Hamblin shows no sign of knee problems
It’s hard to believe senior forward Ashley Hamblin experienced a serious knee injury just two years ago. Neither limp nor brace inhibit her mobility.
“I feel like it took me a long time to realize I’m okay, but I feel like I’m fine now,” Hamblin said.
In a rare starting role against the University of Auburn Friday night, Hamblin didn’t waste any time getting aggressive. Within the first five minutes, she jumped with Auburn goalkeeper Allison Whitworth for a header in the box, shielded off defenders to maintain possession of the ball, and made a slide in attempt to regain possession of a loose ball.
“I’m not worried when I’m playing anymore,” Hamblin said. “I’ve already done it once, and I can only play hard until it happens—and hopefully it won’t.”
Hamblin’s injury came just nine games into her sophomore season. It was difficult to be sidelined while her team continued to play, she said.
“I’ve never had to sit and watch my team and be completely helpless before,” Hamblin said.
Though the experience was hard to handle for Hamblin, she said her game and attitude developed while being incapable of playing.
“It really made me appreciate being able to play and being part of a team,” Hamblin said. “I was kind of a quite player before, but I feel like I’ve really developed that side of my game.”
Hamblin remained optimistic directly after her surgery, even though typical rehabilitation rates range between six to eight months for a full recovery.
“Right after my surgery I thought I was going to come back in record time and be a superhero,” Hamblin said.
She had seen other girls after surgery and hoped she would get back faster. The realization that getting back on the field would take longer than she expected came as hard news to accept.
“It was hard mentally because I obviously couldn’t come back faster than anyone else,” Hamblin said.
Once Hamblin was healthy enough to practice again, more obstacles stood in her way.
“When you first get back to being able to play in games, you think you’ll be normal,” Hamblin said. “But your touch is off. You have to learn to trust your body, trust your knee. That was probably my biggest setback—getting through the frustration.”
In 2007, less than a year after her knee surgery, Hamblin was back on the field with her teammates. Hamblin attributes her successful recovery to several different factors.
“My teammates and parents encouraged me through the entire thing,” Hamblin said. “They talked me through it (the recovery), and the coaches were there to offer extra practice shooting on goal or doing running drills. It was really a team effort.”
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