Welcome to beyond the diamond, the podcast that goes far beyond the game. I'm your host, Danielle de Ruben, and I'm here to empower young women, parents and coaches in the world of fast pitch softball. As the owner and founder of Dear 3, fast pitch and passionate about bringing you inspiring stories, valuable insights and expert advice to help you excel both on and off the field. So whether you're a player. Looking to take your skills to the next level, a parent supporting your young athlete or a coach seeking to make a difference, you're in the right place. Let's dive in and go beyond the diamond together. Hey guys. Coach D here with episode #3 overcoming injuries Part 2. Welcome to beyond the diamond. I am so excited to have you here. Thank you for being a part of my podcast and this week I have a special guest star. She is one of my best friends. She is also working for DDR3. One of my former teammates. We go way back, have a lot of. Great stories together, but I wanted to introduce her and kind of talk more about how she overcomes her injuries through college and even prior to college. So Lindley, Bruce, thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode of So Beyond. Thankful to have you in my life not only as a. Friend, but just. As a human being, in general, we've gone through a lot together. Within our careers on and off the field, and I just want to really talk about your story and all the injuries that you went through. So I want to kind of open the door for you to kind of introduce yourself a little bit, talk about positions that you played and a little bit more of your background.
Awesome. Well, I'm so happy to be here. This is so fun. I'm so excited for your podcast to be launching. This is episode three. Look at us. We're growing.
And now we're. Yeah.
I love it. This is awesome.
So yeah, a little bit about me. I do work behind the scenes at DR3. For those listening, I do a lot of the. Social media postings. The blogs. Just kind of doing the maintenance stuff so Coach D can be the spectacular pitching coach she is. I handle all the behind the scenes stuff.
It keeps me in. As far as.
As far as our relationship, I met Danielle my senior year of high school, her freshman year of College. She was teammates with my best friend and they both went to Kennesaw State University, which was 10 minutes from my house. So I thought I would pretend to be a college student. As well and have lots. Of sleepovers. So that is how I initially met. Danielle and our paths ended up staying connected. My junior year of high school, I committed to play college softball at the Division two level at Georgia College and State University. It's in Milledgeville, better known as Milly Vega. That was so fine, so I committed there and Danielle ended up transferring the same year that I went in as. A freshman. So. Our fun journey as friends got to turn into a fun journey of teammates. So that's how Danielle and I are connected and we just hit it off and we've been besties ever since. So I'm excited to be here. Tell you guys a little bit about me. Injuries. I'm the queen of them. If anybody has anything it knows of anything I've probably had it and gone through it. So I'm excited to talk you guys through kind of how to handle that.
No. Yeah. And one of the biggest things that I just remember us connecting on from early on is you were going through an injury process. I want to say your junior or senior year, is that correct?
My junior year of high school, I tore my labrum and rotator cuff and then senior summer going into freshman year of college, I blew out my knee completely. All the ligaments, ACL, MCL, LCL, meniscus. All the tendons shredded it.
So I know that was one of the biggest things that we bonded on outside of just becoming friends and hitting it off and things that we like that way. But as far as like teammates and talking in the softball world, our high school careers, I mean we were dealing with injuries. I started with them at 14 years old and ended my career at 21 and I know that had some setbacks for me and the recruiting process and I know it had some setbacks. For you in the recruiting process, talk a little bit more about your recruiting process with the injuries that you had junior senior year.
Yeah. So for those listening, when Danielle and I were going through recruiting. They did not. Have the September 1st of your junior year requirement for recruiting where no one could speak to you, or you could not receive offers until your junior year. That was not a. Thing so recruiting for us essentially started.
I would say like.
That's 7th grade sometimes.
I was going to say like summer of 7th grade, 8th grade I. I vividly remember having two of my teammates commit to their colleges as 8th graders.
Patrick Murphy was watching. He wasn't watching me, but he was out in the games watching my teammates and I was in. 8th grade and I was like Oh my God like.
Yeah, same. So that was. Just I think a lot. I'm so glad that they made that change. I have a younger sister that did have the. September 1st of your junior year implementation and just seeing my recruiting process versus hers. I'm so thankful they changed it for this new generation of players and these girls coming up because I just remember being 13 and 14, feeling so much stress, stress and pressure. When I'm really just supposed to be playing a. Game I love. For fun at that age. Now, once you decide freshman, sophomore year. Yeah, I want to play in college. Then it's time to get to work. But I just remember I'm not even through puberty. My mindset is not fully developed, and I'm feeling all this stress and pressure because I have SEC Power 5. JUCO in AI schools coming to watch me as a 13 year old. I mean I I think I hit my first home run when I. Was 13 like I'm just. Now getting the ball to the fence, so having that pressure was crazy. I've had three significant injuries. So with my recruiting process, two of them were kind of the big factors. My 8th grade year. I was getting recruited by Mississippi State. Pretty heavily Georgia Tech and a few other smaller ones like a Sanford or a Jacksonville state, some mid major D ones. And going into high school, that was kind of the route that I was going. I'm really thankful for my parents though. They always kind of kept me in check in a sense. Of I was never the biggest on the field. I was never the most powerful and so know your body and. Not know your. Limits, but know who you are. Stay true to who you are. Are because getting those looks from those big power. Five schools it. Was, yeah, it was great. We all want to brag about that. I mean, to this day. I'm 25. Now, and I'm still like something I would have loved to brag on, is committing to Georgia as an eighth grader. But my parents were, I would say, in the moment it was hard to hear, but in the long run I was very. Thankful for my parents. Realistic outlook on. Who I was as a player, I'm A5 1/3 baseman, so I'm not very big at all and I'm playing the hot corner as everybody calls it. So usually when you see these big power five schools, your third baseman or five, eight to six foot lean or they're your biggest girls on the field, your first and third basins are your biggest. Girls on the field. So I was. Extremely out of the norm for that. So that added another layer of pressure. I happened to just have really quick hands and quick feet and a lot of power for someone my size, so that's I think why I got the looks I got and all of that was great. It was good. I was going to camps having fun, great connections with coaches and the summer of my sophomore year of high school going into my junior. I could tell something was wrong with my body and it was definitely my throwing arm. I wasn't sure what it was. I chalked it up to tendonitis. So when I was being recruited that sophomore summer was your big, big, big summer. That was like your showcase summer. You go all out because junior year. Like sophomore juniors, when you commit. So I just played through it, I'll say this is tendonitis because we're playing every weekend. I'm a literally starting at third base every game we're playing six and seven games a day. I've just outworked myself. I have tendonitis go through the season and I could tell I was progressively I mean, to be frank, getting worse as the season went with my throws, my arm strength was going down. I was in, I could not sleep on my right side, my arm was in so much pain and it wasn't until I want to say like the beginning of August. We got done with nationals. PGF and we came home. And I was getting ready for. The first week of school. And my mom came in to check on me that morning, and I was trying to blow dry my hair, and I could not dry my hair because I could not. Lift my arm and so. My mom was like that doesn't look right. Let's get you checked out. Go to the doctor. Lo and behold, I've torn my labrum and torn. The front part of the capsule of my rotator cuff.
