athlete interviews
athletes coaching athletes - stories of resilience
Too many athletes struggle on the journey towards a comeback without the advantages of speaking with the veterans who have been through it before. To address that, we have brought together inspiring athletes from across the globe to share their story and advice for a smoother recovery
A common theme evident in all of the interviews is that the mental side of the injury is one of the highest hurdles on the road to recovery. The psychological and emotional effects of sports injuries are real. Yet too often, the mental impact is overlooked by healthcare, coaches, and teammates
Nonetheless, each and every one of these athletes have learned to grow from the experience and gained life lessons along the way. Whether you have experienced an injury personally, or have a friend, family member, or teammate on the path to recovery, we invite you to read the stories and advice shared by these athletes to learn what it is like from first-hand experience
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MARTIN KRAMPELJ is an NCAA college basketball forward at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Despite 3 devastating ACL tears, Krampelj refuses to give up his love for the game of basketball, and is one of the rare elite athletes
SHANTAL is a Spanish surfer who left her hometown in the Canary Islands and moved to Bali five years ago. She has always been involved in water sports, and her father was a professional windsurfer. Since she was a baby, Shantal would travel…
KRISTINA KORBS (aka KORR-A) is a music artist and entrepreneur who has always lived a very active life. She is also a performer, model, and movie producer. Kristina has always played sports, danced and loves to travel to places she has never…
ALEX BALLOU’s biggest dream was always to become a professional MMA fighter, although she felt that it took a long time for it to come together. She used to watch the UFC and thought it was incredible that people fought for a living and loved…
JENNIFER CHRISTMAN is a 30-year old female snowboarder and mountain biker hailing from eastern Pennsylvania. By career, she is a physical therapist assistant specializing in out-patient orthopedic and neurological physical therapy…
CLARECE STRUDWICK is a 19-year old athlete who has been playing football since the age of three. She grew up on a farm in Australia: 100km (one hour) from the closest town and 600km from Brisbane. She is grateful for her amazing parents…
LENE LYKKE is a 27 year-old athlete who lives in Uppsala, Sweden with her partner and their one year old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever called Soren. She is studying at Uppsala University to become an upper secondary school teacher…
DEBORAH ORY is one of the creative geniuses behind the NYC Dance Project, which showcases the wonderful world of dance in NYC through world-renowned photography. Deborah started dancing at the age of 7, and continued to pursue this passion…
more inspirational athletes
ELLA TAYLOR-TIPTON is a 14 year-old skier from England and has been skiing since the age of 3. By the age of 5, was training at the Swadlincote Ski Centre, and competed in the Slalom…
SARAH DE JAEGHER discovered her passion for stand-up-paddleboarding after moving on from being a semi-professional Tango dancer. For an active individual like Sarah…
KATELYN AGUILAR is a 17-year old athlete in junior in high school in the US. She plays soccer and is a center forward for her high school and for her travel team, u18 Richmond…
LULU YANEZ is multi-sport athlete and has played varsity softball, basketball, soccer, and track & field. Marilu was an All-CIF selection in 2006, 2007 and 2008 in volleyball. She played…
JULIANNA BALSELLS, 22-years old, spent 10 years as a competitive gymnast before retiring at the age of 15. She was involved in a variety of sports..
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KAYLYN was a high jumper on the Track & Field team at Baylor University, where she completed her undergraduate studies, as well as a Master’s degree in Public Health. She has been…
ERIK OZOLLAPA is a semi-professional ice hockey player born in Latvia, and hockey has brought him around the world. Throughout his hockey career, he has played in Latvia, Germany,..
LAURA AGAN is a 23-year old athlete who played NCAA Division 1 volleyball at Northwestern State University, and then continued to play in England at the University…
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THEA FENWICK is a 17-year old freestyle skier from England and started skiing at the age of 2. Since the age of 12, she has lived abroad in Italy, USA, and Austria to train in skiing…
NATALIE S is the Founder of the fitness and lifestyle blog, Flexx & The City, based in New York City. She was a Division I athlete in college, and athletic activities continue to be a mainstay…
JANELLE RATTENBURY is a 23-year old athlete from Tasmania, Australia. She has represented her state in cricket, and plays AFL in the Tasmanian State League (TSL)…
KENDALL DUNCAN started playing basketball at the age of 5 and fell in love with the game. Throughout her entire life, she had dreamed of playing women's college basketball…
CHARLOTTE CAMPBELL is a lacrosse goalkeeper and has been playing since she was around 4th grade. Since the age of 6, she has wanted to join the Navy Medical Corps…
JORDI NEWMAN was a Division I athlete in college, prior to tearing her ACL four times (an XCLevation record!) and has made a successful comeback to CrossFit. She is also a mom…
KINDYLL WETTA is a sophomore in high school from Colorado and has played sports her entire life. She enjoys snowboarding and paddle boarding…
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TALIA SCHWARTZ is a fitness enthusiast, health nut, and baller from New York City. After tearing her ACL, she consulted the orthopaedic team at the hospital where she is a speech…
KAILA PIRRIE is a mountain girl to the fullest. She has a passion for rock climbing, biking, skiing, running, and yoga - and was incredibly active prior to the ACL injury. Her current goals are…
CAMERON BROSNIHAN, from Massachusetts, is one of the youngest athletes to tear his ACL. He tore his ACL at the age of 9 playing football, and then made a successful comeback...
