The 29/1
Official Podcast of the West Ottawa High School Athletic Program. 29 Sports, One Team. The show that brings you into the lives of student athletes, coaches and other faces in the Panther Sports Community. Bringing you the stories you might otherwise never hear. Join Rodney Vellinga and Athletic Director Bill Kennedy as they dive in with you to get to know each other a little bit better.
The 29/1
Three Injuries. Three Journeys. Three Comebacks: with Avery VanDellen, Brandon Berry & Collin Roelofs
A sports injury to end your season, and maybe take away your sport forever. It's the devastating news no athlete ever wants to hear. Depression, sadness and anger are all part of the process, isolation and doubt show up too.
In this episode, we are blessed to have Avery VanDellen, Brandon Berry and Collin Roelofs all come on The 29/1 and simply tell the truth, sharing their experience with you, the greater West Ottawa, and greater sports community.
These three West Ottawa High School Seniors open up about the hurdles they've faced, from torn ligaments and tendons, to surgeries, rehab and the emotional toll of time spent off the field. Their stories are not just tales of recovery, but of rediscovering purpose and community support in the face of adversity.
With everything they've gone through, they also share a light spirit and optimistic outlook toward the future. They share what they've learned, they detail their comeback and in the end, provide us all with the permission to feel the pain of loss, share it those around you, and when the time comes, move forward with determination and grit.
This episode was recorded on February 18, 2025.
Podcasts now dropping at 5pm every Sunday evening for that late weekend chill, or listen Monday AM during that morning commute or workout. Please like, follow, subscribe, or leave a review. Even share with someone who might like to listen. Thanks for taking the time to get to know each other a little bit better. The people who make West Ottawa Athletics what it is. Go WO!
Special thanks to Laura Veldhof Photography.
I was planting my knee and it just goes backwards and twists inside. That was the worst pain I've ever felt. I kind of went down and lost my breath. I couldn't breathe. That's how bad it hurt, and I just knew. My first thought was I just ruined my senior year.
Speaker 3:Hey everybody, this is Rodney Valinga with the West Ottawa High School Athletic Program and you're listening to the 29.1 Podcast 29 sports, one team, the show that brings you into the lives of student-athletes, coaches and other faces in the Panther sports community, Bringing you the stories you might otherwise never hear. Join myself and Athletic Director Bill Kennedy as we dive in with you to get to know each other a little bit better.
Speaker 2:To be an athlete is to be an athlete, and when it's taken away from you, who are you? What do you have left and will you ever?
Speaker 4:get it back. Today we're joined by Panther seniors Avery Vandellen, brandon Berry and Colin Roloffs. They joined the pod to talk about the life of a high school athlete as they deal with injury. This is an incredible sit down with three awesome student athletes as they talk through the emotion of dealing with these injuries and their ultimate return to action. It's a spring season full of comeback stories. Avery Vandellen, brandon Berry and Colin Roloffs up next on the 29.1 Podcast let's get it, hey everybody, welcome back to another edition of the 29.1 podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm your host, rodney Valinga, and I'm sitting here with Panthers Athletic Director, bill Kennedy. If you are a regular listener, welcome back. We really appreciate you. And if you are listening for the very first time, thanks for checking this out. We hope the voices and stories of our student-athletes really resonate with you. And if you are a recently injured athlete who is wondering what am I supposed to do now? Or how in the world am I ever going to get through this, settle in and listen to those who have. Today we welcome three West Ottawa seniors who, in a matter of months, will graduate and leave these storied halls behind, but before they do, they have a sports spring season to enjoy. After suffering injuries of various degrees and different recovery timetables, these three are ready, or at least close to ready, to get back at it, and one has been back at it for quite some time, and it's our grateful honor to ask who is it?
Speaker 1:Avery Van Dellen.
Speaker 5:Brandon Berry.
Speaker 4:Colin Roloffs. Thanks so much, guys, for carving out a little bit of your day. We're using that seminar hour. We got some Jimmy Johns for you, so we're taking care of the nutrition piece. I know Frank would be proud that we're getting you guys fed for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's super nice to have you guys. You guys are always really nice to me. I'm just a West Ottawa parent, but if I come up and chat you guys up, you guys always spend time with me. Brandon, you always come dap me up and I know my dap game is weak.
Speaker 5:Okay, we can work on it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you do it anyways. My kids always tell me I'm coming in too high, I'm coming in too low, I'm grabbing too tight, but you don't say anything. You're real nice to me, so it's much, much appreciated. No problem, all three of you have been multi-sport athletes here at West Ottawa, so we're going to get to know you a little bit before we get started. Avery, let's start with you. You're a multi-sport athlete. You've played a few different sports here at West Ottawa. What have they been?
Speaker 1:I play varsity golf, varsity basketball and this year I'll be playing varsity soccer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I never knew you played varsity golf until I talked to your mom yesterday. Let's go back to your love of basketball. She told me a story that it kind of began when you did a crossover of two defenders and little Panthers. Do you remember that story?
Speaker 1:Dude. Yeah, I mean, that was like the first time I like unlocked my potential and I knew, like this is sport I want to pursue.
Speaker 2:How old were you when that move happened? Do you remember?
Speaker 1:I don't know, probably like eight, maybe, yeah.
Speaker 2:Getting some oohs and ahs at eight years old. Oh, you know there's something's going on for sure. And then I also heard that you joined golf and you get in a tournament and you win your first tournament.
Speaker 1:I think I might have been second.
Speaker 2:Second oh, moms will say you won yeah.
Speaker 1:It was like first tournament ever. I mean I played a little in eighth grade like with my dad, but joined golf my freshman year. I was on JV and from then on I just played for fun, I mean.
Speaker 2:But it kind of came natural to you a little bit yeah. Somewhat yeah just played for fun. I mean, I kind of came natural to you a little bit, yeah, somewhat. Yeah, that's pretty fun to pick up something.
Speaker 4:You're good at it Is golf something that you will continue to play as you move on beyond high school.
Speaker 1:I mean not like competitively, but obviously I'd love to do it with, like, my kids as I get older and stuff like that.
Speaker 4:So I'm I'm going to hit you and I need a swing lessons. Well, not swing lessons, but I always need that extra person for that. That foursome group in a in a golf outing, that's true, Somebody that can, that can bring it all home, and having a female that can hit from the female teas.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, comes in clutch.
Speaker 2:It's clutch Definitely. And then you know you're a part of that regional champion basketball team that last year that made it to the state quarterfinals. You came off the bench, what with the seventh, eighth kind of player on that team yeah, somewhere in that. And you had a nice run there, logged some meaningful minutes. So you know that's a lot with you.
Speaker 4:One of the best photos from that run is the regional championship photo. Avery, I get a smile from you when I mention it. You know that photo don't you. Oh, yeah, yeah. The joy and the excitement on the face is everything.
Speaker 2:All right, this will be on Instagram at some point.
Speaker 4:We're going to go find this. We'll stick it up.
Speaker 2:Get that out there, brandon, born in Akron, ohio, the home of LeBron James. Lebron, you're born in Akron and you move here in seventh grade. Yes, sir, you're raised by a single mom and you were like an only child for 10 years. Yep, let's do the Tiffany Berry shout-out. I'll give a shout-out to all the other parents as well because they spend time with us on the phone. But Tiffany Berry was great to talk to. She said for you guys, especially as a younger, you know you're in a single-parent home, yep, and you move here. You don't play sports until almost what seventh or eighth grade. Can you tell me about that being young and you don't really have this opportunity to play as much?
