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Cunningham Embracing New Role After Career-Ending Injuries
August 26, 2010 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 26, 2010
By Shannon Siders for UofLsports.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Senior year tends to be the pinnacle of a student athlete's career, but for some, the dream season is cut short.
Kate Cunningham, a senior and three-year starter on the University of Louisville women's soccer team, was faced with this harsh reality on the first day of preseason training earlier this month. She had struggled through hip pain since the 2009 season, and the final diagnosis called for two complete hip replacements, and an end to her career as a student-athlete.
"This [2010] team is the closest I have ever been to a team since I have been here," said Cunningham as she reflected on the upcoming season.
The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing 2009 campaign, but they eagerly prepared for 2010, which opened with a dominating 4-1 win over Eastern Kentucky last Friday night. Cunningham, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., said the entire team came into the preseason fit from summer workouts, and the captains developed a plan to keep the team motivated and excited from the get-go.
Excited to begin her senior season, Cunningham was devastated by her preseason diagnosis. During the 2009 season in which she started every game and scored the game-winning goal against Seton Hall, she experienced cramping and pain in her hips. Her pain worsened as she progressed through conditioning in the spring, which led her to participate in a different summer workout program than her teammates. Her program focused solely on upper body conditioning, which Cunningham hoped that her hips would heal if given the summer to rest.
Disappointed that her career had come to a heartbreaking finish, but determined to stay involved, Cunningham decided to stay on as part of the team and will serve in an off-the-field role to provide support and guidance for her teammates.
"Kate was coming off the best season of her career in 2009, so this injury was very disappointing for her and for our team," said Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes. "However, she is one of our captains and though she won't be on the field, I know she'll have a very positive impact on this team in her new role."
Cunningham will be at all home games and will travel to road games, including this weekend's trip to Columbia, S.C., where the Cardinals will play No. 12 South Carolina (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET) and Bucknell (Sunday, Noon ET) at the Gamecock Courtyard Cup, so that she can use her past experiences with soccer to assist the coaches and provide a positive impact on her teammates.
"One of the things my coach told me coming into this is I have to find a different role," said Cunningham. "I've always been a leader on the field, now I have to be a leader off the field."
Cunningham said she is looking forward to "finding myself in a different way," and developing her off-the-field persona. She recognizes that it will be tough watching her teammates play from the sidelines, but she is optimistic that she will be able to help the team and is hoping for a great season.
The captains have developed a motto for the season called, "Join the Bus." They have an "energy bus" and have invited the other players to become a part so that the team can become closer and stay spirited, even through the rough patches. Cunningham and the other captains hope this will make the team confident that they are ready for the season.
The injury has even allowed Cunningham to think differently about her future and that the patience she will have to develop from being on the sidelines will help when she graduates and pursues her career.
"After this I probably would want to coach. I've seen the coach's role from a different perspective," she said. "I'm going into elementary education, so I will definitely have to be patient with those kids."
As the women's soccer team continues the 2010 season, Cunningham will undoubtedly be an integral part of the squad through her leadership, despite not being on the field for her senior season.
