Injuries are a part of the sport and can be as tough emotionally and psychologically to come back from as the physical rehabilitation.
We are starting an Injury Recovery series where we’ll document softball players who have suffered from injuries but have triumphed to get back onto the competitive fields.
In our first segment, we head to Raleigh, North Carolina to learn the story of Courtney Yow, a sophomore middle infielder and outfielder whose game is based on speed.
A member of the NC Challengers Premier National team, Courtney won the MVP honors at the Softball Youth All American Games in Myrtle Beach last year for the 2021-24 team and also took 1st place in the home-to-home challenge (11.5 seconds) at the USSSA All American Games Skills Challenge.
She was also invited to the USSSA Select 30 for the 2021 event but was unable to attend after suffering a scary season-ending knee injury last fall.
One fan of Courtney’s is former Louisville All-American Alicia Wolny who receiving an invitation herself to play for the Great Britain National Team in 2019. Alicia, who is the Softball Youth Recruiting Coordinator and Brand Development lead, said this after seeing the North Carolina athlete at the Softball Youth Games:
“Courtney is a hyper-athletic, speedy ball player that plays with palpable love and passion for the game. She is nowhere close to her ceiling and the softball world is in for a treat as she continues to grow and develop.”
That development, however, was put into jeopardy when the current sophomore—who carries a 4.29 GPA in all honors classes and plans to study Aerospace Engineering in college—went down on a play at second base on October 18, 2020.
Here, in the words of Courtney and her mother, Kelly Bates, is the amazing journey that the athlete has been on over the last half-year with insights that may inspire others who, unfortunately, may have to take the same route to get back on the field.
It’s important to note that not all will have the same recovery experience, including such a fast-track to get back into playing again, but we feel this can give hope to those who are forced to go through the rehab process.
As Courtney can testify, it CAN be done and worth it all, even in the midst of the pain and uncertain road back!
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
*****
Extra Inning Softball What is your memory of the injury… did you think it was as bad as it was when it first happened?
Courtney Yow: My memory of the injury starts off by me sliding into second where I collided with the shortstop and my knee twisted. I sat there for a few seconds and then got up limping thinking it was just sore. The coach asked me if I was OK and I said “yes.”
I sat out one inning to let it heal for a few minutes. I then got up to walk the injury off because my team needed me, so I went back on the field. During warm-ups, my knee kept popping every time I threw the ball but I put that aside. A line drive was then hit over my head so I went to leap for the ball where I jumped and then landed on my knee.
At that moment I was in too much pain to stay out on the field so I sat out the rest of the game. I didn’t think it was at bad as it was when I first slid into second, but when I came off the field a second time I knew something was wrong because I couldn’t ignore the pain like I did the first time. I knew something was wrong, but I never would have imagined it would be as serious as it was.
EIS: When you were told the extent of the injury, it must have been devastating news. How did you decide to go through with it and handle the process emotionally?
CY: When I first heard the news it could be a torn ACL or torn meniscus from the doctor, I refused to believe the news because to me there was still hope it could be a sprain. I then went for a MRI and the radiologist told my mother it was a torn ACL and dislocated patella.
My mom tried to tell me the extent of the injury but I still refused to believe the news deep down inside because that meant I would not be able to play softball for a while.
Later after practice, she showed me a picture of the MRI report so I could fully understand the news. I decided to keep my feeling inside because deep down I was devastated but I didn’t want to express my feelings and have anybody worry about me. In my mind, I wondered if I really was gonna be out for 9-12 months.
The next day, I decided this injury would not suppress me but instead push me to the limits. I wanted to beat the odds and come back sooner and stronger than ever.
EIS: What was the toughest part of the rehab? Was there a time when it seemed like it was too overwhelming?
CY: For me, the toughest part of the rehab was the first time after surgery which was four days. I could not bend my knee but my physical therapist decided to bend my knee all the way back causing me to be in tremendous amounts of pain.
My therapist had told me we would have a love/hate relationship: I would love him for getting me back on the field but I would hate him for the amount of pain he would put me through!
The first few days after surgery seemed overwhelming because the pain was unbearable; however, I wanted to be back on the field playing with my teammates so however much pain I need to go through to get back on the field was all going to be worth it in the end.
The constant support and encouragement by my family, my Challengers team, and my high school team helped me get through the hard days and the toughest days during rehab. I would not be where I am today without their constant support.