Speaker 5:um, yeah. So yeah, growing up I mean I used to I used to have like a basketball hoop in the backyard like we had enough space, but I never actually got to play for like a real team organized stuff yeah, it was a lot of just more like maybe like recreational, like the ymca used to have like a little like 8U like basketball to them.
Speaker 5:That was really fun. And then for football, like I've never played tackle football until seventh grade I was actually too scared to play. I had joined in like fourth grade and I came to like the first like three practices and I was like, yeah, nah, I can't do this.
Speaker 5:It was too scary for me because I was so little and I didn't even know what track was until I got here. It was a really cool experience to be able to get these opportunities now. Man, never in a million years did I ever think I'd be able to be recruited by colleges and feel wanted in that type of way, and I just couldn't be more blessed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, once you got here, your mom said you really had a lot of self-motivation. You kind of jumped in and you were in basketball, football, all that stuff, like right, right from the get. Absolutely, how did you? How did you find high jumping? When did you get into that? My freshman year? You're always bouncy no actually. No, I know, colin, you played freshman with him in basketball right. Not always bouncy, get a little bit okay all right, a little something a little something, yeah, a little something a little something.
Speaker 5:Yeah, freshman year I got into it. Uh, wasn't very good, if I'm being honest, but it was my first time ever doing it and I was like you know what I'm determined I'm going to get good at this specifically and I want to be able to show people that I'm actually like collegiate, like talent.
Speaker 4:I want to be able to show people that I can do things that anybody else can do and and every day you go to practice you get to work with one of our great young coaches, uh, who was a really high level high jumper in in college at hope and addie garrig yes, she's great.
Speaker 2:Couldn't appreciate her more colin, you're raising a family that is very involved in sports. I've known your family for a very long time. Your dad played baseball here, your mom played softball. I don't know if you remember this, but I meet. I remember meeting you guys in third grade little panthers basketball. You remember that team.
Speaker 6:A little bit. I have pictures of it, so I remember it a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we rocked that league. We went undefeated, won the championship. That's a little shout out to our team back in the day, but you've played a lot of teams. I mean, you're a baseball pitcher now, that's what you focused on, but you've played a lot of sports here at West Ottawa too, right, you've played football, you've played basketball you played baseball, yep.
Speaker 6:And then in middle school I did swim and cross country as well, you did yeah, okay, so you've done a lot.
Speaker 2:What are some of your fond memories of playing baseball as a?
Speaker 6:youngster. Um, I think the one that really like resonates with me is my first ever no hitter at quincy. I remember the field exactly and I never thought I'd be able to do something like that you threw a no, no-no. So yeah, I remember throwing my first no-no.
Speaker 4:That was his first. That's really special, which means there have been others Multiple no-nos.
Speaker 2:How old were you at the time you?
Speaker 6:think. I think I was probably third grade, so I don't know. What is that? Nine years old, so I think that was how old I was at the time.
Speaker 2:How much candy were you able to take out of the Roloff's candy bag after that?
Speaker 6:A lot, a lot of candy that day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, being part of the on teams with the Roloff family is Lisa. Roloff brings this massive bag of candy. So whatever bag you have at home, that is just way larger than it should be. That's the bag she carries for candy.
Speaker 2:So being on the peripheral of the R-off family at sporting events is a good place to be. There are days that I swing by the press box of baseball just to hit the candy bag. Yeah, it's definitely there. In sixth grade you kind of take a turn though. You start taking baseball a little serious and you start seeing a pitching coach.
Speaker 6:I believe it was Jason Benson, is that right Correct? Talk about him a little bit. So it was the first time I ever really wanted to get working with somebody, and he knew my dad in high school and I heard that he played professional. I knew he played at Grand Valley, so I went there for one time and I knew that this was the guy I wanted to work with.
Speaker 2:He's got a lot of energy too. He's got some what do you have moxie to him. He really has got it Like. He's got some attitude and he's very, like, confident. That's a good guy to be around. That's getting to know you guys a little bit, just a smidgen, because there's way more to you. But the reason we're on this podcast really is because of some injuries. One thing for us as sports fans and Bill's, of course, the AD is we hear about your injuries, bill. What do you remember about hearing about Brandon's?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so Brandon's I actually got to witness. Was that first home track meet last year, Brandon? Yes, yeah. So typically in years past I'd always work the high jump pit because we're always looking for somebody. It can be a little bit complicated because of the way that it's set up, but I knew that later in the year I was going to have to be clerk of the course, which is a whole nother dynamic. You're checking in literally every kid who runs, did you say?
Speaker 4:clerk of the course. Clerk of the course, that's a good title for whatever it is. So I was going to be clerk of the course for another meet, so I was like trying to get some training on it. I'm standing at the start, finish. I look over, there's a celebration, I see the trainers on their way over, and then they got him out, put him on a chair for a little bit, got him some ice. Then the cart came shortly thereafter. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And we'll get more into that. Colin, I heard about yours from Hudson, so I'm sitting at home and he goes yeah, colin Roloff needs surgery. Heartbreak, like, literally my chest just sunk, that one hurt. And then, avery, I heard about you from my wife, alyssa Blanca, who's one of your coaches, and this was, I believe, may or June or July, whatever it was. But yeah, she's having surgery. She tore her ACL. Yeah, I got that text message.
Speaker 2:And I don't know if you guys see this or not at all, that text message. And I don't know if you guys see this or not at all, but because sometimes I think athletes don't know the impact you have on a community. But like everybody out there is like oh no, oh no, oh no. So we all kind of go through that when that happens not alone, like the whole community feels it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so let's go back to, I guess, really the first injury to come about amongst you three, and Colin you get to lead us off for that. So you kind of walk us through kind of what led to it. You know, Tommy John has obviously become really a very popular surgery. I guess.
Speaker 4:I should say I saw a statistic the other day that there were more Major League Baseball players that had Tommy John last year than the previous nine years combined. So the injury is on the uptick. Yep, probably because guys are just throwing harder all the time. Right, it's just max out.
Speaker 6:Yeah, so I think part of the main reason it was is because overuse during the off season. I wanted to be the best player I could, so I started throwing six times a week, which is a lot, a lot of stress on your body. Um, I didn't really know what like intent to throw it, so I threw max every time, like you were saying. And then in the spring I threw a thousand pitches that season, which took a big toll on my body. But every time I wanted like the coach wanted to pull me, I'd say no and I push him away because I wanted to go as long as I could. And then in June uh, it was when it happened and I didn't feel it. I didn't feel a pop, nothing. Uh, I went back to the dugout after the inning and I couldn't lift my arm above my head, like I had tingles in my fingers. I didn't really know what it meant. I thought it was just soreness and the adrenaline was wearing off. But yeah, that's when it really happened.
Speaker 2:And what happens a lot with that, too right is, you don't know that that's happened, but you start losing velocity and control with some of your pitches right. Did that start to happen to?
