All she can remember is P-O-P.
Celia Balf was playing in her final lacrosse game of the season last spring. Deep into the second half she chased after a ground ball, bent down to pick it up turned and ...
Pop.
Balf knew that sound all too well. Many of her teammates from her club soccer team had shared stories of their injury experiences, so the Beverly resident instantly realized what had happened.
"I fell to the ground grabbing my knee," explained Balf. "Cursing, crying, just knowing that I had torn my ACL."
After the star midfielder from The Waring School (a small, private middle and high school in Beverly) went down with that devastating ACL tear, the school's athletic staff was determined to make sure none of its other female athletes faced a similar injury.
Over the past 10 years there has been a tremendous increase in non-contact ACL injuries in female athletes, and the facts say that simple genetics are to blame.
So two weeks after Balf went down; she underwent surgery to repair the damage that had been done.
"Obviously the first week was tough physically and mentally," said Balf. "I wasn't my normal self running around, moving at a fast pace through everything; I was simply stuck on the couch. Luckily for me I was in very good shape going into surgery so that made everything go quite smoothly."
As summer began, so did Balf's physical therapy. The 17-year-old set strict goals for herself in order to stay motivated, which helped her competitive spirit stay alive.
It's been just over four months now and Balf has rejoined her soccer team on the practice field. Because she won't be cleared to play until the six-month mark, she currently remains sidelined for games.
"As much as I love high school soccer and my team (Waring is currently 3-0), I have faith in my teammates' capability to get another league championship," said Balf. "And I want to save my knee for my future endeavors with soccer."
Balf is slated to play Division 1 soccer at the University of Albany next fall. The three-time MVP visited the college last December and verbally committed shortly before Christmas.
"My balance is better than it ever was before, and my jumping and landing technique is spot on," said Balf. "Not that I'm keeping count or anything, but (today will be 119) days since my surgery, and I'm running, sprinting and playing soccer almost daily.
"As of right now I'm still participating in physical therapy, along with getting my touch to where it was before, if not better, with the ball. I'm not trying to set any records, but I think I'm recovering pretty fast."
The Waring coaching staff has implemented a conditioning program geared toward the prevention of ACL injuries in their female student-athletes. With the help of Balf, Athletic Director Mike Kersker brought in Lyle Morgan and Chris O'Brien of Precision Training to work with girls.
Morgan and O'Brien have designed a routine that targets the strengthening of the hips, hamstrings and core muscles. The soccer team has met every Sunday since late August for a 90-minute workout that eliminates improper muscle use.
"We incorporated it into our preseason routine," said Waring girls head coach Eric Slack, "and we've been able to maintain it throughout the season. The girls love it, and it keeps them healthy and in shape."
Slack has also given up one of his weekday practices to the program in order to ensure maximum results for his team, which has been a powerhouse in the Independent Girls Conference for the past three years in a row.
Women are 2-to-10 times more likely to tear their ACL than men. Over the past four years, Morgan has witnessed hundreds of female athletes come through with the same non-contact injury, and he believes it's becoming an epidemic.
"We're just trying to level the playing field," said Morgan. "We teach the girls how to jump the correct way, run properly and re-position themselves."
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Kristen Doherty started as head coach of the North Shore Tech/Essex Aggie girls soccer team in 2008 when the program began. At the end of the following season the Bulldogs moved from Commonwealth Athletic Conference Small to the Commonwealth Large division, given their success in the first two seasons.
"We earned the chance to play at a higher level," said Doherty. "We played real well in the Small and the league felt that we would be more appropriate in the upper division. Basically what that meant for us was that we would play against bigger schools like Mystic Valley and Shawsheen."
This time around, the Bulldogs find themselves in the midst of a transition season as Doherty graduated nine seniors last spring. Seven freshman found their way onto the varsity roster, four of whom are in the starting lineup most days.
Doherty believes that her team has all the right skills to win; it's just taking a little bit of time for them to gel together.
"We spread the field well," explained Doherty. "Each game I think they're learning to play off each other more and more. We have all the proper tools; we're just looking to build up the chemistry."
This particular group of seniors — Kathryn Brebner, Kelsey Levesque and Suzannah Duffy — has been around since that 2008 starter season. Doherty believes that if anyone can help guide her team, it's these group of girls.
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Since Peabody High joined the Northeastern Conference a half-decade ago, the Tanners have had some epic battles on the pitch with Danvers High. Monday night the two programs square off under the lights, as the Danvers girls host the Tanners at Deering Stadium while the Peabody boys play host to the Falcons at Coley Lee Field. Both tilts kick off at 6:30 p.m.
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Just For Kicks is a column about North Shore high school soccer that runs each Wednesday during the fall sports season. Contact Gianna Addario at gaddario@salemnews.com, at 978-338-2615, and follow her on Twitter: @GiannaAddarioSN.