Would that do to your mental mindset at that moment?
Well, I had already been through the surgery part, didn't like I was obviously an immediate surgery. That was fine for me. I had already had a surgery. I was born with a condition that's that's called AVM. I don't know the technical term for it, but basically I've already had surgery to alleviate that before it was in my ankle. It was basically a. A bunch of extra veins I was born with that. Turned into like. A ball of veins that ended up in a blood clot. So they removed those veins. So I've been through surgery before. I did that when I was like 13. So the surgery. Part didn't scare me. What scared me was I knew I was in the heart of my recruiting and I had been talking heavily with Mississippi State, Samford and Jacksonville State at the time and had a great, great, great relationship with Sanford. It's college. My mom went to. It's where I wanted to go.
Where your sister's at right now.
My sister is playing there. My sister's also a third baseman and she is just. Killing it. I'm so proud. Of her. But she's in her junior season this year, so.
Look for her if you want to animes Greer.
What number she?
She's #4.
Yeah, #4. Make sure you all cheer on Greer Bruce 4.
Dance university. We love her. Shout out. Angrier. So that's where I was wanting to go with Sanford and I was super high on their radar. They said for position players, they told. My travel coach this for. Position players. I was #1 on their list. They were just finishing the final touches of getting their budget together. All of that. So when I got the news, obviously I was. I was honestly more mad than anything. I was kind of in that. P owed mindset like I was just so angry. Like why? Like that was what I struggled with was the why.
Like right now. Now why?
Why me?
Now the why me? I was like, OK, this happens. This could happen to anyone. So I wasn't really. Why me? I think more of it was. Why now I'm in the heart of recruiting. I have 3 great schools looking at me. But I'm also not one to think that that's like that was never career ending, was never in my mind. Some people. Yeah, they go through and they're like, I just. I can't play. I don't want to. That's too much for me that never crossed my. Mind, I was like, alright. How long? How long is the recovery? How long is the surgery? When can I be back on the field? And to my surprise, they.
Said like a year.
Wow, well, that wasn't working for me. I did not like that. So had the surgery was determined in my mind. My mom's thinking I'm crazy. I'm telling her I'm back on the field in six months, I will go to PT five days a week. I don't care what it takes. I'm back on the field in six months because that would be that would have been. Me missing high school season, which thankfully I only missed half of. But I wanted to be back and ready to go for spring and so had the surgery. Doctor thinks I'm crazy because I even told him. I said I'm going to be your fastest recovering patient. Watch me. He's like, OK, buddy, good luck. So DT thinks I'm crazy. He was like, alright, we're going to start with these small exercises. And I was like, that's too easy. It was literally like. Lift your arm 6 inches from your side. Ohh. Like no. No, no, that's too easy. We gotta be throwing in five months. Here, let's get this going. They thought they were. They thought I was crazy and I was quickly humbled in my mindset. Very, very quickly humbled. I remember that I could not raise my arm to brush my hair. For six weeks and I. Thought that would. Come back within, like, 2:00 to 3:00. When I started throwing, I was at the five month mark. And prior to surgery, I was like 5 months. I'm going to. Be wrapping up BT I'm going to be ready to go five months. I was learning. I was training myself how to rethrow. I was having to figure out how to take the ball from my glove and get it behind my head in the correct position to even start a throw because my range of motion was so limited, from the scar to. How they resumed my ligaments? Because in my mind, I didn't. Realize that when. You go through these surgeries and as an athlete. Yes, your surgeon's goal is to get. You back to your sport, but. It didn't cross my mind that these surgeons. Are also putting me in the best position for quality of life. And I did not realize that because when I. Was growing up, I thought. Sports were everything my mom and I used to joke. She used to get some out of me. I used to say everybody knows the term student athlete I used. To joke with. Her and be like girl. I'm an athlete student. I'm only at. School so I can play softball, but I was. Quickly, quickly humbled that. That is not how it goes. So I had to kind of take a step back in my mindset whenever I got to that five month Mark, I found myself to be a very angry person. Very frustrated, kind of mad at the world, a little bit because I wasn't where I thought I should be. I'm thankful for my PT's. I had they were listening to my body more than I was. They knew at what pace. I should be going and. So I kind of had to check myself, which was a difficult thing to do at my the age I was at. I was 15. And so your mindset is not fully developed at 15. So I kind of had to check myself and my mindset and realize that. OK, these PT's are here to help me. They're here to get me. They want me back on the field as much as I want to be back on the field, I need to stop being frustrated. And. I need to. Switch my mindset to being optimistic and open. And just at the end of the. Day work as hard as you can and. If you take.