Speaker 6:you, yeah. So I think it was the second inning. I went out because I told my coach, no, I pushed him away, let me go back out there. And I just didn't feel right. I couldn't throw the ball where I wanted to. I think the velocity dropped. I think it was five to six miles an hour and it was just dropping more and more. And that's when I really knew, like yeah, it's wild to me.
Speaker 4:I played a little bit of high school baseball I don't know that dudes when I was in school and maybe this is a sign of being an old man now I was in high school in the late 90s. We had no idea what everybody was throwing. We just knew like, oh, that guy throws hard. Baseball's become so stat-driven right. Every home baseball game we've got what? Five or six dudes sitting up recorders on the back of the dugouts and we're tricking pitches all the time.
Speaker 2:It's pretty wild. A lot of pressure to throw all that kind of stuff. You don't right. When that injury starts, though you don't really do anything yet. You kind of pitch through it and then you go to a showcase at Comerica Park Tell us about what happened there.
Speaker 6:Yeah. So my parents wanted to get it checked out initially and it was about two weeks before the showcase. But I mean, the experience was like too much to pass up on. I didn't want to bail on it and get it checked out, and I was also worried about being shut down. I didn't want to like take time off because I knew I wanted a big season ahead. So I decided to push like off getting it checked out and go to the showcase and I mean, being on that field was such a cool experience. I just didn't want to pass that up. So I went there and I was warming up and I still didn't feel like myself. I thought that the two weeks would be enough time and found out it wasn't. Oh, so you?
Speaker 2:took a two-week break, yeah, before you went there, yep, and you were hoping for the best. Yes, there's a lot of that, isn't there? Athletes with our injuries where we hope it's not as bad as we think it is? Absolutely yeah, we'll get into that.
Speaker 4:And Colin at that point, how much did you weigh? At that time you were skinny.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I was real skinny. I think I was probably right around 150, 155. I think that's what I was around.
Speaker 4:Does that play into that injury For sure?
Speaker 6:I think the stat is it's 2% of people who throw 90 or above are below 180 pounds and my goal was 90, but I was 155 pounds and how much I was throwing. My body could not handle that and I think that the muscle breaking down over time there wasn't much muscle to break down 155 pounds and how much I was throwing.
Speaker 4:My body could not handle that and I think that the muscle breaking down over time. There wasn't much muscle to break down and you've changed that. Yeah, You're not 150 pounds now, Not anymore.
Speaker 6:What are you weighing in at right now? Right now, I'm about 195, 198. Dang.
Speaker 4:He's going to be throwing gas Avery, avery.
Speaker 2:Vendelin Avery, Avery, Vandellen, Avery. Yours happened in an AAU game which you have played in so many over the years. But yours was interesting because it was a contact injury. Can you walk us through what happened to you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I was playing a tournament at GVSU actually, so I remember the court, I remember the day.
Speaker 1:Oh, boy it was a 1 o'clock game versus example sports. I think I had broken the press, like just beat this girl down the court and it was a really physical game. This girl just shoves me from behind and my knee, like I was planting my knee, and it just goes backwards and like twists inside. That was. That was like the worst pain I've ever felt, like I kind of went down and like lost my breath, like I couldn't breathe, like that's how bad it hurt and I just knew. My first thought was I just ruined my senior year. I knew immediately like something wasn't right, but obviously I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't get up by myself. So my dad wasn't actually there. He was taking my brother to a soccer game on the other side of the state. So my best friend's dad and AAU teammates dad had to carry me off the court over to the bench.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was pretty rough, but I think what's tough to hear about that one too, and your mom said this if you have a non-contact injury, it was going to happen regardless, but a contact not necessarily yeah, do you ever feel.
Speaker 1:Part of that was feeling that stuff got taken from you a little bit huh yeah, I was definitely like very angry when I found out like what the extent actually was. There was a lot of regret. Why did I have to go to that game? Like why, what if I would have crossed over in that moment, rather than just continuing to go straight down the sideline like I don't know, it's just I don't know, it's just tough pill to swallow for you don't think it's as bad as might be, though, because you go see four doctors and they all say what they all say to you yeah, they thought my knee was completely healthy.
Speaker 1:well, not healthy, but they thought it was strong, like there's no way it could have been anything torn. And then I finally see one. He was like it might be a meniscus. That was after six weeks, right, so that's the only reason I ended up getting an MRI. I mean I was running on it completely fine After a few weeks I've been working with Frank.
Speaker 2:Were you able to do lateral movements?
Speaker 1:Not really.
Speaker 2:No A telltale sign right.
Speaker 1:Tough yeah, like it just felt unstable, but it didn't really hurt all that much and I didn't have like full range of motion by that point and then you go and have surgery in june yep, june 28, 2024, I believe.
Speaker 2:Yep, colin, we'll go back to yours, but yours was in september of 2023, correct? Yeah, so two big surgeries, definitely huge timetables in front of you, colin.
Speaker 4:I believe yours was 12 to 18 months, yep, and yours was 9 to 12 9 to 12 all right, it's wild that it was acl, right, yeah, that an acl. Now is nine months. You know that two decades ago, an acl is like you have a giant zipper on the front of your knee. You might be done forever and and now it's just wild Technology and the way that sports medicine has come a long way.
Speaker 2:We talked about Brandon, yours a little bit Now. Yours is very different, Very, Very different.
Speaker 5:Walk us through what happened to you so this is the first home meet of the track season against Jenison. This is last year. This was last year, correct. I was going this. It kind of all occurred because of I was long jumping and I had really bad landings, so like I'd land and then I'd like roll over onto, like the concrete or I'd like what's going on. I don't know, it was really bad landings, like it's early in the season. It was really bad landings, it's early in the season.
Speaker 4:It was really early in the season, so rusty.
Speaker 5:I didn't really want a long jump that year but I kind of had to because we were down some long jumpers at the time. But thank God we got some guys that stepped up later on in the year so I didn't have to. I go to go high jump after I'm done with my last long jump and we're at like five, eight I think is what it was at, and I remember just going up I jumped, I'm over the bar and then I just feel like just a pop and I'm like what was that? And I landed. I like I cleared the height too, which was crazy. Uh, didn't expect that, but I kind of just felt this pop and I was just laying there in a lot of pain and I remember my mom and the trainers all came over and my mom was like oh, you're fine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I talked to your mom on the phone and your mom's a nurse as well, right, I mean, your mom is a nurse too, Avery, and she goes. My baby's being a baby Pretty much, yeah.
Speaker 5:Kind of just told me to suck it up, you're fine, and I was like, all right, maybe she's right, so I go sit down in this chair that they pulled up for me and I'm there for maybe like 10 minutes, and they were like, well, all right, well, try and get up and try and walk.
Speaker 5:And I was like I stood up and I knew I wasn't going to be able to walk because I couldn't even lift up my right leg, like because I couldn't even lift up my right leg. It was terrible. Never would I wish that on my worst enemy. That pain was terrible. I had to get carted off the track because obviously I couldn't walk. I've never used crutches a day in my life so I didn't know how to use crutches. And I remember Grace, grace, shout out, grace. She was like oh, I need you to try and sit down in the in the seat. I was like, okay, and I tried to lift that leg up and I couldn't. But they literally had to, like basically not necessarily toss me, but they had to, like flip me onto the cart and my mom, they called my mom and she came back and they like slid me into the back seat and we rushed to the er you go to the er for years.
