Taking Inspiration from Your Athletes

I wrote a piece previously about one of my favorite group of high school athletes ever–Emily B. Emily’s work ethic was amazing…though that’s not the fun part of the story.

I wrote something for Women’s History Month this March (2021) on the women I knew/know who motivate me and shape me. It’s not a complete list. After I completed it, I realized I have another alum who totally inspired me to give 110% for the team…and she’s gone on to be amazing after college, too.

So a long time ago (2014), I recruited a volleyball player. Not the best ever, not the worst–but her high school coach said good stuff about her–including about her as a person (that’s what is most important to me). Fair enough–we needed a middle and after watching her play, I figured we could develop her into a contributor during her two years as part of LLCC Volleyball. Perfect. Her name is Summer, by the way.

And then we got to summer. Summer went out and was running to work on being in shape for practice. She was out in the country, stepped on a pebble the wrong way (really), and suffered a horrific hip/torso injury. Her dad called me to tell me–I know it was horrible because I went to visit her in the hospital and got to see the X-Ray. Her bones were held together with more screws than an IKEA cabinet. I didn’t talk much with Summer there–she was apparently on a pretty high dosage of morphine.

My initial guess–Summer was done as an athlete.

Funny thing is–that’s what the doctors told her, too. Her response, “I’m a volleyball player.” She refused to accept what the doctors said. From the first day out of the hospital, Summer was doing everything she could to heal–doing everything the rehab people and orthos said. She wasn’t around for the start of practice in August, but she was there soon after…using a walker, taking steps barely 4″ in length. She fought through pain and discomfort and by September was doing well enough that she was at practice regularly and able to come to home games.

She still needed help walking when we made it to the National Championship–in the team photo, she’s in the back…she stood there for about 30 seconds without assistance, if I remember correctly. She may not have played–but she was absolutely part of the team. With the season over–she kept working. When spring came around, she was given permission to start with easy practice and before the end of spring, she’d even been able to participate in a spring match.

2016 was her sophomore year. As a coach, I can tell you the injury cost her some lateral mobility. Oh well…it didn’t stop her from playing–and because she was a good blocker, we used her as a right-side hitter. Her height let her swing over shorter opposition left-sides and effectively block taller ones. We made it to nationals again–with her in the starting lineup.

Starting…the young woman doctors said would only be able to walk…was starting in a national championship match. That wasn’t out of sympathy. During her sophomore year, she played 131 of 166 sets, picking up 71 blocks and 157 kills. Again–for a person told they were done as an athlete.

I was so proud of her comeback.

After LLCC, she stopped playing volleyball to focus on academics…except, of course, she’s been an assistant high school coach for her former LLCC assistant coach, Kallie Sinkus. Oh, yeah–the academics…Summer was just as committed to success there as on the court. She wound up going on to pick up a Master’s in Public Health and was in the whirlwind of everything in central Illinois this past year with the pandemic.

There are coaches and programs who tout their win-totals…but while I like winning, I prefer recruiting and coaching young women who go on to win at life, that go on to bigger and better things. When that happens, they make me SOOOOOO proud!