What is my role?

Meet Aniesha

It was the year 2000 the last time St. Cloud High School had brought home a volleyball districts title. No one would’ve imagined that it would happen again in 2019, but the preparation to make it that far had begun 6 months prior. From the outside in, the lady Bulldogs not only hungered for the title, but pushed their bodies to the limit to ensure their preparation for the matches that were to come.

But what happens when you work hard for a title, and can’t even compete? When the bright lights, and loud cheers that usually motivate you, are also motivating the person that has occupied your position on the court? This isn’t a hypothetical situation, but hard hitting reality for Bulldog junior, and starting defensive specialist, Aniesha Neff.

At practice the week before their district playoff game, the unthinkable happened. While going through a hitting drill, Aniesha jumped and landed on a fully extended knee. Usually if a player gets hurt, or something strange happens, the player will sit off to the side to collect their thoughts, and assess their injury to see if any real damage has been done. Taken off the court, and asked about her knee, the situation didn’t get any better: “I’m not entirely sure what popped”, recalls Neff , “But when I got it checked the athletic trainer said that the knee cap and patella had shifted, and caused cartilage to move and become inflamed” .

Of course for anyone regardless of what age or level you play, injury is one of the worst things that could happen to you. Whether you decide to play sports longer down the road, or if that is the year that you retire your court shoes, life after injury is a big unknown. When asked what were her immediate thoughts: “Fear. I was ultimately scared for my everyday life, not just volleyball. I have never felt that type of pain before and I had no clue how to respond to it or cope with it”. She details being calmed by her teammate Jessica and Coach Nicky, but admits the thought of participating and competing in the district matches also came to her mind :" “I was looking forward to playing in the district matches and to hopefully take my team further. At the time I had no idea how long I would be out, or if I would even need to be out. I had absolutely no clue. I was just praying that it wouldn’t be for too long and that I would hopefully be better for district championships”

Not accepting that it could be worse than what it seemed, Aniesha went on to volunteer at the middle school game that night . It wasn’t until the next morning, when the pain officially set in, that she realized her roll will have a drastic change in the following matches. The doctor assured Aniesha and her family that it was only inflammation , but it still left a different feeling, as she had to sit the bench during the semi final matches.

The Lady Bulldogs pull out wins, and make it to the district final match. Testings the waters to see if there has been any improvement to her knee, she tries to perform a skill: “I got a little too excited, and tried to jump serve. I felt the same pain that I felt before. Then it hit me so hard, I wouldn’t be playing in district finals”. In this moment the role had changed.

“I figured it was best for me to sit out for a while after that, but I was so anxious to get back on the court. After my experience the day of finals though, I knew I would have to take a few games and practices off, no matter how badly I didn’t want to. It was really hard to watch the team win districts without me, and watch them win first round of regionals, and potentially state”.

As an athlete, no one is prepared for their role to change due to an ufourtunate event. To go from being a starter, to sitting the bench during one of the most important games of your Junior season, is something that can be extremely hard to cope with. Aniesha was extremely transparent, stating that the bench was very unusual for her. Emotions flooded her, hating the experience, feeling useless, and basically replaced. She recalls it feeling really tough to sit out on big games like districts and regionals, to have to watch her team achieve big things without her. She states “Ultimately, I had to realize there was nothing I could do about it, and I just had to accept it”.

So how did she contribute now that she was in a completely new space? Aniesha says that she provided as much positive energy that she could!

“My coach is always big on cheering and positivity. Whether or not I could step on the court I figured cheering for my team as loud as I could was the best way to go. It would do no good for anyone if I sat and pouted while my team went on to win some of the biggest games my school has seen in years.”

“My coach is always big on cheering and positivity. Whether or not I could step on the court I figured cheering for my team as loud as I could was the best way to go. It would do no good for anyone if I sat and pouted while my team went on to win some of the biggest games my school has seen in years.”

For us at Limitless, especially for me having the priveledge of getting to coach such a beautiful soul, Aniesha sets an example for the athletes who not only play volleyball, but for those around her, and those who are coming up after her. She understands that life may throw a curve ball, but learning how to catch and redirect it is key!