Speaker 5:Yep, I was there for like three and a half hours and then what's your prognosis? Um, it was an avulsion fracture in the right hip. Basically, the tendons were too strong and pulled the um piece of bone out from where it was supposed to be, where it was attached from. Normally people have surgery from it. But doctor kind of just told me like you probably won't need surgery, you just need a lot of rest. And they told me I was out for anywhere from like six to six weeks to maybe like two months.
Speaker 2:So not the longest recovery, but long enough for you to lose your season Correct. You guys go through all this stuff. It gets hectic, right ER visits, doctor visits, all that kind of stuff is happening, but there does come a time where you get that first moment alone. So we're going to, we're going to dive down a little bit here, guys. You get that first moment alone, wherever it might be. I remember maybe it's the day before your surgery or whatever that case is. Everybody else has gone to bed, put your phone aside, things have settled down and it's just you with you. Colin, do you remember something like that or a moment that stands out to you?
Speaker 6:yeah, I remember I just had finished up at work and I drove to a parking lot just to sit there and like resonate, and I know that I like turned off my phone and I just sat there and I looked up and, um, it really hit me in that moment that there was a chance I might never play again. I remember going up onto the roof and I know that was like just like look up at the stars, really like let it settle in, and um, I think, um, yeah, how are you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, what was the feeling like doing that?
Speaker 6:I didn't. I kind of felt emotionless. I just sat there and I realized this is going to be a long journey if I do take the journey, because there is a choice of going the no surgery route and just being done or doing the surgery, and I just thought it's going to be a long road ahead.
Speaker 2:The vast unknown right. What's coming up? A lot of anxiety, a lot of worry. How about you, avery?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So once I found out that like I needed surgery, I like didn't believe it, like obviously my knee felt fine, I didn't really feel like I needed surgery that much, but obviously, like to play again, that was what was necessary. So I remember in the surgery center I was like laying in the bed and like the surgeon comes in and he like writes his initials on your leg.
Speaker 4:So they do the right one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they do the right one. And I just lost it. Like yeah, like couldn't breathe. I was like panicking a little bit. Oh sorry, but yeah, I was like crying. Like my dad was like wow, like I didn't expect to see you like that, you were so brave for that. Like yeah, that's when I like really knew like that was going to be a long road, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it really hurts to. When you're going to that surgery too. You're going on under anesthetic. You know, it's like your mind starts to go to places. Am I going to wake up from this?
Speaker 4:You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like we all you know, very unrealistic, but in the moment it's not. You know, it's really really tough to to face that.
Speaker 4:And Brandon, you're in the middle of a really at the start of a track season, correct, and the track season ends up being really special for our boys' program. Right, we really raised the level last year. What was it like for you to then be back out on the track not being able to participate, but you were still there supporting your teammates.
Speaker 5:Honestly, at first, uh, I kind of just dreaded being there because, honestly, when the injury happened I kind of just felt like my life was like stripped away from me um like I don't know.
Speaker 5:I just had, like this, really like big passion for track and I was like dang well, this might be it, like I don't know if I'll even be able to come back. And the doctor had also told me like you might have to miss some of your football season too. And it was just it was hard Because sports is like I kind of found my identity. But being back out there on the track, definitely at the first few weeks, was very dreadful. Definitely didn't want to be there sometimes. But I kind of talked to Coach Addie and we talked and she was like listen, I know you can't jump right now, but you should try coaching some of the younger guys up, the JV guys up. I go, you know what it's a good idea and we go to.
Speaker 5:We went to Rockford and me and Jake Sonderman were out and we were like you know, let's coach up the guys. This meet so she can go focus on the long jumpers, coached up some of the guys and we got some guys do some PRs. John beat them, I think he jumped like five, six. That day I got CJ Guillermo back up to himself at 5'10" and it just felt really good to put out the good out there and just be able to allow my leadership skills to take control and show people that, no matter what happens, no matter what obstacles happen, there's always something good that's always going to come out of it and just pour it into other people.
Speaker 4:So what I'm hearing is that, upon collegiate graduation, you're going to come back and coach some track here at West Ottawa.
Speaker 5:I definitely would love to. That's what I'm hearing Sounds like it.
Speaker 2:You guys go through a lot. It's a very tough place to be. Whenever there's something bad, there's always something good, absolutely. I'm sure in the beginning when this happens, you get this wave of support All of a. And I'm sure in the beginning when this happens, you get this wave of support Also. And all these people surround you let's maybe talk about that who came around you during your time, avery, want to share that with us.
Speaker 1:So a lot of the basketball team came around. For sure, I had a lot of friends from, like, my club soccer teams and AAU team come around, and even your wife, like Miss Vellllinga, came and just like spent time with me and my mom. So, yeah, you get.
Speaker 2:You get a few people that came around. That was. That was a bit of a surprise.
Speaker 1:You're like oh, wow, yeah I was like wow, I I didn't expect people to come visit me and stuff like that. Like that was pretty special colin?
Speaker 2:how about yourself? What was it like for you? You have your surgery. There's some really fun not safe for work videos out there about your anesthesia which we won't get into. I'll probably cut it out, but I just needed to say it out loud. But what was it like for you? You know you have your surgery and then you're home, and what kind of support did you see?
Speaker 6:Yeah. So I think one of the most special moments I remember is getting a gift basket dropped off. I was not expecting that. I was sidelined on the couch for seven days and then a bunch of texts from my old coaches. I was not expecting that. Coach Knobber, I remember, messaged out and that one really hit me hard, especially because I didn't play for him much. I remember the new coaches here. I had parents from my buddies. I had a bunch of people like I barely even talked to in the community. Come, reach out and come visit, and that was very special.
Speaker 2:How'd that make you feel to have that?
Speaker 6:Um, it felt really good, to be honest, uh, especially cause I wanted to push people away. Uh, I felt like it'd be better if I just like tough it out and like get through this myself, but having that support group around me really helped me yours is a bit shorter, a little bit, but it's good to talk about different ones.
Speaker 2:What was it like for you the first week?
Speaker 5:or two. Um, the support was just through the roof, like coaches, even mr kennedy, like I remember. I came to school like that following day.
Speaker 2:You got your Jimmy Johns that day no.
Speaker 5:Jimmy Johns that day.
Speaker 5:Okay, but I did see Mr Kennedy and we talked and he was like I just pray for a speedy recovery for you and everything will be good. And it was just a lot of people that I didn't even like talk to normally was coming up to me and I just felt really loved by a lot of people and I talked to like the entire track team because I remember I had to break the news down to them Like I probably won't jump again this year and I just felt the utmost amount of love and support from them, from the both girls and boy side of the team and I couldn't appreciate all of them more.
Speaker 2:After that first wave of support, all of a sudden, life starts to continue for everybody else. Everybody else goes to practice, yep, everybody else is shooting hoops, pitchers are pitching. Whatever the case may be, your day-to-day changes immediately and a lot of athletes go through that. You know, do I matter? What was it like? This is the hard part of this, talking about it, but like what emotions did you start to feel after that wave of support? And all of a sudden, you guys got to deal with daily life now and maybe Colin, you can speak to that first. How did that affect you? Did you get angry? Were you sad? What kind of different emotions did you go through?