ABBIE VOS is passionate about skiing and running and enjoyed an injury-free life, until she was faced with a devastating ACL tear, followed by a broken toe on the same leg. Despite these events…
CHRISTINE JOY is a Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor, and Yoga Teacher. She tore her ACL stepping out of bed, and is 2 weeks post op. She can't wait to get back to training and teaching…
COURTNEY ODELEIN is a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher in Toronto. She grew up in a small town of 400 people in the middle of Saskatchewan. She is grateful for her dance teacher…
ADRIAN GONZALEZ, 27-years old, has a passion for soccer and bodybuilding. In November 2017, he tore his ACL playing soccer and is now 11 months post-injury and 8 months post-surgery...
ISSIAH EVANS tore his ACL at the age of 9 and is passionate about football and basketball, His determination and hard work paid off, as he made an extraordinary comeback…
MELISSA CHAN is a finance professional who also loves Muay Thai. Before tearing her ACL, she competed as an amateur. Her knee has now recovered and she is excited to get back into…
KARLY MERAU is a 19-year old professional performer and has been a cheerleader and dancer since the age of 8. She is one year and four months post injury, and eight months post-op…
J.P. HERRERA is currently a pilot. Before getting into aviation, he spent 5 years as an army lientenant. He has been playing soccer since the age of 3…
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J ROUNDTREE is a United States Army Veteran who loves sports (basketball, football, and baseball) and making YouTube videos. He loves to help people, even if it is only for a brief…
HANA BENETKOVA is a 27 year old physiotherapist from Central Europe who loves gymnastics, nature, laughter, and beer. She has made a full comeback doing gymnastics again…
DONNA MCNUTT is a mom, teacher and someone who loves being active. Her two main sports are mountain biking and road biking. Being an active person, she not only works…
CAMILLE STAFFORD was a competitive gymnast for 10 years, and played soccer since she was able to walk, but ultimately chose to pursue lacrosse at a collegiate level…
JESSICA FREDERICK is a fitness enthusiast, wife, and dog Mom who enjoys helping women find their groove in a balanced healthy lifestyle. As an orthopaedic nurse, she works with patients that…
CAMILLE LYU is a high school athlete with a passion for volleyball and soccer. She is known for her determination and dedication to achieve her goals. She is one-week post-op…
KYLIE THIBODEAU-HARVEY is a 26 year old, competitive athlete and online entrepreneur. Her main focus is teaching people to think differently to improve the quality of their lives…
AMY BAKER is tore her ACL 4 times playing soccer, and has had ACL reconstructions each time. She has been playing soccer since the age of 6…
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TASHA BABER is a 33-year old power-lifter who loves exercise and has lost over 80 lbs in the past two years. She does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitively, but tore her ACL as a result of a trampoline accident…
ANNETTE GRANDOLFO is 36 years old and has been playing volleyball since middle school, and has completed Tough Mudder. She currently works in mental health focused on…
OLIVIA HICKS is a 19 year old gymnast who started at the age of 6, and absolutely loves it. She is currently studying exercise and sport science, and hopes to continue to pursue a masters…
HOLLY AISTON is a 21 year old Exercise physiology student, and hopes to one day open her own clinic and help others with knee and other injuries. She is a sports fanatic…
ANDY ROWE is a 39-year old Assistant Chief of a firefighter department. He is also a private pilot and was previously in the army. He tore his ACL while fighting a house fire when…
BEN HARGRAVE is a lift engineer, who has always been into sports, especially football. He tore his ACL during a football match, but has made a full comeback and is back..
CASSIE BROWN is a 19 year old professional dancer and actress. She graduated with an Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts and started working as a Professional Dancer and Children’s Entertainer..
DJONAS CASTILLO fell in love with the game of basketball after being inspired by Michael Jordan and been playing since the age of 10. 6 months has passed since his ACL reconstruction…