OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Sydney Academy Wildcats captain overcomes broken femur, spiral fracture to play Tier 1 soccer.
Abigail Binns has always been an avid soccer player, right from the moment she stepped onto the field as a young girl.
But there was a time in her life when the now 17-year-old thought she’d never be able to play her favourite sport again.
On Jan. 7, 2012, Binns, who was 10 years old at the time, suffered a broken left femur in a toboggan accident while with her father and brother near Whitney Pier Memorial Middle School — a day she will never forget.
Binns was taken to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney where doctors confirmed she had broken her leg.
“When I first broke my leg, I thought I’d never be able to play soccer again,” said Binns. “I still remember my father picking me up off the field — it’s hard to forget.”
On Jan. 8, 2012, Binns was airlifted to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, where she underwent surgery for her injury. Surgeons put a titanium plate, meant for a shoulder injury, in her leg.
At the time of her surgery, Binns was involved in Tier 1 indoor soccer at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex Dome.
Doctors told Binns she may never play soccer at the Tier 1 level again because of the injury.
“I was devastated,” said Binns. “It was heartbreaking because I had fought so hard and earned my spot on the team, and then all of a sudden, it was all taken away by the accident.”
Binns spent more than a week in the Halifax hospital following the surgery before returning to Cape Breton to begin the recovery process.
After spending months on crutches, Binns was determined returned to the pitch, but in August 2012, she would suffer a spiral fracture — in the same leg — in a freak accident while attending summer camp.
“A guy tripped and fell the wrong way and his head went into my leg,” said Binns recalling the second incident. “It was back to square one, back on crutches and physio.”
Despite being discouraged by the incident, Binns was determined to play soccer again – and that’s just what she did.
After recovering from the second broken bone and having another surgery to remove the plate from her leg, Binns returned to the field a year later, playing recreation soccer in an
attempt to once again play at the Tier 1 level.
“I had some really good coaches along the way and I had my parents to really push me and guide me through the process,” said Binns.
“Playing recreation soccer and having previous experience playing in the Tier 1 division, it gave me time to develop after the injury.”
Binns remained in the local recreation soccer league until Jason Massie, technical director for Soccer Cape Breton at the time, approached her with an opportunity to play in the Tier 1 division.
“He asked me why I was playing recreation soccer and I had told him about my injuries,” said Binns. “He gave me a chance and I tried out, made the team, and was back with my former teammates who I had played with before my accidents.
“It gave me so much confidence because I had tried so hard and trained so hard — it was a long process, but I had finally reached my goal.”
In high school, Binns tried out for the Sydney Academy Wildcats girls’ team, cracking a spot on the club’s roster in her Grade 10 year. She’s been with the team ever since.
Today, the Grade 12 student is the Wildcats’ captain and has proven that dreams can come true, with hard work and dedication.
“Starting from where I was that many years ago, it’s an absolute privilege for me and an honour to be the club’s captain this year,” said Binns.
Nicola Jackson has coached Binns with the Sydney Academy program for the past three years. She said naming Binns as the captain was an easy decision.
“It wasn’t until last year that she stood out to me when it came to picking captains for
the next season,” said Jackson. “She really stepped up at our provincial qualifier and helped one of our new players, encouraging the girl and giving her positive feedback.
“From that moment, it showed me what Abigail was like as a player as well as friend — she’s a great team leader.”
Although she will never forget her injuries, Binns doesn’t think much about them when she’s on the field.
“It’s not something that comes to mind because I’m more focused on playing the game and helping our team be successful.”
Binns and the Sydney Academy Wildcats will return to action on Friday when they play the Avon View Avalanche in the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Division 1 provincial qualifier in Halifax.