Olivia Rodina '22 Recruiting Profile

It is just like any other soccer practice. My friends are all around me, laughing and having fun. Our coach is getting drills ready for us to practice.  Our coach decides to scrimmage the boys, who are practicing right next to us. Then, this is where things start to go south. 

My coach plays me at forward, although I normally play offensive mid or left outside back, so I want to show off my shooting skills. At one point, when I plant my foot on the ground, the opponent keeps running and takes my leg with him. When he hit my leg, a very loud pop came from my knee, and I instantly fell to the ground. I knew something was very wrong; looking up at the clouds floating across that Nevada sky, I felt like my dream of playing on a college soccer field was floating away from me as well. 

A couple days later, we went to see an orthopedic surgeon, scheduled an MRI and then went back to review the results. The doctor’s first assessment was right. I had a full tear in my ACL and inside both menisci. I had surgery the following Monday, the week of Thanksgiving. 

From then on, rehab was the struggle. Eventually, I started physical therapy. When doing the physical therapy, it made me think about what I wanted to do in the future. I was seeing both a physical therapist and the athletic trainer in a bridge program-- a program for athletes after PT has ended but competition-level performance has not yet been reached: I fell in love with athletic training. I knew right then and there that I wanted to be an athletic trainer. The recovery was supposed to be 9 months long, but I came back in 7 months instead, and I credit that quick recovery to the athletic trainer who picked up where PT left off. That, and a LOT of hard work, daily exercises, weight lifting, and the absolute belief that I could overcome this challenge got me back on the field.

I would love to say that there is a happy ending; however, that is not the case. This year, during our first home game, I tore the ACL in my other leg.  Yup, surgery again, and I am now almost three months into rehab...again.  The difference is that I now know that soccer is only part of my future, and sports medicine is the other part.  I am excited to begin coursework in this area and see where it leads. I am more motivated than ever to realize my dream of playing college soccer, partially because I know how it fits into the overall plan for my life.  I am more focused than ever.  

 It will be hard for me;  you see, I played soccer originally to deal with a lack of confidence I had due to undiagnosed oculomotor dysfunction and dyslexia.  I spent my first 7 years of school thinking I was stupid because I couldn’t read. Soccer was my escape; it rescued me and gave me something to feel great about when school made me feel dumb.  I ended up feeling confident enough to tackle Honors classes, Trig-Precalculus, and AP Studio Art. I’ve believed in myself when it seemed like my school didn’t.  When they did not schedule me for Chemistry and Physics, I made them change my schedule, so that I could take them.  When they told me I should stay with my 504 plan to get accommodations on the ACT/ SAT, I chose to get declassified because I knew I didn’t need accommodations to be successful in school.  I did not do well on the ACT or SAT, nor will I ever do well on a timed test, but I know that I am not dumb just because I struggle to read.  I have worked my butt off to maintain over a 3.2 GPA during my high school career. 

I have struggled for years to make other people believe in me, and this has caused me to be more responsible and to work harder than most other student athletes my age.  I missed out on my junior year season and most of my senior season, but I am going to be better than ever once I get back on the field again.  I already have an offer from our local community college, but I feel like I can do more if I find a coach who values athletes who know what hard work looks like and what passion feels like!