Here is video of Courtney working out just two months after her surgery:
https://twitter.com/courtneyyow2023/status/1351662324550164484
EIS: How did it feel when the doctor told you that you were ready to get back on the field?
CY: I went in for my five-month follow-up and just two months before I had asked the doctor if she could clear me in six months. She laughed saying she had never cleared anybody before nine months.
I put what she had said aside and decided I would still try and beat the odds. When I came in that morning, I wanted to be cleared so I prepared a speech to give in hopes she would clear me. As soon as she got in, she saw a mark on my shin where I had got cleated during practice. I then explained to her what happened—that I had been full out practicing for two months because my physical therapist had said it was OK.
She then had me do all kinds of exercises in front of her to test my knee stability. Once I was done, she looked at me and said I was cleared to play. In that moment, it felt like a cloud had been lifted off my shoulders and I finally had the chance to be me again because playing softball was a part of my life so, for those six months, it felt like I had a lost a part of me. I was overwhelmed with joy because I could finally be back on the field playing with my teammates again!
EIS: What is one thing you learned about yourself from the process?
CY: One thing I learned about myself throughout this process, is the limits I can be pushed to and the love I truly have for the game. You are truly not tested until you have faced adversity and overcome it.
I believe God gives us moments in life where we are put to the test and given the chance to rely on our faith and withstand the storm. I chose in that moment of my injury, to rise above and not let my injury hold me back or even make me question my ability to overcome it.
EIS: What advice would you give others going through an injury rehab like yours?
CY: My advice to others going through an injury rehab is that you can look at your injury as a setback or an even greater comeback. There may be moments where you feel you have hit rock bottom but those are the moments you are truly being pushed to the limits. Never let your injury define who you are but instead define who you are going to become.
*****
Here is the perspective from Courtney’s mother, Kelly Bates, who is a Registered Nurse…
Courtney has had a great recovery due to her amazing hard work and dedication to get well and back on the field. She made a vow to dedicate herself 100 percent to becoming 100 percent again.
The news of a torn ACL was devastating, like “How did this crazy athletic kid get basically the worst sports injury to the knee that there is”?
At the time of diagnosis, there was a tremendous amount of mixed emotions and, to our surprise, that was only the beginning: what was soon to come would push her to limits she didn’t know existed yet.
I have watched my strong-willed, dedicated, aggressive, and stubborn daughter fight through this injury with her head held high. Undergoing aggressive and strenuous physical therapy sessions two and three times a week for the past five months has not been easy on her, I don’t even know that I could have done that.
Not one time did Courtney want to give up, not one time did she skip a session, not one time did she complain when I watched her legs shake because they were so sore and when I watched her throw up because the activity was that strenuous and for extended periods of time.
A month ago, on March 30, 2021, we had her five-month follow-up with the surgeon at Duke Sports Medicine. I watched this doctor put her through a series of exercises and I listened as she asked many, many questions regarding pain, knee stability, and current level of activity.
This doctor told Courtney only three months ago that she would not step onto the field to actually play for 9-12 months because people simply do not recover from ACL reconstruction that fast and she, by no means, cleared anyone sooner than nine months.
During that visit at the end of March, she smiled at Courtney, and I had the privilege of listening to her tell Courtney that she has “superhuman abilities” and had done absolutely everything she needed to do to be cleared to play the sport she loves.
As of that day, Courtney was officially released to put on her uniform and take the field with her teammates. The excitement and joy that flashed over her face will forever be sketched into my memory.
Courtney is doing great and was finally discharged from physical therapy yesterday (Wednesday, April 28, 2021). It was a little emotional to say the least. She could have never gotten cleared had it not been for the amazing therapy she received with Dr. Lucas and his staff at Break Through physical therapy.
She has been able to play in some of her high school games and will play her last varsity game tonight. She’s recorded three triples, two doubles, and two singles in four games. The coach has been extremely impressed with that. We are hopeful she will be able to carry that over to the PGF Tar Heel classic in May.
Courtney is back to where she was but is determined to become better. She is continuing to work with the athletic trainer everyday until school is released. I think the most relieving part of her finally being cleared to play is that she now feels like she can contribute to the teams needs and feels like she is herself again.
I hope that her story can show any other athletes with a similar injury that they can overcome it as well. I can’t even put into words how proud I am of Courtney. She faced this obstacle with determination and refused to let this be a barrier in her softball career.
— Kelly Bates, (Courtney’s mother)
