Beyond the Cleats
Join us, as we go Beyond the Cleats and explore how our athletic passions transform and shape our personal and professional lives!
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Beyond the Cleats
Final Whistle to New Horizons
Transitioning from collegiate athletics to life beyond graduation is a monumental shift, and for some, the military offers a new sense of purpose. We discuss the critical role of acceptance and the support of teammates in navigating this transition. Listen in as we highlight the challenges and triumphs of filling the void left by sports, including the aspirations to join the military and the hurdles of medical disqualifications. Ultimately, we affirm that new opportunities—whether in service or research—can provide the fulfillment and renewed purpose that proves everything happens for a reason.
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Life beyond the cleats, where everything stops. We all, unfortunately, have experienced that bitter end of just the end of athletics, whether it's an injury, a debilitating injury that puts you out, or what a lot of traditional. What traditionally happens is the game just ends. Maybe it's, you know, the end of your high school career, maybe it's the end of your college career, but in terms of organized sports, you know, unfortunately it has to come to an end.
Speaker 2:I mean the clock stops at some point.
Speaker 1:The clock stops and it's.
Speaker 2:Final whistle blows. Hmm, final whistle blows.
Speaker 1:I'm like having a flashback. I'm trying to think of like a scoreboard, like it just with soccer. It just the scoreboard like stops With softball. It's just like you're the home team or the away team.
Speaker 2:You either bat last or you're in the field. Oh yeah, that's true, it's different, so it's kind of weird. I didn't think about that too. Yeah, that is weird huh, I don't.
Speaker 1:I feel like I would like a clock instead.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's more like you know when it's gonna end that's you're like you're done it's way harder too. I feel like um, because you it's continued on outs, but then for us it's like oh, we only have three minutes left. Like you have to score, you have to score you're done, done, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:With us it's kind of like the. I feel like the worst. I couldn't even tell you about my last inning. It was like, but I'm like thinking about, I'm like two, you get what that? Two outs, two strikes, three balls. I guess maybe that's your countdown. It's the last pitch. Yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:But, there's such like a. I've heard so many different like reactions. What was like your reaction to the end? You know it's done, yeah, what was your initial thoughts, feelings, my ending? I'm curious Of my college career. Mine was kind of wacky, so I'm going to let you talk first.
Speaker 2:Mine also was wacky, so it's kind of funny that we both have weird stories. But so I, we were playing a rival team and we had never beat them at their like home. We beat them like at our stadium, but never at theirs and um, so obviously I was playing card all game. I think it was probably like one of the best games I've ever played. Honestly, um, and I think like the last 10 minutes of the game, I like ran into the keeper and like got a knee to the head, so they were like pulling me off them to the sidelines, like I I definitely wasn't good, but I wanted to play, so I was like oh yeah, it's your last game, so like the AT and the AT knew that and he was like kind of being like yeah, she's good to go to my coach.
Speaker 2:My coach was like no, and didn't put me back in the game. Oh so I'm over here. Like that's tough. I definitely was concussed like I didn't feel good, but I wanted to play and then I guess that's also an athlete like for that as well, suck it up.
Speaker 1:You're fine, I'm fine, I want to play yeah, exactly like I needed.
Speaker 2:I felt like I needed to do something, make an impact or whatever it was for my team, especially being my last game. And so I'm over on the sidelines literally watching the time like, tick, tick, like and nothing's happening. There's like nothing, you knowing that we're gonna lose because I think the score was like two, nothing, something like that. At that point I knew we weren't gonna score, I knew like it just wasn't gonna happen.
Speaker 2:That's tough and it's just like that. The initial like I think I'd already preemptively like the second I got hit in the head was like wow, my career's done now. Like that was the moment for me it was a legit shock it wasn't even the time going down.
Speaker 2:It was like all right, I just got hit in the head and I'm not playing the rest of the game. But I don't even like, I don't even know if I like not, it was numbing, I guess, because I don't even know if I'm upset or sad, or I feel like I was, but it was a mix of emotions.
Speaker 1:I think I was just so.
