England hockey player James Gall has come a long way in a span of three years. After his near-death experience in May 2015, which saw him being in a state of induced coma for two days, Gall is ready to restart his playing career in Gold Coast, Australia at the Commonwealth Games.
The accident
Gall claims that he is “lucky to be alive” after he fractured his skull and spine in an accident in May three years back. The 22-year-old was with friends and team-mates at Surbiton Hockey Club when he slipped and fell 15 feet through a skylight as he walked across a flat roof, according to a report by BBC Sport.
“I was rushed to hospital where I was put in an induced coma for two days and then I spent about a week in intensive care,” Gall, who also bruised his brain, was quoted as saying by BBC.
Gall was as a utility player in the England Under-21 squad back then and the accident ruined everything, setting back his development significantly.
“It took me a long time to get back to normal,” the midfielder said.
Gall recalled how the first three or four months, he was only allowed to walk short distances at a slow pace and even that made him constantly tired all the time, leading him to doubt whether he could finish his studies and ever be able to play hockey again.
The return
Gall’s return to the pitch was filled with agony and frustration as his fitness levels had dropped significantly. “I was so unfit and so far off what everyone else could do but the thing I struggled with the most was completely re-learning the game,” he said. “When you’re at your best you don’t need to think about much. Suddenly I was missing balls I wouldn’t normally miss; I was out of position a lot and I needed to re-train my basic skills and my game intelligence. I’m not sure if it was because I’d been out so long, or if it was connected to the damage to my brain, but that was really difficult.”
However, friends, family and and club team-mates Chris Grassick and Alan Forsyth had Gall’s back. Gall credits Aldo’ (Forsyth) and ‘Grass for their ‘incredible’ support, from encouraging him to spending time on the pitch while working on his stick skills. Interestingly, Grassick and Forsyth will be representing Scotland on the Gold Coast, meaning a potential clash with Gall.
CWG squad
Gall says there were times he was not sure he would get back on the pitch at club level. He wasn’t even considering an international career.
After hours of practice and a series of frustrating matches in which he played in three or five-minute bursts, one day it all “clicked”. That led to Gall being named captain of the Junior World Cup in December 2016.
He did not make the cut for the Rio 2016 Olympics. However, he never lost hope and kept working on his game and never looked back.
The Commonwealth Games were “not on his radar” so he was shocked when he saw his name in the squad. “I’m so excited but I don’t think till I get there I’ll really understand it all,” said Gall, who has 18 England caps and nine for Great Britain. “I need to go in confident and give it all I’ve got. I’m in a great position because no-one knows who I am. Hopefully I can fly under the radar and do my job without any fuss.”
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