One step.
Forward and even if you come five steps back, you're still going to take 10 steps forward from those five steps back, which I know is something you teach as well. And I wish I. Had had a coach. To kind of instill that in me is like taking a step back is not always a bad thing. You have to take a step back sometimes to retrain to be better. Than you were before.
Well, the reason I have that in my coaching philosophy is because I went through the same thing as a player. I mean, with all the injuries I went through the setbacks, the just my journey of getting recruited. And I mean it's it's a lot. And at 151617 years old, we're more in that selfish mindset of what we want and not what's what's best for us and. That's really where my coaching comes from. A little bit is because I went through all those. Trials and I saw I. It's things that I regret. A little bit. Now I can't change the past, but if I could go back in time. Like I wish I could talk to 15 year old Danielle. Or do you have someone talk to 15 year old Lindley and be like OK, like this is what it takes to get to point X like XYZ like to get to where you want to be and. So yeah, no, I totally understand that can relate to that to.
The to.
More than you know.
Way too. Much, yeah, so. To wrap that basically that first injury app is. What had happening was I did come back. My arm, I can say was never the same. I used to have a very, very strong arm. I could tell that my speed lacked. I wasn't as strong my motion. My throwing motion was much improved. I learned the correct mechanics on my return back. But I think. The biggest blow I took from that was I lost all interest from the colleges that were. Me, Sanford who? I was hot on and I thought was. Hot on me? Totally valid and why they were backing off. They had two other third baseman that were also on their radar that didn't have injuries and they didn't know how it was going to. Come out of my injury. At the time and they didn't have six months to wait. They needed to commit the best girls, so they moved on. And it just, I mean it makes total sense now and I totally get it now that I've been in the coaching world, but then it was a total blow. I thought my career was over, which is so silly because I. Was 15. You have so long.
In your defense, though, and I can, we can relate on this. The Travel ball team. You were Georgia impact. I was on Atlanta Vipers like those two organizations are. Quote UN quote like D1 type organizations and we're nationally ranked and we played the best of the best competition around the country. And for me like, not one girl on my Viper team went to a school lower than D1. It was kind of like D1. Or nothing and that.
Yeah. Do you wanna bust? That was the mindset.
Us it was our mindset and I hate that that is what our mindset was. Is, but we didn't know any better. And if, like we didn't know, like D twos were even OK or like jucos might have been a better option. For us like. We just, we had the name on our jersey and we had that respect of just playing. Under that name and. These colleges had their respect for our coaches and our organization that it was. Do you want our bust? And so. With all of that. I want you to kind of talk more about how you had to transition from that D1 mindset into going to Georgia College, which is a D2 school that you started with your freshman year, ended up transferring to because there's a lot. It's a whole different world and a different mindset at that level.
Yeah. So I will tell that and I'm going to tell a really funny story about Coach Dee that. She probably hasn't told. You guys yet?
So going back.
Like I had mentioned earlier, one thing I was thankful for is how realistic my parents were with me and how. Candidly, they talked to me, I guess you could say they wouldn't. They never sugar coated it. And so I think they, I have to give a lot of credit to them and helping me pivot my mindset to stay locked in to getting a college scholarship and. I guess really just pushing. Through even though what I thought were my dreams. Were crushed. Because my parents were so candid with me. They essentially just sat me down and they were like, look, does this stink? Absolutely. Are you a great player? Absolutely. Is this the end of the world? No, because guess what? You still have mid major. You have other mid major D. Ones you have D twos. And you have some really good Nai schools. One thing about my parents my dad was a baseball player, so he got the athletic side of things. My mom was a great tennis player in high school, but just chose to go to college to destroy her out. So she. Got college experience. So having those two different, I guess mindsets and experiences was really good for me because. Because my dad was very much like me. He was like, oh, we're going to play ball. We're going to be a ballplayer. We're playing in college because that's what I wanted. They never pushed it on me. That's just what I wanted. So my dad was backing it. My mom was the one that. Kind of snapped us back to. Reality of we're going to a school with a great education. We're going to a school where if something happens and softball's no longer a sport. You can get a great education from there and so with my mom having that mindset. And my dad's just, I guess, determination for me since I already had that determination. It really helped me change my mindset of looking at other school. And so I didn't rule out D1. I just knew. That those three were not an option. I continued to play, ended up getting recruited. At state at high School GHS a state tournament. Which is weird, so unheard of. I don't. Not a single girl that graduated in my class that I knew from the softball world got recruited at. State the travel teams, so I'm I played for Harrison High School in Kennesaw, GA Boyas loved my team and I was really fortunate with a really good team. Seven of our starting nine, we were all on the same travel team.
Wow, that's really rare, super rare and.
