Adam Nicholson

The Comeback

SIX MONTHS INTO A GRUELING

REHAB OF HIS DEVASTED LEFT KNEE
THE YOUNG DRAKE CENTER BACK IS
IN A RACE AGAINST HIMSELF - TO BE
READY FOR THE LOYOLA RAMBLERS
ON THE SEASON OPENER

BY: ALEX PETERSON

PHOTOGRAPHS BY: ALEX PETERSON

When the trainers saw what I could

do, they were blown away. They said,
I cant believe youre doing this
already. I kept expecting to come in
and be dreading it. I kept expecting so
many uphill battles. But so far there
have been no setbacks.

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 What he felt was
neither anger (that
would come later)
nor self-pity. It was
more like a combina-
tion of displacement
and, though it made
no rational sense,
dishonor.
- Adam Nicholson

Adam Nicholson (above) stands in Drake Stadium before practice on Nov. 5th.

A dam Nicholson will never forget

that long ride home, his iced-up
knee not so much in pain but
numb, like the rest of him. He was lying
on his side, sprawled across the back-
seat of his Chevy Tahoe, staring out
an open window as his mom, Karen,
pulled away from the downtown stadi-
um and up Third Street. The stadium
lights were sparkling. The sensations
were as immediate as the twin pops he
felt in his left knee upon releasing his
first and only pass of the day, a glorious
assist to forward Nic Jaimes. It was all
so sudden, so surreal: What he felt was
neither anger (that would come later)
nor self-pity. It was more like a com-
bination of displacement and, though
it made no rational sense, dishonor.
go on Sept. 10. Thats what keeps me
going, he says, mindful that the normal
range of recovery from such injuries is
eight to 12 months. I know that if I take
a couple of weeks off Im not going
of motion. For the first two months af-
ter his surgery, Nicholson says, Id sit
at the end of a table for two hours a
day, doing little hip raises. My thera-
pist would push, and Id pushback. In
to be ready to play in the first game. mid-March, nine weeks after the oper-
ation, in which, among other repairs,
The early stages of rehab his ACL was replaced by that of a ca-
from reconstructive knee surgery are daver, Nicholsons range of motion in
monotonous and painful. At that point his left knee was stuck at 65 degrees.
the therapy involves rebuilding the
atrophied muscles, particularly the
quadriceps, and regaining a full range

The Process

Over the past four months,

Nicholsons will, seemingly as strong
as his right leg, has been put to the
test. The classically gifted center
back is in week 30 of a grueling but,
so far, unusually smooth rehab pro-
gram. Since the operation to repair
his torn left anterior cruciate ligament,
shredded medial collateral ligament,
dislocated kneecap, and cartilage and A diagram (left) of a knee. Nicholson tore his left anterior cruciate ligament,
tissue damage, Nicholsons goal has shredded his medial collateral ligament, dislocated his kneecap, and
been to play in Drakes 2017 season suffered cartilage and tissue damage. Nicholson (right) is seen in the
training room rehabilitating his knee.
opener, against the Ramblers in Chica-
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When its hard to stay focused on rehab, he says, Adam Nicholson (above)
clutching the soccer ball tightly with both hands, poses for photos at Drake
Stadium on Nov. 5th.
I just keep thinking about that game. I cant wait.

Getting Back on the Field

Right now hes right where

youd like him to be to have a chance
to be ready for the start of the sea-
son, says Williamson. So its not
an unrealistic goal. But very few re-
habs ever go straight up, without set-
backs, and its still too early to pre-
dict when hell be all the way back.

Sitting in a team meeting room

at the Bulldogs facility after a long
day of rehab, Nicholson stares at a
schedule listing the Bulldogs 2006 op-
ponents. He envisions each matchup
until, inevitably, his eyes work down
to the final game on the list: Dec. 31
versus Loyola, 1 p.m., Cownie Soc-
cer Stadium. Thats the one I keep
hoping will be for all the marbles, he
says, now picking up a soccer ball
from a nearby chair and flipping it to-
ward the ceiling. He catches it and re-
peats, catches and repeats, a look of
calm on his face, until one final abrupt
catch. When its hard to stay focused Soccer causes more ACL tears than any other sport. Infographic (above) lists the
on rehab, he says, clutching the soc- type of sports activity that cause ACL tears.
cer tightly with both hands, I just keep
thinking about that game. I cant wait.

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