The Govs soccer team’s scoring leader has booted in 21 goals this season, an accomplishment that he wouldn’t have imagined in October 2017.
Wesley Boor, a junior, got hurt playing the game he works hard to excel in. He recently explained his injury and recovery to the Nelson County Times.
“I was injured Oct. 21 playing in a game for my club Central Virginia United (CVU) on their U19 Premier team. I went into a 50/50 challenge with a larger defender and the kid kicked me in my leg instead of hitting the ball. At first the doctors thought that I just had a severely sprained medial collateral ligament and only ordered an MRI to see if I also had any meniscus damage.”
Several minutes after he left following the MRI procedure the hospital called and said he needed to see a surgeon after a grade 3 MCL tear was discovered, he said. His surgery was Nov. 15 at the Sentara Martha Jefferson Outpatient Surgery Center.
“I had to have my MCL reattached to the bone at both attachment points and structurally sutured to reinforce the ligament itself. My expected recovery was four months before physical activity,” he said.
Boor still wears a bulky black brace but hopes to shed it soon.
“It has been very hard coming back from this major injury but I feel like I’m getting closer to 100 percent each game I play,” said Boor. “Right now I physically feel good except for having to play in my brace. I hate this thing and have yet to fully adjust to it, but it is currently something I cannot play without.”
His surgeon will not clear him to play without the brace until June, he said.
“I’m feeling pretty good now but I’m not back to 100 percent yet. I feel I’m somewhere around 90 percent. I have worked very hard to get back to that point,” he said. “I was going to physical therapy two to three days a week as well as doing my leg exercises at home every evening. After countless hours at physical therapy and several meetings with my surgeon, I was able to get cleared a month early to play and started the spring season on time with my teammates Feb. 19. Unfortunately, the only way I could get cleared to play was to get fitted with a custom knee brace. The brace has definitely affected the way I play. Not only does it make it almost impossible to play/field a ball with that knee, it also slows me down.”
Along with the physical healing, Boor has stayed strong mentally.
“In those three months out I had several people tell me that I would never be the player I was before my injury or I would never be ready to play by this season, but instead of getting down I used that as fuel to my determination to prove them wrong,” said Boor. “So, I am currently happy with how things are going. Sure, I would love to be doing better and scoring more but it’s a process and I keep getting better and better each day. If I had to give myself a letter grade I would give myself a B+.”
Boor has surrounded himself with supporters and thankful to everyone who has helped him in the recovery process, including his parents, teammates and the encouragement of his coaches, surgeon and therapists.
“There is no doubt that I wouldn’t be where I am without their help.”