During her team’s ice hockey games in recent months, sophomore Sarah Smails has been sitting on the bench. Often, she finds herself adjusting her black sling, a constant reminder of her dislocated left shoulder, the injury that has kept her from playing. Meanwhile, her teammates skate up and down the court, pulsing with adrenaline and the desire to win.
Smails isn’t used to being a spectator in a hockey rink. “I would rather be out there on the ice,” she said.
Due to her injury, Smails has taken on the role of supporting her team, the Girls’ JV Sharks 16UAA, a 15- to 16-year-olds tier two team, on the sidelines. Although she said she has tried to be enthusiastic, Smails found that sitting on the bench is “not as fun as playing.”
“It was a really big bummer,” Smails said. “I would see my teammates out on the ice and think, ‘Oh I wish I could do that’ and ‘I know what I would do in that situation.’”
In January, Smails was on her first turn on the ice at a select camp in Los Angeles. Suddenly, her skate caught an edge and she fell on her shoulder.
She did not expect that her fall would keep her out of the sport for so long. The pain was more of a dull ache than a sharp sting, so she brushed it off at first, not thinking it was anything serious.
After going to the emergency room and finding out that she had torn her labrum, Smails learned that she would not be able to play ice hockey for many months.
“Hockey is such a big part of my life, so I was pretty devastated,” she said.
Since a young age, Smails had been going to the rink for fun with her family. In third grade, at the urging of her twin brother, Chris Smails, and a friend, Smails decided to join a competitive hockey team.
Smails said that an odd benefit to playing ice hockey is that it is a “great conversation starter,” since people are usually amazed that she plays such an uncommon sport.
Since there is no high school hockey teams in the area, Smails practices at Solar4America Ice in San Jose. The commute is far, for the rink is located about 30 minutes from her house.
Despite the drive, Smails said that the distance is worth it, as she really enjoys the game and believes that it is a good substitute for someone who does not like running.
Smails’s team has arduous practices for 10 hours per week, including dryland, which focuses on workouts that build strength and endurance off the ice. Smails knew that she would not be able to actively participate until she healed.
Smails’s coach Bobby Long was supportive and reassured her that she was still part of the team. He recommended a physical therapist who Smails has been seeing for seven months.
“That’s been really helpful,” she said. “I have almost full range of motion now.”
Smails has slowly worked up from passive movements, where the therapist would move Smails’s shoulder for her, to stretches and exercises with rubber bands and small weights. With time, Smails has been working up the intensity and regaining strength and movement of arm.
Smails hopes to start playing her sport again soon. Her physical therapist has given her the OK to pass and shoot in practice, so she has been trying to get in as many repetitions as possible.
“I’m definitely out of shape and my skating and stickhandling is not where I want it to be,” Smails said.
Currently, Smails is working on getting back to the same level as before her injury. Even though she knows that it will take a while, Smails remains optimistic.
“I really missed playing,” she said. “It’s no fun if you can’t play in games or even skate, so I’m really looking forward to getting back onto the ice.”