For many high school athletes, sports are more than just a game and are a key part of who someone is, while others use it as an outlet to have fun and be a part of a team. Field hockey player Noelle Stash saw the sport as a way to stay active and be involved starting at the age of 12 playing most to all positions for the club team Souderton Strikers, and later going on to play for Pennridge. However, her experience unfortunately came to an end after tearing her ACL in January of last year sidelining her completely. The whole process taught Stash many valuable lessons and her hobbies shined through including drawing, watching TV, hanging out with friends, reading, and writing. Now, after almost two years of recovery, she can run well and work out again as she pleases.
Stash may not play anymore, but field hockey will always be a part of who she was during her years in school even if her time ended short due to injury. Through everything that went on with her surgery, the biggest challenge physically was not being able to walk. On top of that, watching others play outside and simply just being on a walk made her appreciate the times when she could also do those things. The first couple of weeks stuck in bed was her biggest mental challenge in that it was very hard for her to occupy her time and find things to do. No matter what, Stash had her village of support as friends came to visit which meant sitting beside her and catching her up on the days missed at school, and her mom paying for a month of Paramount Premium so she could stream certain shows she hadn’t seen before but was interested in. It all meant a lot to her during that period as there was little to nothing she could physically do and it taught her the real people in her life will be there through times like these. When asked about how her perspective on field hockey and sports changed in general since the injury she shared, “It’s made me appreciate how strong and brave people are for playing their sport every day even though they can get seriously hurt”.
Family and friends are always important in scenarios like this and through talking to Stash’s mom, the amount of perseverance and hard work Noelle showed to be where she is today is inspiring. Her mom expressed how she feels about the surgery and Noelle today, “Overall it was a successful process, and she’s been stronger after the surgery which is what we care about”. Field hockey was mostly just a hobby for her, and it was nice she was able to not be so serious and just have fun with it while playing, so when all of this came about, she knew it was her time to move on once everything was settled with her leg.
Injuries in sports are very common, and like Stash, they can keep people out of the game for good whether that is through choice or physically not being able to play anymore. The advice she would give athletes is to accept help. When something like this happens, especially if it is a complete ACL tear, there isn’t much you can do directly after surgery, and there are people around you who want to help. Stash describes in detail, “It might seem diminishing or weak to not be able to do things on your own, but the more you accept help and allow others to be there with you through recovery is the only way to fully heal”. She not only learned accepting help is crucial when going through it, but now she can voice that to other athletes who might feel similarly.
Throughout the seasons that she played, having fun with her friends was the main goal and the reason she started to play. One of Stash’s favorite memories was during indoor field hockey on the Strikers, she got a buzzer-beater for the team securing the win as they all went out for ice cream afterward. Even though field hockey was more of a hobby than anything else for Noelle Stash, it didn’t take away from the fact that she was a skilled player and unfortunately had an injury that kept her off the field for good.
