 Hill to Climb Alec Schimke | mnswarm.com This offseason has been anything but a break for defenseman Travis Hill. The fifth year veteran has spent the majority of his time rehabbing from a torn ACL that he suffered this summer. Recently, Travis made a special appearance at Tiffany’s Sports Lounge and explained his rehab process and what brought him back to the Twin Cities. Check out the recap and photos from the event at Tiffany's on Swarm Insider  Schimke: How is rehab going? Hill: I’m currently going through rehab and I will be doing so for the next three months, I’m about halfway done with my recovery. Hopefully I will be all done by the end of January so that I can hit the field. They say it’s a six-month recovery and my incident happened four months ago. I’m just taking it in stride and getting ready for the season. Unfortunately my offseason has basically consisted of going through surgery and rehab.  Schimke: Was this your first major injury? Hill: It’s funny because I’ve never broken any bones or had any major lacerations or stitches in my life. This is my first major injury and unfortunately it’s an injury that happens to a lot of lacrosse players. Hopefully I’ll be able to bounce back and rehab will go well so that I can come back and play this season. Schimke: How difficult has it been to not be able to play the last couple of months? Hill: It’s frustrating. I think it’s the longest stretch in my career where I haven’t been able to play. I had to watch my summer team from the sidelines for the rest of the season and now I’ll have to watch the first month of the Swarm season on the sidelines as well. Schimke: Could this potentially make you a stronger player? Hill: Absolutely, that’s something I have been thinking about over the past few months. I told myself that being healthy is something that I’m not going to take for granted. To be given the opportunity to play at this level makes you realize that you're not indestructible and that everybody’s career is at risk when playing. It really made me think of everything I have done the past five years with the Swarm. It made me revaluate things and I’ll come back with a fresh start and push myself harder in the weight room. Schimke: What brought you back to the Twin Cities early? Hill: I came back because the Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce was holding an award ceremony and I was the keynote speaker for the dinner. I gave a 15 minute speech. It was nerve racking but I think I did really well. John and Andy Arlotta were there as well so it was great to have some support from the Swarm organization.  Schimke: The Swarm will be dedicating a home game to the Native Community on Jan. 22, what does that mean for everyone involved? Hill: It’s really exciting for everyone. I wish this had been happening for a few years now. It's good to see things coming to life and the bridges being built to involve the Native Community in the area. It’s unique because lacrosse is a game that was traditionally played by our ancestors. It's good to see that the Arlottas have built that bridge for them so that they can come into our arena and watch what is still is our ancestral game. Schimke: You got the chance to talk with Colin and Joe tonight. What was it like to see some of your teammates? Hill: I talked to Joe and Colin throughout the summer. It was good to actually see them in person and touch base with them. Most of us don’t see each other during the summer other than playing against each other. It was good to catch up and see their excitement for the season. |
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