So we were like I. Was a great younger than the girls I played travel with, but because of. My birthday. I was the same age. And so I had four juniors. My this was this my sophomore year, No 4 seniors. I'm sorry. I was a junior four seniors, me and two other girls. We were all on the same travel team and we were all starting for our high school team. So we already knew what the other what our teammates were thinking cause we played with them literally year round. And so we were. Just we ended up becoming like a really great team that year went to state. And that's when Georgia College and State University that are known as Georgia College. That's where they saw me and we ended up playing at state. And after one of our games during this time period, you are allowed to talk to players and the head coach for Georgia College just came up and talked to me and was just asking about me and invited me to come to her. Camp but wanted me to do a private tour of campus. Essentially, it wasn't a visit because once you call it a. Visit you only have so many you. To go on. So she was like I would love. You to come to this camp and we'll give you a private tour after so I. Ended up doing. That fell in love with the campus, the atmosphere more so fell in love with the majors that they offered their programs. I was at Georgia College are some of the best in the state. And so I really fell in love with that. The town itself felt big enough, but still small. I felt intimate, but. Big enough that I didn't know everybody when I would be. There, sort of. Just falling in love with that. Went home, talked to my parents about it, ended up getting called for an official visit, went on an official visit and ended up committing there. Which was not in my plan at all. I thought that was super crazy, just a verbal commit, but it just kind of felt right. And so I think a lot of that for me transitioning that mindset came from my parents because they supported me, but they also were realistic. And whenever I got asked to come on the visit there, I was really hesitant. I was like, I don't, really. That's too close to home. I wanted to. Be far away from home.
It was too.
Close to home, it was a D2, so in my mind I'm like no one. I don't know anybody going D2 that makes me look like the loser. Like I'm better than that. I just had a really. Negative mindset about it and my parents were really good. What I loved most that I think changed my career was I remember sitting down with my dad and he said. You're good enough to play D1, no question. You've been recruited. You're good enough. But are you good enough to start D? And that was kind of a punch to the gut.
I've heard the same thing.
I was like, what do you mean? Oh my goodness. To start, yeah, I'll start. He was like, are you good enough to start all four years? Can you play all four years? Do you want to play all four years? And I was like. That's what a dumb. Question dad. Of course I want. To play all four. Years, but I don't want. I've never. Sat. I don't the bench. No, not for me.
What's that?
And he was like, OK, then, let's. I'm gonna respectfully put you in your place. You're not gonna start at A at a D1 power. Five SEC school. You will not start all four years. You might start half the season in your junior year and you might start your senior year. And I'm saying might. I was like, first of all, Ouch. That's kind of rude. I'm. A girl that hurt my feelings. But then I. Kind of sat in it. For a minute.
It's the reality really. Reality.
100%. 100% and I sat in it for a minute and I kind of tried to check myself and I was like, OK, like, hear him listen to what he's saying, hear him understand. He was like, you go D2 to a school with fantastic educational purposes, great resources from the community because Milledgeville is such a cool community. If you've never. Been down there, I've heard. Of it and. Have a winning softball program at the time. And he just was like.
Frame it right, I want to give A-frame of reference for the listeners really quick. Milledgeville, GA is about 2 1/2 hours South of Atlanta and we are both from the Kennesaw, Woodstock, Atlanta area and so just frame of reference. It wasn't too far away, but it was far enough away for. Both of us.
Yep. And so I just remember him saying. You will start you. You could start. There all four years, he wasn't guaranteeing me a start, he said. If you work hard and you be the player that we all know you are. You could start for four years while getting a great education.
And when he said that.
I was just like oh.
You're right, I don't want to and that's when I changed my whole mindset on the D1 setting of know who you are. I'm A5 1/3 baseman that you don't see that at the D1 level starting. You might have them in the dine out, but you. Don't see them starting. So then I was like. Well, yeah, softball's not forever. And I knew that I hated it, but I knew it. Softballs not forever. If I only get four more years at this, I wanna start all four. And I want to play and have fun. I don't wanna be on a team that wins that set the best. I'm a I want to contribute. I wanna start. And so that's kind of really what solidified my decision into going to Georgia College was I knew what kind of player I was and I knew my work ethic. And so in my mind, there was no question that. I would be a starter all. Four years. And so I was.
Want to touch on? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.
OK.
I just want to touch on the importance parents who are listening. Without the support of Lindley's parents, all the support of my parents, because I haven't even got into my transfer journey yet and that might be a whole another podcast episode, it doesn't really fall under overcoming injuries, but a little bit it does but. Parents, you are involved in your daughter's life and her like. It's a recruiting process for the family. It's not just for your daughter. And what I mean by that is they need your support and they need the guidance. Because from the two of us, we were. They're playing on teams again, was D1D1D1D1. Do you want her set, do you? Want her bust? And we needed that reality check. I needed that reality check at a lot younger, and my dad always would talk about jucos and D twos. And I was like, no, and I just brushed that away. And then I get. To the D. One process and I see wow. I'm not that player that or like just with the injuries I was going through and where I was. Time in my life, like I was not going to start at all. My freshman or sophomore year and possibly not even my junior or senior year. Like just at the competitive. Level and. I am so thankful for my parents and me. Lindley and I relate to this a lot. We're very our family. Lifestyle is how we grew up, is very similar and our parents. We would not be who we are today, the player that we were without that support without that guidance, and I cannot emphasize that enough that parents, you need to be invested in your daughter's journey if you want the best for her, you have to be as invested in researching and being a part of this and not just trusting your travel ball coaches. Nothing against travel coaches, I love you. Well, but they have families, they have kids, they have to take care of 13 plus players on their team that mom and dad. You're the managers. You're the manager. You're the danger of this journey and that we would not be where we are today as adults or where we were as players in high school or college without that guidance. Without that reassurance. And it wasn't Pat you on the back. We're the best player ever. Like we didn't get that from our parents. We got the reality we got. The truth. And we needed that, and Lindley was pure example of how she needed that reality check. And I needed that reality check. I just wish I listened a little bit more at 15 or. 16 we just happened to have that reality check closer 17/18/19 years old. And so I can't emphasize that enough, Lindley. I want to thank you for just sharing that side of your story.
