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KUALA LUMPUR – More often than not, we look up to athletes and their lifestyle simply because of the glitz and glam they enjoy and share on social media.
Irrespective of the many feature pieces that detail their ascension, the behind-the-scenes scenario could be vastly different; they could very well be going through hell only to mask it all with a smile on their face.
A couple of months ago, The Vibes featured the journey undertaken by Malaysian taekwondo poomsae practitioner Sara Yap in her efforts to overcome an ankle injury. We literally saw her push through the ordeal with a mental strength that was necessary to get herself back on her feet again.
Over the weekend, The Vibes was able to meet with ice hockey queen and entrepreneur go-getter, Kimberly Wan.
At the young age of 26, Kimberly had not only landed herself in the Malaysian Book of Records for the “Youngest Female to Achieve the Highest Skating Level in Malaysia,” when she was 12, but she had also represented the country in international ice hockey tournaments, been nominated as an official referee for the sport and had become CEO of Otomate Me, her own Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business.
To the gentlefolks, Kimberly seemed to be indestructible, #goals. However, like many of our athletes, we tend to see only the external successes and not the internal struggles.
With 20 years and counting clocked in for the sport — 10 for figure skating and 10 for ice hockey — Kimberly still approaches the sport with caution, fearful of getting seriously injured.
She shared with The Vibes her first major injury due to the strenuous nature of figure skating — a hairline fracture on her spine — at the ripe age of 12.
During the process of moving up another level, Kimberly was executing stunts — jumping, landing and falling — daily. This proved to be extremely harsh on her body and she spent the next 5 to 6 months in a brace with at least 3 three physiotherapy sessions a week.
One can only imagine the kind of trauma this would have had on a 12-year-old, yet Kimberly was not only able to get back on her feet, but she also managed to secure a name for herself in the Malaysian Book of Records.
However, she soon faced another hairline fracture, this time on her ankle when she twisted it after the toe pick on her skates got caught in the ice.
“I had to accept (the fact) that I had been injured and I had to recover. I had to learn to slow down because the recovery period is just as important, but everything was just very time-consuming.”
For Kimberly, it wasn’t the recovery period that was the toughest, it was getting back on the ice that scared her the most — it spelt the possibility of being benched again if she overstrained and got herself seriously injured.
“You get very worried, and it's mentally (been) a tiring process; like, do I want to go through all of that again?”
Injuries do not only put a mental and physical strain on athletes, it affects their day-to-day life.
In an international ice hockey tournament against Singapore, Kimberly hit her head on the board and suffered a concussion after being checked from the back by her opponent.
“It was very frustrating cause when you are there, you’re there to play a tournament. And to get injured that way just means that all the time and effort you put into getting there is just wasted as you can’t play, or (you) can’t play at your best.”
But her ordeal didn’t stop there; she continued to feel the after-effects of the concussion when she was unable to stay focused in class.
“These are situations that really affect your day-to-day life, and people just don’t see that.”
Regardless of all that she has been through, Kimberly still holds a strong sense of respect and love for the sport and has no intention to stop anytime soon. The camaraderie she experiences with her teammates is priceless compared to the rigours she faces as a professional athlete. – The Vibes, December 1, 2020