Speaker 2:I was definitely emotional, but I also could have been the concussion for sure. But that played an effect into it, but like I, I feel like I was numb, if that makes and I like from my experience when I've ever, whenever I felt numb, it's just like an overwhelming feeling of a lot of things because I also felt like super humble to be able to be out in the field and like do those things and whatever yeah and you realize that after the fact, but in the moment, like you're just like wow, this sucks like, yeah, it kind of hits you after it's like I just got hit and because usually, like, the time runs out and yeah, time and time again you see, like I saw so many of my teammates, like they just start crying and bawling.
Speaker 1:There's so much emotion and passionate behind that and I always pictured that's. That's how I would be. I always thought I'd be like. I'd be emotional and crying. It's complete like 360.
Speaker 2:I think I just didn't 180 I. I didn't cry until um my teammates, like, like, came to me.
Speaker 1:I was gonna say when did it hit you like you were done.
Speaker 2:They like I was like looking around, just like I said, the feeling numb, like I was, just like I remember looking at the sky and being like, well, what's next? Like what do I do?
Speaker 2:yeah, I don't like, I don't even know, it's like it and then they come running up to me like and like walking up and they're just like it was, like we just looked at each other and we're like what is going? Like the seniors, like the people I've, like you know, played games with, and like the freshmen who are, like you know, took under my wing and like mentored and you know those things, that like building those relationships and just realizing that like it's never going to be the same, because in soccer, like you're done in the fall and then like I still want to work on the opposite from softball.
Speaker 1:Softball like when we get to playoffs or if we go to regionals, well, like you done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, you're done with school.
Speaker 1:You're done with everything. You have to kind of continue. You have to do your whole school year.
Speaker 2:I have to be an athlete without being an athlete, like I, have to go be a student.
Speaker 1:I wasn't a student athlete.
Speaker 2:I was a student at that point and I was like I don't even know. And then, yeah, so they made me bawl because we all hugged and I was just like it hit.
Speaker 1:Like that emotional response to Teammates bring out, I think, the most emotions, not even the game itself. I feel like teammates and that connection you make. That's where the emotion from the game comes from, at least for me. Like the game I can be super analytical about, I can look at the different stats and be very kind of nonchalant about it, but it's my teammates that get me emotional, whether it's in the game or outside of the game. Like it's those people that kind of you know bring it to bring you, I guess, together. Yeah, that's what brings out, you know, the emotion, which actually that's, that's what brought out the emotion with me. It actually wasn't me ending okay, because I had two different scares, one when I transferred, yeah, didn't know if I was gonna play so I was like, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then when I took my gap semester at plymouth, at that point I would have been done, done. I knew, taking my gap semester because I played I would have, uh, run out my eligibility, at least for division three, yeah. So I was like dang, I'm like done, done, yeah. Then covid happened and I got like a yeah, your saving grace right it literally was my saving grace, I'm like.
Speaker 1:So those were already two instances where I had come to the conclusion that I I would be done. But it was during that gap semester where I had a teammate reach out to me and she sent me like this wonderful, like we're here for you. Like I'm like like thank you, like blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I couldn't even tell you what the paragraph said and all all she said at the end was thank you for being a good teammate bald like a baby goosebumps I'm bald like a baby, like I literally like kid you not, like, have goosebumps like that?
Speaker 1:oh my gosh, I was because that's all you ever want. I'm like I didn't care that it was done. I didn't care that, you know, my career was done and you know, you know so many other things going on. You know, when I, when I took that gap semester, but I was like, wow, I'm like, is that's all you ever want to be, is a good teammate, so to to to bring us back around when the I guess the the clock struck zero. I was very almost like content. At that point I was very kind of like I don't know if fulfilled is the right word but I was like, okay, it's like it's time to be done, yeah, but but yeah, I'll never forget that kind of that's crazy that you felt like you were ready, like that it's almost like I was ready.
Speaker 2:It was like this weird thing it's like I was ready to go. I. That's kind of powerful, because I don't think a lot of people. No, don't get me wrong, you're not alone in that. I'm sure tons of people feel that way, but I think the overwhelming idea or the feeling that you normally hear about is sadness, oh, 100%.
Speaker 1:And that's what I always thought about was kind of this overwhelming. I'm going to be so sad Because you already watched three years of your teammates, you know, crying and hug you. Yeah, yeah, teammates bring out the emotion, man yeah, it's.