Speaker 6:Yeah, so after surgery I became a really negative person to be around, like that's just the truth. I pushed people away. Like I was saying earlier, I always had these angry emotions, negative emotions, and when people would try to like make me a more positive person, I felt like just shutting that down and just trying to have the tough guy mentality and the day-to-day life definitely changed big time.
Speaker 2:Brandon, your mom said you weren't yourself for a couple of weeks. What happened to you? My experience with you is you're always always up, you're always smiley, always interacting with people around you, and she was a little worried that guy was disappearing.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I got. I fell into a really, really dark place. Um kind of grew on to like a depression, I guess you can say I didn't. It kind of got to a point where, like I wasn't eating, um, I wasn't very like interactive with everybody, I kind of just gave up on school, like it was. It was really bad and I hate to see my. I hated seeing myself in that situation because I know that's not me and it was hard to just see like my mom even knew, like we, she was trying to talk to me and I just give her the very like, very minimal little one syllable answer. Pretty much yeah, and it was just one syllable or a few sentences and or I'll just be like I'm not really feeling talking about it right now and I was pushing away a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Avery, I talked to your mom about you. She said you never got down down but it was very emotionally difficult for you. Can you share your experience?
Speaker 1:yeah. So I mean it was like more so the anxiety before surgery that got to me. But then after surgery I realized like I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. You know, I just needed to get up like nine months. At that point it feels like no light at the end of the tunnel, but like I just locked in and really started focusing on like what I needed to do to get better. Locked in and really started focusing on like what I needed to do to get better. I mean I was trying to get my range of motion back. Like obviously, acl surgeries are pretty painful surgery, so I've dealt with like a lot of physical pain, so I was just trying to make that go away. Honestly, it was in the dead of summer, so like there's nothing else Summer too for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's like nothing else I could focus on, so pretty much focusing on myself, you know, so you're able to you.
Speaker 2:You, you had this huge emotional I guess I don't know what to call it an outburst. But I think we all need that right. We need some way to kind of shed all that inner pain and get it out of it, and yours kind of came out and you were able to settle into something good for you. Yeah, um, even with a lot of bad going on, you guys, there's still a lot of fun that I'm going to do this, because I've had injuries too, and I mine were when I was older, so it's not that big a deal. What? What did I lose? Nothing, I mean, but anyways, but there's always some positives that come out of this. Did you get to binge watch anything during the summer, avery?
Speaker 1:I'm not going to lie. I binge watched Adam Sandler movies all the time, that's awesome. I mean never fail to make me laugh.
Speaker 4:No kidding right. What's your favorite go-to Adam Sandler movie?
Speaker 1:Grown Ups 110%.
Speaker 4:Good choice.
Speaker 2:When you watch Grown Ups with your 8, with your eight and nine and ten year olds by accident, not the best choice is what I did once. This looks good. No, it doesn't. It's pretty fast. How about you, colin? Um, yeah, get into that too.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I got into playing darts more often with my brother are you serious so yeah, I did that and I watched breaking bad for the first time but you're going, lefty darts, do that, lefty darts, oh sweet so yeah, I started um watching breaking bad too, and that was the first time I've ever watched. That finished the whole thing amazing show I couldn't get into it.
Speaker 5:No, yours was again.
Speaker 2:Yours is different because yours is shorter.
Speaker 4:Yeah, right, are you talking more, breaking bad you breaking.
Speaker 2:Oh, I thought you mean just binging in general.
Speaker 5:You tried Breaking Bad. Okay, I tried it. I started watching a lot of just TV shows like random, like my mom was watching, like she'll watch a Grey's Anatomy. I'm going in there with her, I'm going to go watch Grey's Anatomy with her, because just I mean, it was interesting. There was that I was watching a lot of uh like upcoming, like netflix, like documentaries, um, they had came out with that, um jeffrey dommer documentary oh great and I I watched the entire thing. I thought, oh, fantastic it was nuts.
Speaker 5:I didn't say it was good, but it was, it was, it was something all right.
Speaker 2:Well, that'll help you get out of that dark place.
Speaker 5:Yeah, you gave me something to do Watching Dahmer.
Speaker 2:You know there's some other things that go on too. You know, be honest. I want you to be honest Self-fear Did you ever find yourself taking advantage of your situation Like can I have a slushie today? Or you know what sounds good A Frosty? Absolutely yeah. Did you do that?
Speaker 5:Larry man, I lay down in bed Sometimes I'd actually not be in pain and I just tell my mom like yeah, like my hip hurts a lot, like can you make me this? Or this and she'll do it. Shout out, mom. But yeah, sometimes I lied about the, uh, the injury, how, how about you, avery?
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. I mean, I was like laid up after surgery so I could get around, though I was on crutches for like a week but after that like I could get around by myself. But I would just be like dad, can you make me food? Just because yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can pull it off, Colin. How?
Speaker 6:about you, man? Yeah, so I do not cook one bit. So I got all the meals I requested. Very lucky for that, Shout out mom. But I took advantage of it full heartedly. Asked three times a day for food, they would bring me the TV remote when I was on the other couch so I can turn stuff on all kinds of drinks run to the stores they would go make for me. So yeah, took advantage of it.
Speaker 4:It seems way cooler to be living at home when you're going through injury, as opposed to what I did.
Speaker 2:Okay, Bill. I was living with nine other. Tell us your story.
Speaker 4:I was living with nine other football guys. I wasn't saying hey, jay, you go get me some pizza puffs or something you know yeah.
Speaker 2:You didn't get that benefit. No, you didn't get that benefit. No, living with your boys, no. And then I mean, did you, did you take that even farther, like, did you get to the point where you were like pretty far past what you need and it's like, uh, you need to take out the trash tonight, oh man, I don't know my heels.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I kind of took advantage, yeah you're getting near the end now hopefully all three of you but uh, you can certainly do it for a while. Let's keep moving forward. Now, brandon, let's go to yours. Your period of rest and recovery is ultimately short, so, whatever that timeline, what was this timeline supposed to be?
Speaker 5:It was like six weeks to two months, okay, and then what happens to you? I came back in four and a half weeks and I remember the day I got cleared and I had called Coach Gehrig and I was like, yeah, yeah, I just got cleared. She was like you can jump and I was like, oh, I mean I couldn't. I mean it was a little it was real shaky of an answer. But I went out to JV conference because I mean I didn't know what I could do at the time because I just came back from an injury no practice, nothing and I ended up going there. I remember my first jump at 5-2" and I went under the bar because I got scared and tripped myself. And then the second attempt, I finally locked in and did it and I kind of just went back to muscle memory and then ended up jumping 6'2" that day, all-time PR.
Speaker 2:Come on and had a meet record. It doesn't make any sense, it doesn't? I mean you should have atrophy while you're out.
Speaker 4:That's an okay red JV meet record, so that's not just like a bunch of random small schools.
Speaker 5:This is the best of the best and our guys got the meet record after weeks off, yeah, and we had three West Ottawa guys go top three for that too.
Speaker 2:Colin, you're faced with a 12 to 18 month recovery. This is a very long period of time for both you and Avery, so I know there's a lot more in there than we're going to be able to get to. But when did things start to turn for you? When did you come out of that, what you were in, and how did it start to change for you?