“For other athletes, I would say the best advice I could give you is know your priorities. Understand that your health is ultimately the main concern. Sitting out of a couple of games or even an entire season sucks, but what sucks more is being hospitalized or worse. So just understand that you will most likely heal, it just takes time. Worry about your physical well-being first.”

Getting injured when I did was one of the hardest things I’ve experienced in my athletic career, but I am so glad that it wasn’t worse and I feel so blessed and grateful to have teammates and coaches that didn’t let me feel like i was important anymore. So thank you to those coaches and teammates :)

Fast forward to today, Aniesha was found to have torn her ACL and will be going in to surgery, Christmas Eve. Please send her positive vibes, thoughts, and prayers, along with us. We are wanting and know that this determined athlete will make a speedy recovery, and be back on the court in no time. We love you Aniesha!

Ready..Set..LIMA!

Man! What a great opportunity I had to be able to compete in Lima Peru at the 2019 Para Pan American Games. Blessed and highly favored, Team USA took home the gold, and continued on as reigning ParaPan Champs.

Let me paint a picture what its like to compete for Team USA.

THE TRIP.

As a team, we all fly in together to one location, before flying off to main destination. This time we met at Houston, before flying off to Lima. On these trips we make sure that we have all the essentials in our backpacks: Hand sanitizer, wipes, tooth brush, tooth paste, ibuprofen, portable charger, deodorant, as well as all of the things needed to play, no exceptions. As a team, we all fly in our USA gear, and this may be biased, but I think Team USA is the happens to be the flyest when it comes to looking good while traveling!

ARRIVAL.

Upon arriving to Lima, we quickly are told to go to our own customs line. What I love most about traveling in a major event, is that we get treated like royalty. Our special customs line didn’t only apply to team USA, but to all the Lima athletes that were coming through. If you know anything about traveling abroad, and going through customs, you know that sometimes customs can be a NIGHTMARE. Thankfully, in situations like these, a nightmarish customs line is not the case.

Our drive is about 2 hours to the airport, and I’m just taking it all in. Lima is a new city, and I’m literally like a dear in headlights. The buildings are made of brick and concrete, and tightly built together. The driving is a little crazy; The other bus filled with the rest of our teammate got into an accident, so they ended up getting in about 45 minutes after us!

THE VILLAGE.

The village is literally a small town in which you live for the duration of the games. This village happened to be compact which was nice (not as much walking which is great for those who have prosthetic legs). As soon as you get in, there’s a welcome village, the apartment buildings, the cafeteria, and further down the international zone. The international zone was filled with shops, and food trucks, and a stage where different performers would come and entertain during the week. Hidden behind the back of the apartment buildings is an athlete lounge. The athlete lounge happens to be my favorite! There were about 8 rooms filled with different types of games to have fun. My personal favorite was air hockey (although i may have hurt my fingers a time or two playing with Tia, who happens to be an air hockey SHARK).

The village literally becomes a home away from home for all of us. We spend so much time there, meeting other people, spending time time in the athlete lounge hanging out with other countries. Even eating in the cafe, its like a high school reunion getting to see all of your old friends, even the new ones that we just may have made while being there.

OPENING CEREMONIES.

Imagine yourself walking out into an arena. You can see millions of flashes go off, you can see the other countries walk in before you as their names are called, and then suddenly your promoter says USA it’s your turn. Opening ceremonies is a huge celebration of countries, a celebration of the games, and the official start of the event, Lima 2019.

You walk the outskirt of the arena with thousands of people cheering in the stands. This opening ceremony was especially special because our team captain Katie Holloway, got to be flag bearer and represent for the ENTIRE DELEGATION OF USA. It was also super cool being able to walk in behind her (usually the flag bearer doesn’t get to have their team walk in right behind them). It was so amazing to be reminded of the cool opportunity we had, and that Tokyo 2020 was just around the corner.

COMPETITION.