Speaker 2:But that's powerful though that you're like you still like. You're like all right, this is it, but also you had like acceptance of it, like that was that's a quick acceptance.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was just kind of because of the two other kind of like instances where I'm like my career is done or potentially done, and then the gap semester where it's like I knew it was done, and then covid, which was again that was at that point it was like bar time you gotta like I'm like I'm on bar time, you just savored it.
Speaker 2:yeah.
Speaker 1:Like dang, but then that doesn't help with all. Right now, I'm done and I'm in the world and I'm graduated.
Speaker 2:That's what I was going to ask. That's going to be my next question. So how did that? Did that help you moving forward, or did it not necessarily have a big impact? As much as like the acknowledgement helps, maybe.
Speaker 1:But I don't know. I think moving on from the sport was easy because the emotion was kind of removed, so there wasn't a lot of emotional yeah, but from a filling the void factor, a redefining of like, what do I do, what is my?
Speaker 1:because I truly believe you have to have purpose. Performance starts with the passion. To have a purpose In anything that you do, you have to have some type of driving force, some type of intangible driving force, and I'll put it very simply of like going to the gym. Some people are very like gung-ho about the gym. The reason I went to the gym is because I wanted to be better at my sport and I wanted to help my teammates. Like. That was again, my teammates were my, were my driving force. Yes, that I wanted. I want to do better, but I also want to do better for the team.
Speaker 1:So I that's probably where my I would say my, my, my, I don't want to say childish, what's it? What's a good word? My insecurities showed was what do I do next? So, as I was just, I was telling you before we started, because I I'd always thought about joining the, joining the military. That was always something, even when I was, even during the transfer season and even during my gap semester. I'm like oh well, maybe I'll just kind of do like something and then go back or something Almost kind of like what you did, in a sense.
Speaker 2:I don't know why you never did do that, something like that. I still wonder.
Speaker 1:I think it was the jump For me. So with the because I went head core like head strong, I'm going to be a Marine. I'm going to be a female marine. I'm gonna be bad. Yeah, and it was more so from, uh, an uneducated view of the military as well I'm like I'm just gonna go into the hardest. I was also I left for the navy, yeah yeah, it seems like the hardest, like I mean it is but like you, like you know In a way no Different hard Depends on the MOS.
Speaker 1:Depends on the MOS.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah you're right, I guess, but different levels of severity and things.
Speaker 1:You can speak better than I am. So my kind of ill view of the military was like well, I'm going to be a Marine, so I go through all this training. Talk to my recruiter talked to my recruiter.
Speaker 1:Unfortunately I couldn't. There was a medical. I was on a form of medication where you have to be off of it for two years. So I did like literally everything. Yeah, I called up my recruiter. I was still working on um, I still had like one more class to finish. Yeah, it's because my gap semester he's like call me when you're done. So like for those like three months, I was like I'm on a train, I'm doing push-ups. I was like so gung-ho, chest puffed out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I remember that part of your life.
Speaker 1:I think I texted you about. I think I texted you. I was like hey, I have a.
Speaker 1:I think I asked you a question about it it was like so random, because I'm like I didn't know any other like emails that had gone through the recruitment process and I'm like I think I asked you like, why did you what? Because I was just so curious. Yeah, because I was also trying to figure out my whole situation. But yeah, long story short. Um medical said no, no, yeah, um. And now I'm at usarium and I get to do research for the warfighter. So, it all works out. It all is a roundabout circle yeah.
Speaker 1:Everything happens for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. Amen to that. But yes, that was kind of my coping mechanism was from just keep doing athletic things. But for you you kind of transferred almost right into because you were, were you in the military at that?
Speaker 2:point. Yes, I had been in probably two years at that point. Yeah, because I'm at four now. Yeah, yeah so I'd been in two years and my last game ended and I went directly to a military training. So that also really helped because I have always been like an athlete and like a physical person and like well-being and like mental health and like all the facets of being a healthy person always has interested me, like I've never been the type to like want to sit on the couch and like not do anything all day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, get out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100%, whether it be going for a hike or whatever, Whatever capacity it is, and that was another topic that we have like coming up is like finding different outlets of like working out that don't have to be beating yourself to death for like two hours. Oh, 100%, you know whatever. That was like a huge transitional period for me.
Speaker 2:Besides the point of that, yeah, besides the point of that, yeah, oh, 100 I. I definitely indulged in the military and what the military could offer me and being as physically fit for war fighting and like my career and like, because you're in security forces yeah so that's very physically demanding, I would think yeah, it's definitely physically demanding.
