The opportunity of a lifetime versus the lifetime of the opportunity

MITCHELL, S.D. – There is no greater gift in sports for any fan, team or athlete than the pure act of competition. The sheer drama and excitement brought forth by the unceasing cheering, clapping and screaming is enough to make any athlete's pulse accelerate. Therefore, is it the excellence that spawns from the act or is it the driving catalyst behind competition that makes it so embracive and appealing?

 While it is easy for many to gravitate towards the excellence of competition and the winning that comes with it, less appealing is the disappointment and resistance brought forth by the act. Yet, with any great challenge or setback, any team or athlete truly discovers just how strong they really are, especially when dealing with loss and injury.

 For example, take the likes of all-time greats like Tiger Words, Kerry Strug and Bethany Hamilton who are rightfully recognized and remembered for winning countless championships, trophies and medals in their respective professions of golf, gymnastics and surfing. Yet, less known about these professional athletes are their unique stories of athletic greatness and achievement in the face of excruciating injury and setback.

 Though she may not be a professional athlete, Dakota Wesleyan University women's soccer standout and redshirt senior Alyssa Weidler also bears her own unique story and journey of setback and perseverance. Just mere minutes into the 2019 season opener, the Sioux Falls native was met with unexpected tragedy and misfortune, tearing her ACL. The gruesome injury caused her to miss the remainder of the season ultimately putting her final, senior year of competition in jeopardy.

 "I knew right away since I had never been in that much pain before," commented Weidler on her initial thoughts after the injury. "I just did not want to believe and accept the setback because it was obviously so devastating. Coming back, I was worried about whether or not I would be able to compete at the collegiate level again."

 Though devastated and left with doubts, the redshirt senior remained optimistic and motivated more than ever in order to get back onto the pitch for her final season with her teammates. Even in the midst of the university being shut down last March, Weidler pushed through day by day rehabbing and training knowing she was not alone. In the same mindset, was junior Kassidy Johnson who also missed the entirety of the 2019 season due to an ACL injury.

 "Injuries are always really hard to come back from especially when dealing with an ACL tear, so having a strong supporting cast like Kassidy, her teammates, family and the university helped her remain motivated," commented head coach Clay Glasgow about Weidler's return. "We were also shut down by March so the fact that Alyssa and Kassidy were able to come back only proliferates their willingness to overcome and persevere."

 Fast-forward to the 2020 season, both Johnson and Weidler look the part of being back and better than ever as Dakota Wesleyan is off to its best start in a decade. On the defensive end, Johnson is operating as a solid defender for the Tigers protecting the net and creating havoc on opposing forwards. Meanwhile, Weidler is fueling the DWU offensive attack streaking past defenders up and down the pitch.

 However, for anyone keeping up with the Dakota Wesleyan University women's soccer program over the last five years, the redshirt senior's offensive game and scoring is nothing new. Weidler most recently recorded her 11^th goal of the season and 11^th multi-goal game. The performance cemented her as the all-time career goals scorer in DWU women's soccer history with 40 career goals passing Ellie Peterson and Kasha Roberts.

 While stoked and electrified moments after breaking the record, the senior forward was nothing but grateful and collected when asked about how much it meant just to be competing once again. "It means the world to me to come back and finish my senior year the way I would want to finish. I am just truly blessed."

 "Records are meant to be broken and I am really excited it happened for Alyssa given her perseverance and dedication after last year," iterated Glasgow as he humbly responded to Weidler's newest accolade. "But at the end of the day, I just see it as every player on this team having a responsibility at their respective position. Our goalies do a great job of defending the goal while the midfielders and defenders do excellent work distributing the ball and defending against the opposition. At the forward position, Alyssa Weidler's responsibility is to score goals and she obviously does a great job of it."

 While she may just be doing her job like the rest of us, there is a certain art and talent of working down the field and past the defense in order to gain position between the opposition and the goal. And who would know better than Weidler who sits with 90 career points along with 107 shots on goal over her time at DWU. The redshirt senior credits some of this talent and ability to her background as a sprint and jumps' specialist as she was also a three-year athlete on the Dakota Wesleyan track and field team.

 "As a forward, you need speed and agility to not only get behind the defense, but to also maintain a certain level of endurance. In both high school and college, going right from the pitch to the track and vice versa helped me stay in shape."

 Despite the success, achievement, and accolades of the current season, both Weidler and Glasgow remain composed and grounded when reflecting on their journey together. In 2016 the duo won a total of two games; however, things would improve significantly over the next two seasons as the Tigers won a total of six contests in 2017 and 2018. Transition to the 2020 season where the Tigers currently sit tied for first in the Great Plains Athletic Conference with two games remaining and have already punched their tickets for the postseason tournament for the first time since 2009.

 "Looking back, our roster was really small and underdeveloped my freshman year," iterated Weidler on the transformation of the program. "Slowly and steadily, each recruiting class improved year by year and every time a new recruit came to visit, I started analyzing their skill set individually. To see the program where it is right now is truly amazing."

 "While the success and transformation of the program has been fun and exciting to watch firsthand, I realize there are bigger things in life than soccer and wins and losses," expressed Glasgow. "At the end of the day, I care about all of my players graduating and it is awesome to see them using the sport they love as a path for graduating."

 I am guessing Alyssa Weidler will never win a U.S. Open championship in golf while suffering a double-stress fracture of the tibia. She will also probably never lead the U.S. Gymnastics' team to a gold-medal podium finish over Russia on a bum ankle. And I hope she never wins a major surfing championship after being attacked by a ferocious, 14-foot tiger shark. However, her strength, perseverance and willingness to keep striving in the midst of injury and adversity has taught us all what it truly means to earn your stripes.