Yeah, of course. I definitely what you're touching on with the parents is super important and I think one thing for me that I've learned now that I'm older and more. Mature is yes, it hurt my feelings when my parents had that reality check with. Me it did. It stung. My feelings were hurt. I cried about it in my room of I'm not good enough. And for a moment, I kind of thought my parents might not think I'm. Good enough, but it it. Was absolutely not that I got over that very quickly as well and all it was came down to was my parents having my best interest at heart and wanting me to succeed as the player that I was? Because you can't. You are who you are and you can work as hard as you can and you can become this great player. But at the end of the day, strip it all away. You are who you are, your size. You can't. I couldn't affect that. I was 51. My younger sister were five years apart. She's 5/8 and she's a third baseball playing D1. And I tell my dad my dad and I joke all the time and like, if I had just grown three more inches. If I could at least. Be 5 four. So I think be realistic with your children because or your players because you're doing them no favors by trying to protect them. We obviously there's a way to do. It in a way to say it. But being realistic with them so their hopes don't, aren't I guess you don't get their hopes up and they don't get their own hopes up is super important. And I think why I was able to. Still play in college?
And it falls under the parent player relationship too, and I think I tell my players all the time mom and dad is your #1 coach and your #1 supporter, and they know you better than you know yourself until you're 18 years old, like when you're 18. You can say you might know yourself better than your parents. I still don't know if I believe that. But that's legal adult whatever go with it, but. I mean, yes, you cried. Yes, I cried with my parents. Tell me the real truth that I know it wasn't coming from a place of hate or a place. Hurting my feelings, it was that just the truth and truth hurts sometimes, but we need the truth and players, girls, parents like everybody wants the truth. And I just. I know you're so thankful for your dad and mom being realistic. And your mom. I love that you had kind of both sides to that the sorority life. Just what's best for you as a human, and I think the hard truth for all of us at the end of the day. Was realizing that softball didn't last forever, and to realize that. They just put softball back in the Olympics right now and we knew we weren't really Olympic type players like and pro softball wasn't really a big thing back a couple of years ago and.
Right.
It it just had to come to an end and so putting your future as a not just a softball player, not just as an athlete but as a female, as a girl, as a daughter, as a sister, as a Christian, as a human first, we have to remember our identity and we lose our identity. Being a student athlete like I know we do, we all lost it. A little bit of. Label ourselves as I'm a pitcher, I'm a third baseman, softball player, teammate. No, you're a female. You're a woman. You're a girl. You're. Christian, you're a human, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, and putting that into perspective can really help you. One just overcome injuries, overcome this journey and just get you through life a lot easier by changing your perspective and holding that pressure to yourself.
Yeah, I agree. I did promise the listeners a funny story about you that I just want to throw in there real quick whenever, Daniel. Asked question Garrett. She talked about the differences and the resources at the Division One versus Division two. And I will never forget. I already knew Danielle. We weren't super close yet, but I had known her from her freshman year. Kennesaw state. So she transfers to Georgia College, obviously has her back injury. I'm at Georgia College as well. We're in the training room together, getting treatment done. And Danielle looks at our athletic trainer.
Thing goes.
So what day will the chiropractor be here? Our trainers, our athletic trainers, looked at her like she was cross eyed and they were like what chiropractor? She was like, you know, like, yeah, the chiropractor for the sports teams. They like Danielle, we don't have a chiropractor for the sports teams. Daniel's face went blank. She was.
Like what do you?
Mean everybody has a chiropractor for the sports teams. And that just. I just think it's so funny because she came in there from being in a D1 college where you have all these resources where it Kansas State University. They did have a car like an in-house chiropractor, but at the. D2 level that is not something you get. You don't. Get those kind of resources, but I will never forget our trainers made fun of her for the rest of the year for that.
I was so humbled. My first like two months at Georgia College. I swear like the head coach hated me by the questions I would ask, like the athletic trainers looked at me like I had 12 heads because. In my defense, I just thought that was the norm. You're a college athlete. You all have these resources, and I get to Georgia College, and I was like, oh, I have to do the bullpen. Like, I have to, like, clean up after I pitch. I have to, like, I can't pick out #63 like, that's not my jersey. I'm stuck with the Old Jersey or like, it was just a reality check for me and. Yeah, I mean I'm. I'm laughing at that too. It was. It was very humbling for me to say the least. I did not want to sound like a brat, and I didn't. Mean to sound like a brat?
You didn't sound like a brat. You just were so unaware of the difference.
I had no idea.
I would I would have been too, if I was coming from AD one where we had a nutritionist and we had a mindset mentality coach and we had a chiropractor. I would have been clueless too. I just thought it was so funny. Everybody in the training room goes silent. The trainers look at Danielle like she has three.
Heads it was.
So funny.
Ohh my gosh. No. Yeah, that's a. That's something I'll never forget either. That moment of being. Well, I do want to talk about. I just hit on it really quick. So you get to Georgia College. You had your shoulder surgery your.
I got George.
College Annie.
That's OK.
Are we going into that?
We might need to set up another episode for going into all that because I think we might. Talk our listeners. You're off right now with the story, but some of it up very short of. Just the ending of your injury process and like what you went through at Georgia College to where you kind of transferred. I know it might not all have related with injuries. We don't have to dive deep into the whole story, but just talk a little bit more of the injuries of once you got to Georgia. College and how that affected you. As a player, because I know it affected both of us like we were all so humbled again at the D2 level, I went in there thinking I was going to be starting pitcher. I have a whole story I'm gonna have to share that will take like 2 hours to share, but. I want you to talk a. Little bit more about that.
