The sheer joy of being on the pitch. That’s what the Chico State women’s soccer team is feeling right now as the players assemble—albeit in socially-distanced “pods”—at University Soccer Stadium during its five-week spring workout window. One Wildcat in particular, defender Nicole Fairbanks, is especially happy to be back. Injuries and the COVID pandemic have kept her off the field since coming to Chico State is 2018, but thanks to hard work and determination, Nicole has shown up to the spring workouts healthy and confident that she will at long last see game action in the fall. Her impressive efforts make Fairbanks the latest Wildcat of the Week.
“Obviously I am super excited,” Fairbanks says of returning after being sidelined by two major knee injuries. “But more than anything, I want to impress my teammates who have never seen me play. I want to impress the coaching staff and let them know I deserve a place on this team.”
Her enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed.
“To say she’s a fighter is an understatement,” said Wildcats head coach Kim Sutton. “When recruiting Nicole, we loved her work ethic and leadership from her centerback position.
After two years off and a year of pandemic, I am super impressed with her fitness level and mental toughness. In our first four trainings, Nicole has shown confidence, technical ability, and focus. I’m thrilled for her.
“She has obviously worked hard through this last year away. It’s exciting to see Nicole’s love of the game return. I’m excited for the fall to see her put on a uniform and finally play as a Wildcat!”
“I can’t tell you how obvious it was that I was glad to be back,” Fairbanks said. “Being able to come back brought back so many memories and excitement and confidence. It was kind of ‘you don’t know what you have ’til it’s gone.’ I knew I missed soccer, but actually coming back is an amazing feeling.”
The fact that Fairbanks has been unable to play since before she even got to Chico State makes her comeback story all the more impressive. After committing to the Wildcats in December, 2016, she tore the ACL in her right knee the following September, causing her to miss her senior season at Livermore’s Granada High School and her final year of club soccer. Fairbanks joined the Wildcats in the fall of 2018 hoping to return to the pitch and contribute to her new team’s on-field fortunes.
“I had every intention of being ready to play, but my rehab didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” Fairbanks said. “I didn’t have the guidance, and didn’t really know what it took to come back from an injury like that.”
Hard work combined with help and encouragement from her coaches, teammates, and the Chico State training staff had Fairbanks setting her sights on a healthy return in 2019.
“I came back 100 percent, and just when I felt that I was back to my previous level I tore the ACL in my left knee in practice,” she said. “It was pretty heartbreaking, but at least I had a better idea of what kind of work I had to do to come back.”
Needless to say, two major knee injuries put a dent in Nicole’s confidence, so much so that she briefly considered walking away from the game she loved.
“I will be honest, I did (think about quitting),” Fairbanks said. “The moment that I had injured myself the second time, I said right then ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ because I knew how difficult it would be to go through rehab again.
“I got a lot of encouragement from my teammates and lots of hope and love. The challenging part was talking to myself and weighing the pros and cons, and I came to the decision this isn’t going to be the end of my soccer journey. This isn’t the reason I’m going to quit.”
Understandably, having to endure another season on the sidelines gave Fairbanks the feeling that she wasn’t a true part of the team.
“I definitely felt a little bit left out for a moment,” she said. “But all those feelings sitting on the sidelines were internal. My teammates were cheering me on while I was cheering them on, so it was just a matter of self-confidence. It was a gradual process for me to come to terms with the fact that yes, this is a setback, but it’s more of a comeback.”
Fairbanks received a welcome jolt of inspiration when, in early 2020, Coach Sutton had the Wildcat players read a manual outlining what qualities it took to be a responsible athlete.
“That was a real eye-opener for me,” Fairbanks said. “It helped me realize I’m not just (rehabbing) to play soccer again, but also to bring back a feeling of success and determination… and all of my confidence.”
Fairbanks is also grateful she had a coach that continued to believe in her.
“I can’t thank (Coach Sutton) enough for sticking with me,” Fairbanks said. “There were plenty of opportunities where she could’ve told me ‘you’re not doing much for the team.’ There were many times that I didn’t have faith in myself, so I really needed her to give me that push. Last week I made a point to go up to her and thank her for not giving up on me.”
Fairbanks put all her efforts into her second rehab stint. Ironically, the COVID pandemic that cancelled the 2020 season may have worked to her advantage, giving Fairbanks extra time to heal and regain the strength in her knee.
“Something that has been drilled into my brain by the training staff is unilateral work,” she said. “It helped me make sure to work both legs at the same level when I did my strength training, so the muscle mass remains equal. (Not doing that) was a mistake I made during that first rehab. It takes a lot of work to build that muscle back and support the knee.”
Amidst her grueling rehab efforts and during her subsequent return, Fairbanks’ spirits have been bolstered time and again by her Wildcat teammates.
“My teammates have had only positive things to say,” she said. “They are constantly telling me how much they look forward to me coming back. They’ve told me it is obvious that I’ve put in the work to get healthy while we were separated (during the pandemic). It really feels good to be recognized by my teammates, and I love them for that.”
With her health—and confidence—restored, Fairbanks is not holding anything back during the Wildcats’ spring workouts.
“It just feels so good to be out there,” she said. “Soccer is a little bit of an escape; I’m connecting more with my teammates and that feels awesome. I feel like I’m finally able to prove myself.”
Carrying a double major (pre-nursing and health services administration), Fairbanks has also been busy keeping up with her schoolwork, and is keeping her fingers crossed she will be accepted into the Chico State nursing program this fall. Like most Chico State students, she has made the adjustment to virtual learning.
“I don’t have a problem with doing it online, but it can be difficult to keep track of every assignment for every class,” Fairbanks said. “You have to stay on top of it constantly. It can be difficult having to deal with distractions, roommates, and not the best Internet connection. Personally, I’m very much a visual learner. I can retain information better when someone is in front of me talking.”
Fairbanks has also devoted time to work as a caregiver, gaining valuable experience in the health care field by helping people unable to take care of themselves due to physical or mental impairments.
Even though work, school, and now soccer workouts keep her extremely busy, Fairbanks still makes sure to put some time aside for some personal enjoyment.
“I do a lot with my roommates,” she said. “We like to go hiking, and now that the sun’s coming out, we’re going to Bear Hole (in Upper Bidwell Park). I’ve discovered a new love and appreciation for running. During my rehab it was important to build up muscle mass, so I shied away from running long distances. But once I had that muscle back, I started running long distances to build my endurance, and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Though she’ll academically be a senior next fall, Fairbanks is hoping that the upcoming 2021 women’s soccer season won’t be the only one in which she gets to don the Cardinal and White.
“I don’t necessarily have a game plan, but I have every intention of playing soccer as long as I’m going to Chico State,” Fairbanks said. “I want to play soccer as long as I possibly can. I’m going to drag it out for as long as I can, that’s for sure.”
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