Aubrey Drake

Hear Aubrey’s Story

I entered into the Dordt College volleyball program as a freshman in the fall of 2015. I came in as a strong recruit and was excited to play for Dordt for the next four years of college. Little did I know that I was headed into a much different journey than I had planned. Not even a week into our fall pre-season training, I dove for a ball and felt a pop in my left hamstring followed by a sharp pain making it difficult to walk. I met with Lindsay Hoogendoorn, the athletic trainer at Dordt College, and she confirmed that I had torn my hamstring. Throughout my long recovery of my hamstring, I then began to feel a constant pain in my lower back.

The pain continued to get worse the more I played and soon became unbearable. I began to work with Trent Geleynse, a physical therapist from Sioux Center Health who visits to Dordt three times a week to work with student athletes. He found that I had a large hip misalignment that was most likely causing my back pain and extra tension on my hamstring. He adjusted and realigned them to relieve the pain and I soon began to see results. I worked with him three times a week and he gave me strengthening exercises to do on days he was not on campus. I continued to work with him and the athletic trainers at Dordt for the next 3 years.

Entering into my junior year, I was still experiencing severe back pain that required treatment that could be better accommodated at Sioux Center Health Physical Therapy. I traveled to Sioux Center Health and had intensive physical therapy with Sara Wielenga. She did a wonderful job to help me manage my pain and demonstrated exercises that could help strengthen the surrounding muscles while keeping my volleyball schedule and games into account. Sara worked with me in proactive rehabilitation.

Sara, along with the individuals scheduling my appointments, were very attentive to my class and volleyball schedule. They really took my personal preferences and schedule into account. They were very involved with my season and had even attended a few of my games. I always look forward to going to physical therapy, not only because of the progress I was making, but also because of the people I have had the opportunity to meet and connect with.

Sioux Center Health Physical Therapy has helped me continue to represent Dordt as a student athlete and also serve the Lord through the abilities He has given me. The personal success I have been able to experience would not have been made possible without the patience and constant support I have received from Trent, Sara, and Sioux Center Health Physical Therapy.

I never imagined being able to play the sport I love to the best of my ability and furthermore reaching the goal we had set as a team to make it to the national championship two years in a row. Participating in the national tournament for the past three years and the national championship the past two has given me a deeper appreciation for my teammates and coaches on and off the court, who push me to a higher level of competition. I am more than grateful to Sioux Center Health for being involved in my journey and helping me reach my full potential on the court to represent my teammates, school, and Savior Jesus Christ. Sioux Center Health Physical Therapy will continue to help my freshman dreams become a reality as I enter my senior season.