Yep, so finished the shoulder, got recruited, committed. Some are going into my freshman year college I flew. I too. Or everything in my knee kind of blew holding out. Had surgery called. My coach had to tell her, obviously, because I was committed. I was about to sign, so I didn't know if my scholarship was going to get taken. Thankfully it didn't, she said. OK, sign your scholarship. We'll see you down here, and we'll get you rehabbed and get you ready to go. I. Was like amazing. Best case scenario that is. I wouldn't say uncommon, but definitely not common to have. A coach. Still, if you haven't signed your papers to have a coach still be willing to take you, so that was nice, reassuring, that kind of started a positive mindset for me up, OK, my coach knows that I can get better. She knows I can play, have the surgery in July, get to campus 1st of August, still on crutches. Can't walk. I'm non weight bearing. Doctor said it was going to be 8 months to a year before I could step on the field again and again. My mindset was like any leniency there he was like, I mean. And I've had people do it. In seven to eight months, but seven months is the minimum. I've never seen anybody come back faster. So I'd go back to my old self and I'm like, alright, we'll make it 6 months then. So do the training. Luckily, we had a great staff of athletic trainers at Georgia College, so I did a lot. Of my P2 with them. I give them a lot of credit, but there I also need to note that there is a difference in a physical trainer, a PT and an athletic trainer and AT. I think. It's when you're going through an injury like that, you need to be with a PT. I adored my AT's. They did everything that they knew how to do to the best of their abilities. I am by no means. I kind of crapping on them or saying they didn't do anything. Right or wrong, they were great.
They did everything they could with the resources that they had and the knowledge that they had.
Just weren't. Correct, correct. Unfortunately I needed to be in a physical therapy setting, not in the training room of a college because the necessary.
In the place that they were.
Equipment, the honestly the education for both is different as well. So their knowledge of my injury and what will get me back just wasn't there. So I go through PT with them and I do I end up coming back in six months. I get cleared by my doctor to start practicing at the six month Mark and he was like this is unheard of with how severe your injury was but. We can tell you worked hard. You've. Gotten stronger? Your knee looks solid. You can do limited practices. I was like, amazing. Can I get that in writing? I'm gonna take it to the school start. Working my trainers talk with my coach. And unfortunately it just really went downhill from there. I had worked really, really hard to get back because my coach told me. I need you to start by February 1st. My surgery was in July. That was seven months on the dot to be fully playing, starting in a collegiate softball game. But as an 18 year old freshman, I was like, holy crap, my coach thinks I'm really good. She needs me by February 1st. I'm there. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get as close to this. Like, if I can't do it because I learned from my previous injuries and I can't do it, but I'm going to do everything I can. To start. End up doing it. Start practicing in January with the team was supposed to be on limited practices. And unfortunately, I was pushed further and what my doctor had told me I was and was not allowed to do was not listen to. And so I go a lot harder, a lot sooner than I was supposed to. And I can tell that I've done something to my knee. I don't know what I've done, but I've done. Something and I told the trainers. They were like, yeah, I mean, you can definitely tell that you've made like, you've taken a step back, like, you're more hesitant, your knees not as stable as it was. Let's talk with Coach talked with coach. And I I think I'm, I'm summing it up in my head to just the pressure of we're about to start our season. I was not given the resources that I was needed. I was not. Allowed to get an MRI unless I wanted to pay for it myself, which is not how college works for you guys that are listening. If you are injured in college or school has insurance, that will usually pay for your injuries. Depending on what injury it is and how you abstain it. Yeah. So I was told. Nope, you're fine. You're just not tough enough mentally.
You got.
This is just scar tissue. You need to keep going because you're starting. And unfortunately, I was just too young. I was young. I was naive, I thought. The way I had grown up your college coach. What they say goes. Your college coach is knows all is all. And so I just listened to her. I told my parents my parents weren't happy about it, but I begged and begged and begged my parents not to say anything. I was a freshman. I didn't want to be that girl. And everyone's eyes of Mommy and Daddy came to the school. Mommy and Daddy had a coach with, had a coach, a meeting with the coach. I mean, so I like in tears, begged my parents to stay out of it. Let me handle it. I was in college. I could do it, which ended up being my biggest regret in my entire career. I do end up starting that season I play, I'm in rehab the entire season. I'm miserable, my weight is fluctuating because I can't get on a regular diet because I can't get on a regular workout schedule because my recovery is not going to plan. I'll be doing. I'll be fine hitting, doing lunges, doing team lifts on a Tuesday, and by that Friday I'm back on crutches. Because my knee is the size of a balloon, so physically I was suffering. Mentally, I was just all out of whack. I didn't know which way was up at this point. So that was really, really difficult. End up playing the whole season played terribly because once season ended, my mom was like, hey, seasons done, your home, your mind. Again, we're going to. Get you checked? Out I have retorn my knee in January and I played the entire season on a busted knee, shredded more ligaments than needed to be shredded because I kept playing. So other ligaments were overcompensating for what was just a smaller team. I'm back at Square 1 essentially and I.
I was just going to touch on if you have more to share on the story, I want you to continue sharing on that, but I want. To touch on the fact of. I went through something very similar as far as. Me knowing my body and then. Hearing what the doctors are saying versus hearing what my coach and my AT was saying, and one of the biggest struggles that Lindley and I both faced was we hear one thing from a doctor, we feel what's going on with our body. Our AAT knows about the situation, but then we have obligations with our coach and and we want to play. And we're again we're. Here to play softball, we have the. Love for softball? This is what we think at that time we came to school for even though, yes, we're getting an education, but it's like we're going like we're playing ball in college and like, that's. Our job and. I cannot stress this enough. Because I wouldn't want my mom or my dad coming up there either. And Ohh, don't don't get me wrong like Mama Mama bear Susan Rubin. Like you don't wanna mess with her. And so it took a lot out of. Her and I know. Sherry Sherry Bruce is the same. Way of like.
