Stepping Away: Chloe Boice
Soccer has been a huge part of my life since I started playing around 6 years old. Even though I played other sports up until high school, I knew that soccer was the sport for me. I am fortunate to have had amazing coaches to teach me, not only soccer, but important life lessons that will guide me as I get older and onto bigger things. I have met so many amazing people and am lucky to call some of these people my close friends. I have been able to experience incredible things that I would not have been able to without soccer. My life revolved around soccer for most of my life and I loved every minute of it. I would not be the person I am today without it.
Injuries are the most prominent obstacles I have faced throughout my career. I tore my ACL going into my junior year of high school and the other my senior year of high school. Having that injury at that age was difficult because not many of my friends had faced an injury of that caliber and not one of my teammates had either. I, then, got to college and had 2 hip surgeries at the end of my freshman year due to labrum tears. But I think the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was my mental health. Many times throughout the last 4 years, I struggled with the motivation to keep rehabbing or putting in the extra work to get back onto the field. I’m proud of myself for how I continued to push myself until my last practice and how much my mental health had improved.
I medically retired early last fall of my junior year. I was trying to come back from my last surgery and was not at the point that I would have liked to be. My body was not where I wanted it to be and I knew that it was going to take me a long time to get back after 4 years of injuries. I sat down with myself and realized that my heart was not in it anymore. I was not enjoying going to practice like I used to and knew that the best decision for my mental and physical health was to step away.
It was essential to me to have an amazing support system around me to get through obstacles throughout my career. Although I knew retiring was the best option for me, it was still difficult to completely detach myself from a sport that I have put so much time and effort into. Without family, friends, coaches, physical therapists, psychologists, trainers, etc., I would not have been able to play as long as I did. A positive mindset is also essential when getting through hard situations. It’s celebrating the small victories, regardless of how small they are.
The advice I would give myself is to enjoy the moment, regardless of the situation you are in. I miss so many people and experiences from past teams and I wish I soaked that time in more. Do not take advantage of a sport that has given you so much and do not take advantage of the people you have and will meet. It may seem like the world is going against you at points throughout your career, but believe that everything happens for a reason. You will grow in other aspects of your life and will be thankful for what you have gone through.
Every journey for athletes is extremely different. I struggled with the decision to retire because I viewed it as an excuse for quitting. I knew that my body was not where it used to be, but I didn’t want to take the easy way out. I had to understand that quality of life post-college was more important than playing 2 more seasons of soccer for me. Every situation is unique but the most important thing is to do what is best for you and no one else.
Mental health is a very important topic to me. Going through multiple surgeries took a toll on my mental health which is why I took advantage of the sports psychologists at Notre Dame. I started seeing sports psychologists at the beginning of my freshman year and went often until I retired. I saw a huge difference in my mental health and think it is so important for anyone who is struggling with their mental health or needs someone to listen. Mental health is just as important in sports as physical health and needs to be more talked about, especially within college athletics.