Speaker 2:I mean we have to be our, you know, yeah, probably not gonna be able to do your job. You know, um, I mean you, can people do it? I, it's important to me and it's important to those like around me and the people that I um set myself up with, like my group. I'm like, all right, we're gonna be fit, like we're not gonna be like you know, um, just because I think it's important.
Speaker 2:I think that like being able to take care of yourself and the ones around you, like I need to take care of myself physically so that I can have that same expectation for, like my troops and like people below me or whatever you know what I mean Like that mentality moving forward.
Speaker 1:But I do think the military helped a lot which you get a lot from athletics and being a captain and all that stuff. I feel like that 100% is 100 is gonna trickles down yeah, definitely, and I think leadership is an acquired skill.
Speaker 2:It's not something you're born with. It's not something that you can just wake up and become a leader, and I think a lot of people get that mixed up with management and for me, like the military, I'm fortunate enough. The like builds those leadership skills. We're not just like thrown in and like, all right, you go lead these people like blah, blah, whatever.
Speaker 1:Leadership is 100% a skill. People management is a skill. Communication, like in the medical field, like bedside manner.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:How to talk to people and how to like. It's 100% a skill. It's hard.
Speaker 2:It's hard to yeah, because I can't say that I was always like this perfect captain. I also like think. Growing up I was always the lead by example type I always was, I was staying after practice.
Speaker 2:I was doing extra work. I was working out. I would like. I didn't stop training ever. Like, if I was in season, I was still going to the weight room. I was still like putting in hours. I was in season, I was still going to the weight room. I was still like putting in hours. I was still. I was that kid that would like. Everyone would be like why are you so good? And they thought I was good because I just had natural raw talent. I did have natural raw talent that, like, thank goodness, was given to me. I was gifted to me but I had to work in my craft every day. There was there was no, no part of me that ever felt like it was just given to me. I worked so hard at everything I did in any capacity of being an athlete.
Speaker 1:And that 100% transfers over to your work and kind of that. I think that's why people and employers seek athletes so highly, because not only are you trying to get better at your sport, you're also balancing athletics. Some athletes that I know also had like a part-time job. Like you're balancing a lot of different obstacles. So to be able to do that and have kind of that work-life balance is definitely something that's that's transferable over to the workplace. Yeah, but I, I love the, the, the quote you um.
Speaker 1:There's a quote that you reminded me of by a coach suing quest. She's like a hall of famer softball coach. She says lead every day, in every way, yeah, and, and sometimes that's hard, sometimes you just got to put your head down and and people will look to you, people will follow, you will. There in my mind there's something called silent respect, yeah, where, yeah, they don't have to go up to you and say, oh, you're doing a good job. Like, oh, I respect you, you hold yourself accountable and by holding yourself accountable, people will trickle in and follow. You can talk about accountability all you want. You can talk about being selfless. You can have those pal um, those discussions, but at the end of the day, you just got to do it. Yeah, I had a um, and that's what shapes us too. It's yeah, definitely um, but yeah, it's oh, it's awesome.
Speaker 2:I had a chief master sergeant, um, going through basic training who I like got pretty close with um because she's a female and that's like hard to get a position like that, yeah, in the air force, and she used to say all the time, um, she said uh now I'm spacing on the quote exactly, but it was something along the lines of like um, don't talk about it, like be about it, or something like that.
Speaker 2:Oh, I like that one and it was like, so Like it's something that I just always like think in my head, like we can talk about it till we're blue in the face, but at some point you have to have actions. You know, speak louder than words. I think both have some weight. Oh yeah, the conversation is obviously necessary.
Speaker 1:You have to have those conversations, you have to put it out there in the open.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree, accountability is important. You know all those things, accountability.
Speaker 1:At the end of the day, it comes down to character and athletics, yeah, 100% builds character. It's a part of our whole being. It's a part of, you know, our identity, and what happens, you know, when that identity, you know, know, goes away. It's tough and it's hard, and we put so much emphasis on athletics and the importance of athletics on ourself and our self-worth, which is something we're going to be talking about next, next time. So I'm super excited to to delve into that. Oh, yeah, definitely. Well, thank you guys. Elena, it's been awesome. We'll see you guys next week on Beyond the Cleats podcast.