Larry does not mess around.
You don't mess with our Mamas and you don't mess with our mama's kids and. So it took a lot out of both of our parents to just kind of like stay out of things a little bit. But I mean I I went through the same thing. I had a stress fracture and I had an MRI and an X-ray done my sophomore sophomore season and I was supposed to. Take three months off, but because my MRI didn't match my stress fracture, which they shouldn't match because it's different things that they're looking at, I had to continue playing and I didn't take the three months off and it was very, I mean, I collapsed the last game of our sophomore season. I was warming up. I actually had no time to warm up and. That was the 2nd pitcher I was going to be the. I was the second string going in to relieve. The starter if needed and she got hit in the face the very first inning and I'm not even warmed up yet and I throw one pitch off the man and I collapsed and I was done and I just remember in that moment, like I was so mad because I knew like I was already injured before I wasn't able to, like, sit down. More of this whole story because I'll dive deep into that story on another episode, but listen to your body and softball. Like if your body is telling you something, you need to listen to it and your doctors no more. Get not trying to crap on college coaches and college athletic trainers, but. Doctors who do this on an everyday basis listen to them and listen to yourself because Lindley and I both finished our college careers thinking like, why are we 90 years old? We are 21 years old. Why do we feel like we're 90? We're waking up in tears. We're going to bed in tears, we're physically, mentally and emotionally. Exhausted because we're going through the same thing over and over and over, and we're not seeing progress, we're doing what we're doing in PT and then we go to practice and we're dying afterwards or we play in the three hour game and then like, we can't even lift our arms up or I can't even, like lay down in my bed at night. And it wasn't worth it. And that's what made me overall, had to hang my cleats. Is I like I just. I just knew. Like, I want to be able to hold my kids one day. I want to be able to, like, be active with my kids. I wanna be able to be, like, active at 25 years old. Like, I don't know what I wanna do with my life yet, but it's definitely not be in a wheelchair. And that's what I felt like. I had to be in. And so I'm just really encouraging all you players and parents and coaches. Out there, like listen to your body and take care. Of it and softball's not. I mean, softball doesn't last forever, but we put that pressure that it does and we put that pressure and especially at the college level of you can't quit like I'm not a quitter. I was never a quitter. I wasn't born to be a quitter. And when you have an injury like this. You feel like you're a quitter. Like if you stop and you heal and. I just can't stress that enough of Lindley and I both wish that if we could go back in time, we listen to our bodies a little bit more. We listen to our doctors and we. Were able to stand up. To our coach in a respectful way, a little bit more of not like I need a red shirt like we weren't, like even begging for that. It was just more in the sense of. I need. Prepare myself for the future and it's not like in the now and like the fact that you had a torn knee all season long, not even playing at 100%. Best putting that stress and that pressure on yourself. Me playing with the stress fracture in my back like teaching 8 hours a day, standing up and going to practice and doing like I was just miserable. Like we were literally miserable and we. Bonded over our misery. And I'd be lying if we said we didn't. And there's some stories that just are not needed to be shared on this podcast. And but it was like, there's just a lot of stuff that we went through and. We were bonding over the physical, mental, and emotional pains of ongoing injuries and miscommunication, and I just can't stress that enough to parents, players and coaches like protect your kids. And put your kids best interest at heart. It's not what's best for the team what's best for their future, what's best for their well-being, what's best for their mental state. Like, listen to the professionals, listen to the doctors, listen to them a little bit more. Dive deep into what's going on in their mental game, because I know our mental game. Me and you both came out of high school with a strong mental game, very confident in ourselves, confident as players, confident of our IQ in the game. I feel like anyone could quiz us and we. Could both bounce out. We we would be like top dog. Trivia and, like softball IQ questions at trivia night, and we took pride in that like we were like we knew the game inside and out and.
Thank you.
It it, it was just really tough to have to go through what we went through. And that miscommunication that misguidance and that pressure that we put on ourselves, of having to be healed when our body just won't heal like we, we can only control what we can control. And we couldn't control those things, but we could have stepped out of our comfort zone a little bit more to stand up for ourselves. We were scared. To at the end of the day.
I want to talk about that just for like super quick I I say. For players and parents, it is super important as a parent that you're and a coach that you're raising an independent player that can advocate for themselves. I, from my personal experience, I was raised that way, which I'm thankful for because I did advocate for myself. But as a player or as a parent. Excuse me, you also need to know when it's time to step in, so I did not. I begged and begged and begged my parents not to step in. I told them I need to talk to her. I got it. And I did. I did talk to my coach. I told her my concerns. I told her how much pain I was in that I could barely go to class in the morning. And so I did advocate for myself. So you need to let your players advocate for themselves. First, they need to be strong enough to speak with their coach, otherwise they won't have respect from their coach. The coach will not respect the player if the player at that level at the college level. Cannot have an open line of communication with them. With that said though, there is a line where it is appropriate for a parent or guardian who whomever. To step in and kind of say enough is enough, this is what's going on. This is what needs to happen. You're not listening to my player or my child, and that's where me and my family have our biggest regrets of my parents. Let me advocate for myself. In fact, they encouraged it. They said, have you talked to your coach? What have you said? Have you stressed how bad this is? And they let me do that three or four times. They let me go to my well, they didn't even let me. They kind of made me. They made me go to my coach as my own individual because. That's a life. Skill. It's not even a softball skill. That's something, as a woman, you're gonna need for the rest of your life is to be able to advocate for yourself because. Life is just what life is, and it's a great skill to have. As a female.
