coming back.
"ACL/meniscus rehab is very hard, plus I had some other complications, so I wasn't cleared until 10 months after I got originally hurt," Kelly says. "I had some scar tissue build up and had tendinitis in my knee, but I worked with a personal trainer and did some running on my own. I always thought the worst could happen because I worried about it happening again, yet the support of everyone pushed me and kept me focused."
Due to that strong encouragement from her peers, Kelly was prepared when she returned to the turf this fall and didn't feel any discomfort when it was time to compete.
"I always strive to be at my best and provide the best impact for the team," says Kelly, who will also be a lacrosse captain next spring. "I felt OK from the first moment I stepped back onto the field because of that team support. I was more nervous about how well I could help the team, but I just pushed myself onto the field and through the drills."
Head Coach Sue Leckey explains that Kelly opens up so many options within the Tigers' rotation, in addition to displaying a template of toughness through her comeback.
"Kelly plays field hockey with passion and dedication. She has been asked to play every position this season as we tried to find the mix that would make us successful," says Leckey. "She enables us to be flexible with our substitutions and to position our players wherever we need to capitalize on the opportunity to win. She is positive, hardworking, and a selfless team player. She starts at midfield, but is often moved to the forward line and/or to defense to help her team. She has been a role model for fighting back from injury and facing the challenges of missing a whole season. It is not easy to catch up on a year of practice in any sport. Kelly has been inspirational in her comeback-not only with her play, but even more so with her tremendous positive attitude and competitiveness."
Speaking to her versatility, Kelly says that she can play just about everywhere on the field and welcomes all opinions to make her better at every position.
"In a game I could go from defender to forward back to midfielder, but I do whatever to get the job done," Kelly says. "I take the criticism and just always make sure both me and my stick are in the right position."
Following a 13-2-1 regular season to earn the No. 2 seed in the Class M State Tournament, the Tigers are ready to use their key communication to overpower strong postseason foes on the road to a state title.
"Things are looking good for us and this season has gone so great for us," says Kelly, who thanks her entire family, personal trainer Frank Quido, physical therapist Steve Platt, and her coaches. "In states, we will see some hard competition, but we can pull it off because we connect so well."