Speaker 6:Yeah. So I really think it started to change Once I got my range of motion back. We completed some of the strength program and I got cleared to hit for the first time and that was like one of my all-time high of highs. No kidding. I was at practice taking swings on the sideline and then a little bit after that, I started my throwing program and I was so pumped up. I was throwing tennis balls along the wall all day long. I was doing more than I probably should have because I was just so pumped up. Nobody was stopping me. How about yourself, avery?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I feel like the three month mark that's like the standard to get cleared to jog. So I was so happy to be cleared to just move, more than just walk, you know, and I every chance I got I was like jogging or moving faster than I was before, and right now I'm seven and a half months out. So like I'm cleared for practice, like I just not contact stuff I'm, I'm doing everything that I can yeah, I didn't know where you were and and I talked to your coach last night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's moving really well, she's able to do this, she's able to move. I go, she going lateral. Oh yeah, she's going great.
Speaker 4:So it must be awesome to get back in the gym and get some shots up.
Speaker 1:It's great I it's awesome Like it close.
Speaker 2:You know march 28th that date at final clearance you know, okay, you, you guys both you didn't know this you talked about when you came in, but you're have both done stuff with eric hamilton at rehab for performance. They're out of. You guys are doing out of crossfit in holland. Yep, tell us about eric hamilton and we'll talk about him a little bit and what that's been doing for you guys yeah.
Speaker 6:So I knew knew Eric before surgery from my cousin. My cousin went to him after having Tommy John surgery and my surgeon recommended him, so I knew that this was the guy to go to. Eric, he was never shy of motivating somebody. He always pushed me to be the best when I wanted to give up.
Speaker 2:He's young too. He's a young dude.
Speaker 6:Yeah, when I wanted to give up, he would push me to my limits, even if that was me puking after rehab. Um, really helped me change and flip the switch in my head that it's go time yeah, I mean eric.
Speaker 1:I'm currently doing like two appointments a week with him right now and it's insane workouts like I. If I eat before that, like it's not staying down, I'm not gonna like I need to plan serious yeah, I mean, it's hard stuff. He played college soccer at cornerstone, I think. So he's like go, go, go, like it's tough, and then he'll do like finish. Oh my goodness, those are terrible.
Speaker 2:That's it, tell us.
Speaker 1:I think my last one it was like a cardio, it was all cardio, so I had to do six seconds sprinting on the treadmill and those treadmills at that place are like special ones, like for athletes, and it's just. I almost felt like I I was gonna fall off of it, like I've never those ones.
Speaker 2:I got you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, curve, yeah and then I there's, like the skier machine he had, he made me get thanks for doing the motion.
Speaker 2:By the way, I wouldn't have known what you meant yeah, there's.
Speaker 1:It's like I had to get 12 calories on that and there was two different types of bikes. I had to get 12 calories on one bike and then I had to do like 500 meters on the other, and then a rowing machine. I had to get like 700 meters on that or something like that, and I had to do it for three sets. It was just terrible.
Speaker 2:Like I was never worked harder in my life brandon, how thankful are you for your different injury In retrospect.
Speaker 5:Compared to these two, I can definitely say I'm very thankful that I didn't have to do all that. But I got the choice to choose to either work out with the trainers here or work out with actual physical therapists. And I was like, well, this is already very expensive and I don't really want to put more onto my mom. And so I was like you know, I'm gonna go work out with the trainers and shout out Grace and Chris, yeah, your mom couldn't say enough about them. Yeah, they, oh man, I couldn't thank them more. They were great, keeping me in high spirits and I know a lot of it comes from just being able to like keep your head down and locking in and wanting to come back, and they kind of just kept me there and staying focused and helping me mentally.
Speaker 2:You guys start moving out of this isolation that you're in. So you move from this rest and recovery moment, spending time alone, and then you start doing this what happens socially, now that you're doing some of this rehab and getting into that? What starts to change in your life?
Speaker 6:yeah. So I remember that after being able to throw at practice for the first time, I went up to the teammates and I joined in on throwing for the first time and just being able to talk with the guys, like that um being with them as a team while being able to throw, um, it really helped me like motivate myself more too. And talking with the coaches and everybody at practice, being able to participate, really like helped me instate the drive.
Speaker 2:And then you effectively and this is very impressive to me because I was able to do some announcing for baseball and who is out there all last season doing all the little work you effectively become a team manager. Right, you're doing lineup cards, you're raking the mound. You didn't have to do that, but why did you do that?
Speaker 6:I felt like I wanted to contribute to the team even though I wasn't playing. I felt like being a part of the team was one of the things I didn't want to lose. I didn't want to feel like I would just sit on the sideline, not talking with the guys, not being a part of the team. So I started doing the mound work with Coach Hoy.
Speaker 2:Very nice work, by the way.
Speaker 6:I appreciate that. I helped deliver you lineup cards, helped set those up, I did pitch charts so I could help develop game plans and I just wanted to contribute to the team as much as I could.
Speaker 4:One of the things I noticed about your baseball season last year is your fit was always dialed in. I mean flat bill Oakleys, it's all true. You look the part. I can't wait to see it on the mound. I had to Avery similar for you. You've kind of been that team manager, the biggest cheerleader on the bench, other than maybe Sydney. She's very loud when she's there with you. What's that kind of been like to be around your teammates and still be a part of the season.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, obviously this year is a rebuild year off of last year, so I just wanted to like, these are the girls that I've been playing with my entire life, so I just wanted to like support them, even though I couldn't play. And I have aspirations to play in college. I'm not committed yet or anything, but I know that they cheer me on, so why can't I cheer them on even if I'm not playing? You know, yeah, and I obviously like got to go fill up their water bottles and stuff, but yeah, that is. And now that I'm like more active stuff, like I can be a practice player Brandon's actually one of our practice players.
Speaker 5:Yeah. Nice.
Speaker 1:So yeah, we, we get after it.
Speaker 4:So well I can, I'll tell you both when you do those things and we know that you're sitting out because of injury those things don't go unnoticed by just kind of general population folks Certainly me. I'm always looking at kids and how, when they're met with adversity, how are they going to respond to it, Because so much of what you learn in playing sports is how to deal with that adversity. Things are going to happen in life. How are you then going to return and respond to those things? So kudos to you both for being there for your teammates.
Speaker 1:Yeah, even off of that, like I've just gotten to see basketball from a different perspective. I've learned so much, like from the x's and o's side and like how to motivate players to do better if they're in like a slump or something. You know, it's just I don't know. It's just been a pretty nice way to like cope with me not being able to play. Like I've just been able to learn so much from this experience.
Speaker 4:I you're another coach in the future, maybe what?
Speaker 2:are you guys all 18 years old? Yep, just turned 18 you're wiser than most after this. Let me tell you that much, brandon yes, you that much, brandon. You get to go back first. You get to go back in the same season that you get injured. What can you tell these two about what that feeling is like? Now I know Colin's done some little pitching. You've been able to get to where you are in your non-contact. What is it going to be like for them when they get to go?