Let me start by saying that we don’t compete until a week after we’ve already been there. That means the first week we spend in ANXIETY. We practice once a day for an hour at a practice location which happens to be closer than the actual venue. Practice is fun because since we only get an hour, there is a TON of play involved. We get one day to practice at the practice venue, and the first time we do it feels like magic! The venue is a fairly nice size, with Lima 2019 bordering the court, and flags that hang from the top which represent all the countries which will be competing in sitting volleyball.

Once we start playing, our matches happen to be late. I don’t mind the late matches, but since it was currently winter, and our venue was open, it was COLD. There were some matches where teams actually wore long sleeved shirts under their jerseys, or leggings under their shorts. I wore leggings under my shorts one time, and it worked out perfectly.

At the venue before you compete, you warm up on a practice court. We play music, get some 3 on 3 deep court going, hype ourselves up. It’s the perfect time to set your mind to what your about to do, and try and get some jitters out before the match. Then we walk out to the side entrance of the venue. Here we stand side by side to the other team to walk out when the match is announced. It almost reminds me of boxing match, when people are standing there ready to walk out when there name is called. Annddddd this is exactly how Kaleo, Tia, and I treat it. Haha! We literally bounce around, and when Kaleo says uppercut, we swiftly uppercut the air. Its moments like these that make my heart so happy.

Once they announce the game, we walk out onto the court and get ready for the national anthems to be played. I cannot describe the feeling that I get when I hear my national anthem play. For me, I feel blessed beyond measure, super emotional, because I am part of that small percentage that actually gets to represent my country. Because I have this awesome opportunity to represent something that is bigger than me, and stand on a platform that will be there for the rest of my life.

I LOVED playing in that venue. I love playing in large venues, with stadium seating, and tons of people in the crowd. I love high energy places, bright lights, and an adrenaline rush. If I could pick out one thing that I loved the most about Lima, it would be our venue.

At the end of competition. there is a ceremony. We all get our medals put around our neck, and a small plushie of the mascot of that tournament. This trip we got a small Milco, made out of clay. They also give out awards , and we took home 3: Best setter (Kaleo), Best Hitter (Heather), and MVP (Heather).

There are so many little details and factors that play into our competition life. Sometimes, we get moments of adversity, and sometimes we get moments of adventure. Either way, to compete for Team USA is one of the coolest things about my life, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

X. Nicky.

Here's your Dose of athlete inspiration!

There are times where life will test you, and push you to your absolute limit. These moments will either make you or break you, and truly show your character to the world. This was the case when it came to Benjamin, better known as Ben, Aman.

He’s a member of the men’s National Sitting Volleyball team. He joined in 2012, and became a Paralympian in the Rio 2016 games. Ben has an impressive career thus far, with having participated in Zonal Championships, 2 World Championships, and Intercontinental. Although this story is already inspiring, and pretty much awesome, there is so much more to Ben’s story.

In 2017, Ben was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident. This accident not only gave him intense road rash, but fractured his skull, broke his eye socket, and left him with a severe TBI. The accident was so intense, a piece of his skull was removed to help relieve pressure in his brain. Now pause. Think. Reflect. A professional athlete, all within seconds, life was changed forever.

Because of this Ben was out of the game for a year. Working on recovery, a strong wife by his side, and faith greater than a mustard seed, he was determined to remain in the game. At first, the road was rocky. Unable to communicate, seizure prone, and sensitive to light as well as sound, Ben not only had a fight ahead of him, but a determination to get back on that court.

Little by little he made, and is still, making strides. He is learning how to maneuver his new normal. He learned what triggers a head ache or seizure, and when he needs to take a break. He learned how to be more in tune with his body, and focus more on the details of not only his play, but his teammates, and the game. Speech is finally starting to make its way back, and he can piece together what he is trying to convey. When he is asked what his favorite quote or bible verse is, he responded: “So that we confidently say, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

Ben is an inspiration not only to his family, but to the world around him, especially to us at Limitless People. Not only did he fight the battles that life threw at him, but he has shown that if you want something bad enough, there is no stopping you.

We want to give a BIG thank you to Ben for letting us share just a little part of his big journey, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.

Follow Ben and his journey on instagram: @Ben_aman10