100%.
My parents pushed me to do that, and when I was on my 4th or 5th. Time of really. Stressing to my coach how much pain I was in, how uncomfortable I am, the limitations it's putting on my day-to-day life, we had punishment if we didn't go to class. I was unable to go to class. Because I could not walk and I was being. Punished for not going to class. And then I had to show up for practice when I couldn't even get to practice. So those were the things that I was trying to relate to my coach of. I'm telling you something's wrong and I don't. I'm not my old coach, so I don't know what was going through their mind, but that just, I guess, was not good enough for them because it was never a good enough reason. And so that's when. My parents and I agree it's they should have fully stepped in. And that was the correct time after I had advocated for myself. And there were witnesses of me advocating because my trainers were. There. That's when it's time. As a parent, you step in and say, OK, my kid has done all they can do. My players done, all they can do to advocate for themselves. Now it's time for me to step in because this is not going the way it needs to be going.
100% and then you can even on top of that the patterns of multiple girls on the team going through. So I mean it just backs up the situation of. When parents can.
Ohh yeah, it could be a whole. It could turn into a whole black hole, but I just think it's really important that parents you can't jump to your players, aid off the jump at that level.
Step in and.
You need to let they need to learn how to advocate them for themselves, because not only are they learning a great life skill of advocating for themselves, they're building a good rapport with their coach of I respect you enough to come to you and tell you these things and I'm mature enough to have this conversation with you because you're in that awkward transition of I'm no longer a teenager. I'm kind of stepping into adulthood.
Yes. You feel like, yeah.
I'm not a full adult yet, so you need to learn that skill and also get that respect from your coach, because at the end of the day, by the time you graduate. The minute you step off that field and graduate, you are now a peer with your coach. Because yes, they may have been an adult in your eyes when you got there, but the minute your career is over and you're done playing, you're 2324. You're about to be in the real world. That's a peer, so you need to learn how to build those relationships and get that respect in a sense.
And the stars at the high school level like as far parents ask me all the time what age is appropriate for. Like the players are advocating and not the parent, and I always say like 8th or 8th grade is when you should start if not even 7th grade of like it depends on what the situation is.
Hi, coach.
But learning how to communicate with coaches a a younger age, so come high school, cause high school coaches don't even want to deal with parents like you.
100% when I coached my travel team, they were 14. When I started with them and my rule was if you have a question on playing time, you as the player have to come to me first. And ask me whatever your question is, whether it's why am I not playing. But I also tried to teach my girls. What do I need? What do you need to see from me to get more opportunities? So it start even starts at that? Don't be a mom and dad. That goes. And why is my kid not playing? My kids should be starting. Let your kid go talk to the coach. Hey, Coach, what do you need to see from me so I can. Get some more opportunities. As a coach, I'd love that.
What can I do better? What can I do better as a player?
I love that question. Absolutely. Even through injuries, if you're injured and you're trying to get a few more reps here and there, ask. Hey, Coach, can you? Hit me five more. I'm feeling good today. Hey, Coach, Rehab said I could do XYZ today. Do you mind throwing me a few extra? I'm really trying to get back into it and that's kind of the big part of the mindset is be the hardest worker, especially coming back from an. Degree you do have a lot of limitations about what you can and cannot do, but when they open a door or give you a step forward, take full advantage of that and have that mindset of you. Give me an inch, I'm taking a mile in a healthy way, but if you give me. Even an. Inch of hey, we're going to let you try something new today. Do it with caution, but. Go all out in a sense and mindset wise. Go all out. Be so excited to do it and just be open.
I just think that's a perfect way to wrap up episode #3 today. So Lindley, thank you so much for coming in. Being a guest speaker, I can't wait to have you on more episodes in the future. Again, y'all can hear us bouncing off and forth of each other. We'll we'll share some more stories and conversations in the future, but episode #4. I'm going to talk a little bit about it's going to be again on this overcoming injuries, part three, talking about the adaptions with injuries and kind of how we worked through our. Through the recovery process, mentally, physically and emotionally, as far as what we did in PT that helped or what we didn't do, what we wish we could have done, tools that we could have used. So we're going to dive a little deeper into that. I'm going to share a little bit more about my transfer experience, how the body changes just from going from. Different like again, most people from injuries too, by the way, if you look at, I'm just thinking about a couple girls off the. Top of my head when they. Come back from an injury you might have lost that spot, so talking about like how you might have to transition to playing a different position on the field and just with your body changes and the limitations that you might have, it's just very cool to see. We're just going to dive deep into that. So thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode. Lindley. Again, thank you so much for being a part of DR3 being my best friend. Being my. Girl that keeps me in check keeps me, keeps me going. So thank you so much. And I'll see y'all on episode #4. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Beyond the Diamond Connect with us on all social media platforms, Twitter. Facebook, TikTok and. YouTube at Do 3 fastpitch but Instagram is my biggest platform where I post daily content.
For questions or?
Topic ideas visit our website dearthroughfastpitch.com and submit the form on our homepage. I would love to feature you on our next episode. Remember, you can find all of our episodes on Apple Podcast, Spotify and on our website dearthroughfastpitch.com. Stay tuned for more exciting discussions, stories, and insights in the world of fast pitch softball on the next episode of Beyond the Diamond until. Then remember, the only thing that matters is the next pitch deep breath. Next pitch I. Will see you soon.
