GENEVA Curtis Denison and the Geneva Panthers walked off the field June 1, 2019, after an 8-6 loss to East Aurora in the New York state Class C boys lacrosse quarterfinals. It was a hard-fought game in which Denison accounted for two goals. Despite the setback, the freshman had plenty to hang is helmet on, as he finished his first year on varsity with 30 goals and 39 points, a Finger Lakes league title, a Section V Class C crown and enough potential to turn the heads of the top college lacrosse programs in the nation.
Little did Denison know an unimaginable storm of woes awaited so much so that 1,019 days passed before he stepped on a lacrosse field for Geneva again. A left-leg ACL tear, a pandemic-canceled season, a right-leg ACL tear and a 70-pound weight loss comprise the odyssey Denison traveled in between.
There were a lot of downs and ups, Denison said Thursday after the Panthers routed Gananda 20-5. I really want to thank the people out at BrownStone Physical Therapy, specifically Matthew Kearns, who was by my side ever since my freshman year. Hes been by my side since day one.
In the summer of 2019, while at a club lacrosse tournament in Maryland, Denison pivoted wrong on his left leg and heard a pop followed by excruciating pain.
A long and arduous rehab followed; Denison was able to take the field in the summer of 2020 for his club team, Sweet Lax. That was after the spring 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic, although Denisons left knee would not have been quite ready for that season.
When winter took hold of the Finger Lakes, he traded in cleats for basketball shoes, as he normally did. In Genevas first game of the covid-shortened 2021 basketball season against Newark, Denison felt another pop. This time it was in his right knee, though it was not the same as before.
I was almost positive that I didnt tear my ACL, Denison said. I felt a little pop but it wasnt the excruciating pain that I felt when I first did it. I never thought it was my ACL at all.
It was and the process of surgery and rehabilitation began all over again.
I was pretty down. I just wanted to be left alone, with just my family, Denison said. Matt Kearns, my friends, my coaches; they just all gave me words of encouragement that its not going to stop me and Ill be back. I think all the support has gotten me through it. It really helped.
With his second ACL tear in under two years, Denison felt it was time for a lifestyle change. At 6-foot-5 and nearly 300 pounds, Denison needed to do all he could to strengthen his knees and ensure that another catastrophic injury was avoided.
A little bit after the second tear I looked at myself and said, I need to get in shape if I ever want to play at the collegiate level, and if I want to prevent these injuries from happening, I need to start losing weight, Denison said. So I started, and ever since then Ive been losing weight Im feeling a lot better, faster and healthier.
Once it was time for Denison to get rehabbing and moving again, everything changed. He made smarter food choices, and dedicated himself to losing weight, all while rehabbing his second ACL surgery.
It was a pretty easy rehab for me because I said, Do this, and he did it and then some, Kearns said. Ive rehabbed certainly over 100 ACLs in my career, and he is in the top five of the strongest (athletes) going back to the field that Ive ever done.
Fast-forward to 2022. Denison remains 6-5, but he is now a lean, mean lacrosse machine with roughly 70 fewer pounds on his frame.
Nutrition was the key, Denison emphasized. After I started rehabbing I was able to start running again, and thats when I was like, Its full go. Lets make it happen, Im going to lose all this weight.
I feel so much better, he continued. Im faster, lighter on my feet; I dont even know how to explain it. Its just amazing.
Now at 220 pounds, Denison plans to shed 5-10 more pounds and then switch the script and begin adding muscle.
The repaired and strengthened ACLs, the strength gained, and the weight lost still doesnt equal the mental fortitude Denison cultivated the previous three years.
Its setting up a bright future, Denison said. Anything that life throws at me, I think I can now overcome it. Having the two injuries and being out for 9-12 months (each time), not being able to do what you love, it hurts a little bit. For the future, whatever life throws at me, I think Ill be able to overcome it. I think thats a positive thing to live by.
Last Saturday, Denison took the field at Canandaigua Academy wearing Geneva red for the first time since June 1, 2019. He did exactly what he did 1,019 days earlier: scored two goals. Only this time, Denison wasnt just a threat from the left side; he was a threat everywhere, even in the defensive zone for a period of time in the third quarter.
With a leg brace strapped on his right leg, Denison proved to be the most dominant player on the field that day. Though the Panthers lost to the Braves 10-2, Canandaiguas double- and triple-team efforts struggled to contain the senior who absorbed contact and steamrolled several defenders.
Even in defeat, the smile on Denisons face after the game said it all.
Denison has piled up 10 goals and five assists in his first three outings. He has committed to play NCAA Division II lacrosse at Roberts Wesleyan University, where former Panthers longpole Parker Bossard now plays and where Denisons classmate, starting goalie Garrett Kayser, will play college lacrosse too.
Originally posted here:
Geneva senior Curtis Denison has battled back from two ACL tears and lost 70 pounds along the way - Finger Lakes Times
