Damacion learns to ‘find the positivity’ despite injury setbacks

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Rainbow Wahine soccer team opened conference play on Thursday against Colorado College.

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Hawaii got shut out 2-0 but is looking to bounce back on Sunday against Air Force.

The ‘Bows will rely heavily on midfielder Nalani Damacion this season – who has become a pro at playing through pain.

In her first two seasons at UH, she endured a pair of major setbacks, a damaged knee ligament and a torn lateral meniscus.

“It was hard in the beginning just having to sit out like, ‘Why did this happen to me,’ and I think just switching my kind of thought process of like, ‘I had this happen to me for a reason,’” said Damacion.

What kept her going through every doctor’s appointment and rehab session was envisioning herself being back on the field playing injury-free.

Damacion was the first UH player ever to earn Conference Midfielder of the Year honors after leading the team with seven goals her freshman year.

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She knows getting back to that place is possible.

“For any athlete going through an injury, the mental side is more than 50% of recovering from the injury,” Damacion said. “I know that my body is fully healed, so just getting that mental side of like being confident, nothing’s wrong.”

Head Coach Michele Nagamine added, “We try to remind ourselves to focus on the positives because it’s been really a lot of adversity that she’s had to go through, saying things like listen to Kelly Clarkson, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ So, we have all these little things about just trying to find the positivity in everything.”

Looking ahead

Now, in her junior season, Damacion is fully healthy and back on the field.

However, time on the sideline taught her valuable lessons in leadership and resilience.

“Obviously, I’ve been through a lot, but personally, I think that it’s a blessing in disguise,” she said. “I think just taking what I’ve been through and bringing it out here and being here for my teammates, sharing my experiences with them – I think it’s just amazing that I’m back here and playing again,” Damacion said.

While she is a key component to the team, the coaching staff are not ready to take any chances and are still limiting her practice and playing time.

Their goal is to have her healthy all season long.

“She’s done a really great job at being honest with us, policing herself,” said Nagamine. “She always errs on the side of caution, which we’ve asked her to do. She’s a player that needs to be on the field.”

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Up next, the Rainbow Wahine will face Air Force on Sunday.

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