Usually, an Athlete of the Week is chosen for their determination, persistence, and the amount of fight they take to the field or court. But 15-year-old Ariana Silva, Santa Maria High School sophomore and basketball team member, is recognized for those same traits–just not on the court this season.
Silva hasn’t played a single minute on the clock since a recent shoulder surgery, but she has adapted to a new role on the team as scorekeeper and moral support.
Silva averaged 15 points a game in her junior varsity season, but was dealt a shoulder injury. After the injury, the shoulder would come out of its socket, she said.
She received the surgery after months of rehab. Her doctor at the time told Silva and her parents that she was “too young for surgery.”
“I was frustrated going through the process,” she said. “I felt like it was getting worse then better.”
Silva’s parents found another doctor in Santa Barbara to get a second opinion. Right away he knew Silva needed the surgery, she said.
After dealing with months of pain, Silva finally had her shoulder repaired.
“Yes, I will be able to play ball again, but it’s not 100 percent because I can re-tear and dislocate my shoulder again,” she said. “The decision is up to me if I want to risk re-injury.”
Silva has been out of the game for some time, but now she has the goal of recovery on the horizon.
Surgery is a scary thing, she explained, and an athlete is left wondering constantly during recovery if they will ever get the chance to compete again, let alone perform to their previous abilities.
“My full recovery is six months,” she said, “but the frustrating part is all this could’ve been taken care of before the season if the first doctor I went to performed the surgery instead of sending me to therapy when I showed no improvement,” Silva said.
While the future is uncertain now, Silva realized that her love of the game is greater than her fears of re-injury.
And in the meantime, she gets to support her team on the sidelines and help out. She’s playing the long game now.
“The game will always be there,” she said. “I’m willing to risk hurting my arm to play the game I love.”
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 2, 2017.