Speaker 5:back. I'm telling you now, it's gonna. It's the most surreal experience that you'll ever like feel like it's I couldn't be more blessed and thankful in god for allowing me to get to this uh point and it's I I can kind of lost for words on it, but it's just a really cool experience and it feels really good to just be back out there and completing with your friends and you know, going out there to go get some West Ottawa wins. And it's nice because now this year I'm planning on going for that school record for high jump, which is a six foot nine. I'm beating Steve trip, I'm telling you that now, um, mark it nine. I'm beating Steve Tripp, I'm telling you that now Mark it down.
Speaker 4:I'm marking it down. It's on the podcast now.
Speaker 5:So I'm just excited and you guys will love it. I'm telling you it's the best experience you will ever feel, because you actually kind of feel like you got yourself back to normal.
Speaker 2:I guess you could say, avery, you might get on the floor on senior night. Maybe you might get that senior night start. Yeah, that's the rumblings I'm hearing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sounds like I'm going to start and I get to have my first and last points in my senior season.
Speaker 2:Are we going to go deep corner three it's not going to be a layup, is it? You're such a great three-point shooter. I was looking at a huddle today, by the way, and I forgot you were a lefty.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah. Yeah, I'm a lefty. I'm debating whether I shoot a three or not because I feel like if I miss that'll be kind of embarrassing.
Speaker 2:I'm running the clock so we can play around.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so if I make a three, then the other team has to make a three also.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's true.
Speaker 1:So yeah, it is what it is.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, I'm excited for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too. It's going to be awesome. Grateful that Chapman's giving me that opportunity, colin, for you.
Speaker 2:You've come back a little bit already. What's interesting for you is you have this 12 to 18 month timeline, but reality is you're kind of ready, yeah, and you've been ready for a while. You do some pitching in the fall league. Tell us about that experience yeah.
Speaker 6:So I signed up for this fall league with a couple of my buddies here Jake Wagner and Quinn and I didn't think I was gonna pitch. I thought I was gonna hit mostly. But I threw a little bit in the summer so I kind of knew there was opportunity for me to pitch. And it was the first game and I talked to the coaches and a lot of people weren't willing to go throw. So I had some kid go first and then I was second and I took pre-workout beforehand Like I was all juiced up so I already had adrenaline going and caffeine it was. My head was spinning.
Speaker 2:I don't want to be in the batter's box when you're coming out, right.
Speaker 6:It wasn't good and, like he said, it's a surreal moment. Walking out was one of the key memories I'm going to have for the rest of my life. And it wasn't good. I kind of struggled. I threw about five pitches into the net, but it was an awesome moment.
Speaker 4:What it's going to be awesome to just watch you both set back out there with West Ottawa or Panthers across your chest. I am so excited for that moment for both of you. Brandon, obviously I've gotten to see you come back and what you've done and yeah, it's going to be a fantastic spring and it is.
Speaker 2:it is coming up on us because we are like four weeks away, yep, and it's go time yeah, so we got a baseball season opens up on march 21 at mona. Do you know, uh, where you are in this? You might want to call that.
Speaker 4:Shores. You'll catch some static from the people from Mona Shores. If you call it Mona, I always called it Mona. And then our assistant principal, Brent Jandren, is a graduate of Mona Shores and he looked at me like I had punched him in the face or something when.
Speaker 2:I called it Mona Baseball season opens on 321 at Shores.
Speaker 4:There we go.
Speaker 2:Where do you think you'll, where do you think you'll get that?
Speaker 6:first start. I don't know because lineups aren't set, but I'm hoping to be one of the top conference starters. I don't know if I want to pitch for Mona. It all depends on the coaching. I kind of hope I do. First game, first game back.
Speaker 4:Cold.
Speaker 6:I feel like it would be really cold. I feel like that would be cool to get one of those opportunities just to also ease in. So get the adrenaline all out of there and shake the rust off.
Speaker 2:Panther fans. If you're interested in a great sports story and you want to see some magic, get out to this, start when this kid hits the mound again. It is going to be something special. So let's stay on Instagram, let's get that posted so we all know when that is. And yeah, if you're a casual fan out there and you go to sports once in a while, get this one up. Why not? Girls soccer is 314 at home versus Holland. But I think that first. Do you feel like your first comeback is basketball or do you think it's going to be soccer? What? But I think that first. Do you feel like your first comeback is basketball or you think it's going to be soccer?
Speaker 1:What's it feel like for you? Um, I'm not technically cleared until March 28th.
Speaker 2:Right, so it's going to be a while yet, then.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it'll, it'll be soccer for sure. Um, I'm going to miss like the first couple of weeks of the season, but uh, I talked be on limited minutes for the first little bit. The clearance process for ACL is like you have to be cleared by your physical therapist and you have to be cleared by your surgeon, so I'm hoping it's March 28th. I don't know if I'm going to get that strength testing with a physical therapist.
Speaker 2:But if it's not, it's okay. Yeah, yeah, but guess what's going to happen to you, Avery Vendellin, what? There's going to be a time when you're going to get subbed in because they need your athletic ability out in that field.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm looking forward to that day. It's in the next couple months here.
Speaker 2:All right for that one too. We're definitely going to be on that. What I find very interesting about this for all three of you is the short term was taken away, but your long term was not. You guys all have plans to do things after West Ottawa. Yep, barry, you're planning on North Carolina A&T HBCU? Tell us about that, yeah.
Speaker 5:Great school up in North Carolina. I'm pretty sure it's in Greensboro Beautiful area. My mom plans on moving to North Carolina so she was like if, if you can go there, it'd be a lot easier for you, because then you can just come home. You know that doesn't sound too bad.
Speaker 5:So I plan on going to visit there within the next month or so. I'm really excited. My mom has always kind of put it onto me like stressed on me like you should go to an HBCU, Like you would love it there. Cause, coming from Akron to here, the culture change was definitely a lot different. It was really weird to be one of the only black people in a classroom and it was definitely a different experience.
Speaker 5:I kind of at first, when I first got here, I kind of didn't really show who I really was at first because I didn't know how to express myself at the time. But I met a good group of guys and I was able to kind of just open up and now everybody knows me as me and I'm just excited for whatever the future holds.
Speaker 2:Know you as you, I mean. You certainly make it easy to I'll say that much Colin Lansing community college. Yep, this is a jump off school too, isn't it Like? This is a cool place for you to go Talk to us about that.
Speaker 6:Yeah, so, um, I initially DM and tagged one of the Lansing Community College's coaches in my post on Twitter and he reached out to me within like 10 minutes, I think it was. I went on a call with him after work one day and he was a super straight up guy and after the call he felt like it was like my next door neighbor. Basically it felt like I was talking to like somebody like I knew for forever. We got along like really quickly and I went and visited there and it felt like home. I walked on the campus and I wanted that big school feel and it had that big school feel. I've been looking at them even before surgery. They were like one of the top developmental JUCOs and they're like second in Division II for like win-loss in the past like three, four years and I feel like this is the best opportunity I have to really showcase my skills and get myself out there more.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that is one of those. Unless you're in the baseball world, you probably haven't heard of LCC, but if you're connected to baseball at all, I worked for the Lugnuts for a period of time, right around the corner from LCC. They just pump out dudes constantly and a lot of it is people like yourself who are coming back off of that injury, who need that opportunity just to go and prove themselves once again. And man, kudos to you for going there. They got a gem for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they send people to D1 too, right Arizona State. A lot of people get sent there, so it's a real jumping off point. Kudos for you for getting that too. I mean despite your injury Took a lot.
