Credit to Kaylin Mort

Varsity Girls Basketball plays a game against St. Charles High School

As soccer is Marena Weatherspoon’s main sport, it was a big heartbreak, tearing her ACL while playing in a C-team basketball game last year. Getting any injury as an athlete is something no one wants, especially an injury as serious as tearing your ACL. With so much passion for sports, Weatherspoon has worked to get herself back and better than before for the upcoming soccer season. 

According to Weatherspoon,  it takes a lot of work to come back after such an impactful injury and she said people don’t realize how hard it is to stick to the recovery plan and going to the gym everyday while seeing barely any progress. 

“The process has made me not take my chances for granted and have fun with everything I do because I never know when I won’t be able to do it again,” Weatherspoon said.

Girls soccer varsity head coach Matt Havermale sees what Marena still brings to the team even though she could not play for a whole season. He got to get to know her while she was there to support the team, no matter what. According to Havermale, everyone was upset when she got injured so having her be able to come back is something everyone is looking forward to. 

“She supports the team very well in terms of just lifting others up,” Havermale said. “Everyone was very upset when she got hurt. It’s a big team along with a family atmosphere, and she’s a big part of that.” 

Senior Morgan Smith, who has been on the team since her freshman year, sees how much work Weatherspoon puts in to be able to come back to play. Smith knows how much her teammate loves soccer and can see the passion she has for it. 

“I think the injury pushed her even harder than she had to push and ultimately made her so much better after such a big setback,” Smith said.

Throughout her recovery, Weatherspoon also learned patience, discipline,and mental toughness, qualities that are just as important as physical strength. Physical therapy sessions, rest days, and small milestones slowly rebuilt her confidence. Being around teammates during practices and games motivated her to keep going, reminding her why she fell in love with soccer and competition in the first place. She has stuck to the recovery plan and worked slowly to come back. Although this was a major setback, she’s ready to come back soon and to keep growing as an athlete.

“I would love to commit to a D1 soccer program, so giving my everything to reach and see what I can do with my full potential is something I’m really excited for,” Weatherspoon said.