Cat Is Going the Extra Mile
Cat Whitehill made her first appearance of the year at halftime of yesterday’s match against Italy. She injured her ankle before match play began in the Four Nations Tournament and has been recovering and working on her fitness.
In my article yesterday for ESPNSoccernet, I included a quote from Pia Sundhage about how the coaching staff is working with Cat on her fitness and pushing her to get more out of her game.
Cat graciously talked with me after practice this morning about her recovery and the extra workload. I have to agree with Pia that her attitude is great and she seems ready to do whatever she needs to do to contribute to the team.
You got your first minutes of 2008 yesterday. How did it feel to be back on the field?
To be completely honest, I was nervous at first. I was telling my dad last night that I don’t normally get nervous before games. I think the last game I was truly nervous was before the gold medal game at the Olympics. It was a different feeling. Once I calmed my nerves a little bit after the first 10 minutes, I felt a little bit better and it was fun to be out there.
You injured your ankle in China. Tell me about that.
Unfortunately, it was the practice the day before the first game. I went up for a ball against Tarp and I just landed completely wrong on my ankle. I’ve never actually sprained that ankle before and it took a little bit more than normal to recover.
I talked with Pia yesterday and she indicated that they were working you pretty hard on your fitness to get you back. How’s that going?
It’s tough. I’m doing a little bit more than everyone else. My legs are definitely feeling it, my brain is feeling it, but it’s good for me.
Pia said you had a great attitude about it.
(Laughs.) Well, good. You know, I might as well. I’m getting ready to hopefully play in the Olympics or Olympic qualifying first. Hopefully, I’ll make the Olympic qualifying team and hopefully after that, the Olympic team if we qualify. I want to work as hard as I can so that I can be the best Cat I can be.
What are you doing extra?
Basically, it is everything with a ball, which is really nice. So, they’ll play me a ball thirty yards ahead of me and I have to run catch it, cross it, and then run back to my spot for a minute or two minutes and then based on my heart rate is how long my rest is. I try and get my heart rate down as quickly as possible and then I do it all over again.
How are you legs for practice after doing that?
Well, they don’t feel refreshed. They definitely feel like they’ve been worked and I know that other people are tired and they come to me and are like, “I can’t imagine how you are feeling.” That’s okay. If I’m pushed through this, my body can take more than I expect it to. I’m learning that right now.
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