Achilles agony was ‘like a gun shot’
Three weeks into her return from injury, a Silver Ferns rising star was ready to ease her way back. Then, writes Brendon Egan, she was screaming in pain after another serious injury.
LUCKLESS Silver Fern
Michaela Sokolich-Beatson plans to analyse every tiny detail of her training regime after a second ruptured Achilles in nine months.
The highly-rated wing defence-goal defence faces another lengthy recovery process and won’t be spotted on a netball court for the second year in a row.
Sokolich-Beatson ruptured her left Achilles tendon in October at a New Zealand A training session, just three weeks after returning to the court on a managed workload.
It was a cruel blow for the 24-year-old, who suffered the same injury to her right Achilles tendon in January 2020 in a warm-up game for the Silver Ferns in England.
Having been cleared by medical staff, passed her yo-yo conditioning test, and participated at a Silver Ferns training camp, Sokolich-Beatson was ready to slowly work her way back with New Zealand A.
Sokolich-Beatson understood she was desperately unlucky. That won’t stop her inquisitive mind from analysing every detail of her training and prematch build-up in the future. Both times she suffered injury, she was fully warmed up.
‘‘There’s a lot I have to reflect on the next 12 months and really look at my preparation and training and am I doing what I need to be doing? Is my body different to the other girls’ bodies. Do I need to be trained differently? There’s a few things I need to sort out,’’ she said.
‘‘I also have to think, ‘My body has let me down majorly twice, is there a reason for that?’. ‘Am I not quite doing something right because I am the type of person that does everything they need to do. I always train hard, but do I need to train smarter and not harder?’’’
Healthy after her right Achilles injury, 11-test SokolichBeatson was looking to ease herself back to finish 2020. She was targeting a strong 2021 for the Auckland-based Northern Mystics in the ANZ Premiership and Silver Ferns selection.
Sokolich-Beatson knew she’d sustained the same injury as she went to take off suddenly at a training session in Palmerston North prior to the Cadbury Series.
‘‘Some people say it’s like a gun shot when you rupture your Achilles and I didn’t have that the first time, but the second time when I did the left one, I heard this noise and I was like s . . . what the hell was that?
‘‘I looked down and my ankle was already starting to swell and
I could feel the hole where the Achilles was meant to be, was no longer.
‘‘Because your Achilles snaps in half, half of it stays where it is and the other half coils up into your calf. It feels like you’re walking on 12-inch plus stilettos, but your foot is flat on the ground.’’
Sokolich-Beatson returned to Auckland and a week later was operated on by orthopaedic surgeon Stewart Walsh, who performed her first surgery.
She ditched her moon boot at Christmas and is walking with a limp. This week, she can do some basic running. ‘‘It’s not pretty, but I’ll take it.’’
After carrying out months of rehabilitation for her right Achilles, SokolichBeatson wasn’t going in blind. Second time around would be far more challenging and testing on the mind, she said.
‘‘It’s a blessing because I know what to expect and what to do, but that’s also a curse because I’m looking too far forward all the time. I’m not often appreciating the small wins.
‘‘Last time every small win, it would really give me a positivity boost. This time I’m always looking 20 steps ahead.’’
Psychologist Rod Corban, who works with the Silver Ferns and several other top New
Zealand sports teams, said the emotions from a serious injury were similar to the grieving process.
Athletes often lost their ability to solidify their place in a team or squad or were denied the chance to go to a major tournament with injury.
‘‘Often people say it’s okay, you’ll come back and that’s true, but at the time that’s the last thing they want to hear because they’re in a world of emotional pain,’’ Corban said.
‘‘I often say you have every right to be frustrated and upset and if you want to have a cry, have a cry.’’
After substantial time out from sport, athletes had to deal with testing their body again after injury and concerns around further damage. Sometimes it took months before they were comfortable again mentally and physically following their return, he said.
‘‘The advice I often give to athletes is that’s a normal response because they’re human and as humans we worry about stuff a lot.
‘‘You would not be normal if you got back out after having a long period off with injury, without having a little bit of doubt or fear in your mind about re-injury.’’
The importance of having an outlet away from sport was only hammered home when serious injury struck. New Zealand sport organisations and their respective Players’ Associations talk frequently about the value of study and work and a back-up plan if something does go wrong.
Sokolich-Beatson completed her Bachelor of Physical Education last year and has her first classes this week, teaching at her old high school Whangaparaoa College on the Hibiscus Coast.
She will work one day a week teaching year eight students health and physical education.
Best-case scenario, SokolichBeatson could resume limited netball training in AugustSeptember, but won’t play any games this year. Her last match was on December 13, 2019, for the Mystics against Australian side, the Collingwood Magpies, in the final of the Super Club tournament.
Despite another long stint on the sideline, Sokolich-Beatson remained philosophical. Her desire to return to elite netball and play for the Silver Ferns remained as hungry as ever.
‘‘I’ve seen a lot of people go through injuries where it’s ended their career, or rugby players who have had problems with too many concussions, so the doctors have told them never to play again.
‘‘I still feel really lucky because it could be way worse. It’s not the end of the world, it’s just a different world.’’