Strolling through the halls of Highland Park High School, you’d be hard-pressed to find a student more competitive than senior volleyball star Ari Hoffman.
“If he’s even having a conversation or a debate with someone, he needs to be right every time,” Highland Park volleyball coach Kyle Muldoon said. “He likes to be the winner, and that shows on the volleyball court, too. He always wants to be playing his absolute best.”
But from October to January, the middle hitter stayed off the volleyball court. He spent most of his days on his couch watching TV.
“It got really boring,” Hoffman said. “It was a lot of watching my club team [Chicago Bounce Volleyball] and watching NBA … I had to go three months without any physical activity.”
That’s because in August, Hoffman developed a nagging pain on the lower-right side of his back. After a few different treatments failed to alleviate the discomfort, doctors ran him through a bone scan and diagnosed him with a micro stress fracture in his spine, specifically in the L5 vertebrae.
“I found out about a week after,” Muldoon said. “He told me at a preseason workout. … And as soon as he told me, the next thing out of his mouth was, ‘I’ll be good for season. Don’t worry, I’ll be good. I’ll be good.’ “
From the beginning, Hoffman’s goal was to return to 100 percent health. He did his rehab at Athletico Physical Therapy in Highland Park for around two months.
“There’s a little stiffness from time-to-time,” Hoffman said. “But I’ve been able to train and get back to full physical strength. No limitations.”
“If it was any other kid, I would probably think that he’s not going to make it back,” Muldoon said. “It takes a rare type of person to come back like this.
“But he did it. He’s on the court, and he’s helping us.”
Hoffman’s determination to overcome the spine fracture, and his success in doing so, tie in to the type of player and leader he has grown into after being named All-Central Suburban League a year ago.
“I rarely have to say anything to him, and if I do, he’s already told it to himself four times in his head,” Muldoon said. “The other day in practice, he came over to me because he was upset that some guys were sitting and starting to take off their shoes while there were still some things to clean up from practice. And I go, ‘If you’re upset, then tell them.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I can do that?’ And he went over and told them.”
“I try to make sure that we have positive body language at all times, no matter what the score is,” Hoffman said. “Volleyball is a sport where communication is very important — all six players have to be on the same page. … It doesn’t matter if it’s me getting all the kills, or someone else. Just put points on the board, put W’s on the board.”
Brief is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @sambrief