Speaker 6:I mean, come on, took a lot, so a lot of Twitter posts, especially.
Speaker 2:What does it take to get that when you're injured?
Speaker 6:It's more potential based, I feel like, and it's also a character. You show your character and you show like the potential you had before surgery and after. Some schools will kind of like decline you because you had the surgery, but they were one of those schools that they take people in who have had that bad of a surgery, like Tommy John, and they work with you and I felt like that was for sure the best spot.
Speaker 2:Avery. You have multiple places you can go Aquinas, albion, lawrence University and this weekend you're going to Point Park, a D2 in Pittsburgh. Right yeah, tell us about that trip you got all planned this weekend.
Speaker 1:Honestly, I haven't seen an itinerary yet. Okay, I'm not sure, but if, like, we're talking about recruiting, I got her in the AAU game so I had coaches like watching me in that game and like the Hope College coach just straight up got up and left after I went down like oh gosh and I mean it's been my lifelong dream to play basketball at Hope College.
Speaker 1:So like seeing that I was getting recruited by them and then him leaving, that was like really tough and I didn't have any offers, like going up to that point, so hearing that I wore my ACL and didn't have any offers and I was like the biggest recruiting period for basketball, like that was really tough. Like I was scraping tooth and nail to get any offers. I was getting in contact with coaches and it was like two weeks before surgery that I had my first visit with Lawrence. That's the school in Appleton, wisconsin, and yeah, I mean the coaches are awesome there. I really loved my experience there. And Albion I had never really thought about playing there but they're actually in Hope's conference, so that would be pretty cool to play against them Dagger three to knock them out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, kind of, but I had to fill out a recruiting form on their athletics page and that's the only reason they knew about me. And I'm just going off of a film from last year like I didn't. It was hard to get recruited with playing under somebody like gabby reynolds, like she just looks so good that everybody else looks bad, you know so well, you never look bad to me when you play.
Speaker 2:I'll say that.
Speaker 4:And as somebody that experienced college in Pittsburgh, it's an awesome town to be a college-age student there and Point Park's a great school, so good luck to you this weekend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 4:Permani Brothers. Make sure you hit it, permani Brothers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've been there.
Speaker 4:If you're in Pittsburgh, you have to go to Permani Brothers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's.
Speaker 1:Permani.
Speaker 4:Brothers. Permani Brothers is like thick Italian bread, your choice of meat cheese. Okay, then they go. French fries, coleslaw, oh wow, I hold the slaw.
Speaker 5:Okay, I probably would too, and it comes out of this working class town. So this is the steel workers.
Speaker 4:This was the steel workers meal. This is what they would go eat. Oh wow.
Speaker 5:That still sounds good. It's legit. Sounds like I need to go there, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Oh, got to give a shout out. Josie Cho's and Kate Adams. They're a couple of my friends from the Lawrence basketball team, so, yep, just giving a shout out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, shout them out. Anybody else want to shout anybody out? Why not?
Speaker 5:Let's. I know I've said shout out to my mom, but she would love to hear this Shout out Big Tiff, appreciate you for everything and thank you for just being by my side for everything. And shout out Grace and Chris, our athletic trainers. Y'all are great. I couldn't appreciate y'all more.
Speaker 4:Do I have permission to call her Big Tiff?
Speaker 5:Absolutely. She wants everybody to call her Big Tiff. It's so funny.
Speaker 6:Yeah, and then I'll shout out my surgeon, Dr LeBolt, Checking in with him. He always made the hospital feel like home. Also, shout out my dad for always pushing me to be the best and never shying away from teaching me good worth, I think. Shout out Lisa Roloff's, All those texts you gave me. Even though you know I hated them, I still always appreciate them. And the candy and the candy, the candy.
Speaker 2:As we finish up here, we're going to just ask a couple of meaningful questions. Somebody else is listening to this and they're injured. What advice would you give them to get through it? Take your time, don't have to answer quick. You're going to talk to somebody who just got injured. You're going to talk to somebody who just got injured. They're going through stuff. What?
Speaker 1:might you say to them? I would say like, focus on yourself and your mental health. Like, especially if it's a longterm injury, it's going to be tough at first but if you start to see like the light in these dark situations, everything will be fine and like there is light at the end of the tunnel isolation.
Speaker 5:For sure you have to fight, because when you get in isolation you kind of like you start talking really negatively and you kind of get really bad, negative thoughts about, um, maybe other people or you're kind of just like why did this have to happen to me? This should have happened to this person and it's not fair. But if I was to tell anybody, like, just stay true to yourself and don't allow outside distractions and social media to bring you down and social media to bring you down, especially mentally, because I remember during the isolation period I was on social media a lot and I was seeing everybody else just do so good, or I was watching Olympic high jumpers just do these crazy jumps, and I'd just get really jealous and like this isn't fair, this is where I want to be, and now I'm here and you're laying up in my bed, but anybody just push through.
Speaker 2:Can we speak to that in a minute, because you guys are both shaking your heads? You were nodding when you said that, avery.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I saw videos on like Twitter and stuff of like people three days after surgery like squatting 155 pounds, full range of motion. It's like there's no way. That's, that's actually true. Like it just made me feel terrible about like where I was in my recovery. Um, you just kind of have to remember like you're your own person and your recovery is not going to be the same as somebody else's. So you need to like stay independent, but like also don't let the outside distractions get to you.
Speaker 6:Like barry was saying everybody's journey is different at the end of the day. Some people might come back faster, some might take longer, but we all have the same goal at the end of the day we all want to reach the same finish line and stay true to yourself, like barry said. Also, if I was to tell somebody who had an injury, I'd say reach out to people, don't keep stuff to yourself, whether it's struggles, mental struggles, battles with depression. Always reach out. Don't hide anything. Tell the truth. So yeah.
Speaker 2:Wise beyond their years, rodney one day you're going to be that 40 year old and someone's going to ask you what happened to you in high school, and you're going to tell your story and it's going to matter.
Speaker 1:So hang on to this stuff and I feel like having another person on the basketball team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, can we do a shout out to Jayla Means for a minute, because she is a carbon copy of your injury was two weeks later, yeah, something like that.
Speaker 1:But she got her surgery like a month and a half later or something. So yeah, I mean, having somebody that's going through the exact same thing and pretty much the same timeline has been so helpful, Like after a hard day of PT, like I can just text her and she'll just be there and it's great, and like obviously vice versa, like if she has a tough day or she's like feeling behind in her recovery, like we can just help each other out.
Speaker 2:So yeah, and she's been there with the team as well, so kudos to her. Well, I just want to thank you all for coming on. You're all wonderful human beings, wonderful people. In a few months, you won't be here anymore.
Speaker 2:Like a year from now, you're all going to be in different places. This is going to matter for a long time. You guys sharing your story with us. We wish all three of you the best spring sports season and we're looking forward to seeing you out there For everybody out there. Remember that we are West Ottawa, we are a community, we are each other and I just want to thank all three of you for coming in, telling the truth and sharing your experience.
Speaker 6:Really appreciate it, thank you Thanks so much guys.
