Competitive Coon Rapids tennis senior is back in the clutch

Coon Rapids girls' tennis coach Scott Storrick ranks senior Heidi Hannula among the most competitive players he has seen in his 17 years with the program.

Her desire to play even trumped conventional medical wisdom. Carpal tunnel surgery in July threatened to derail most of her varsity tennis season. Doctors estimated a six- to 10-week recovery period.

She was on the court in five.

The Cardinals went 4-3 without their captain. They are 13-2 since her return. Hannula, who reached the Class 2A state tournament in the doubles draw last fall, worked her way back to the team's No. 1 spot at singles or doubles, depending on the matchup.

"It was horrible for her to watch for about the first week and a half," Storrick said. "I know that because she was telling us all. She's a real competitive kid."

A year ago, Hannula's match clinched a share of the Northwest Suburban Conference team title. She reclaimed her role as a clutch performer by earning the deciding point in a victory against Alexandria.

Class 2A, Section 5 seeds were determined after this edition went to press but Storrick felt his team should be placed anywhere from No. 2 through No. 4. Those teams open play Wednesday.

Q: How does a high school senior get carpal tunnel?

A: That is most people's response when I tell them I have carpal tunnel — 'What? That's for old people.' It is pretty rare for young kids but I'm in tennis, hockey and lacrosse, so you use your wrists a lot in all three of those sports. I crochet in my free time and that probably didn't help. And they say if you sleep with your wrists curled, that can be a cause. So basically I was determined to get it, I guess.

Q: When did you decide to get surgery?

A: I was diagnosed in March or April but I didn't get the surgery until July. In between there I was trying to do physical therapy. Because I was so young they didn't want to do surgery on me. The physical therapy helped a little but when I would play sports it got worse all over again. Hockey was the worst. Tennis and lacrosse were tolerable. But when I was taking the ACT, it got so bad I couldn't even hold a pencil.

Q: How have you felt since the surgery?

Q: How tough was it watching teammates earlier this season and not being able to get out there and play?

A: It was terrible. I grew up running from sport to sport. So it was different. During the summer I would go to tennis practice and sit and watch. Then it would be the same thing at hockey. It was weird because I'd never been injured.

Q: Could any silver linings be found in your experience?

A: In the past I had those practices sometimes where I couldn't wait until they were over. But sitting out, you realize how lucky you are just to be practicing and why you love your sport.

Q: Do you feel like you're on top of your game heading into the playoffs?